“Andor” is the best live-action “Star Wars” show that Disney has produced to date. Though the other shows have contributed to the canon of Star Wars, “Andor” takes the franchise to new places.
“Andor” is set five years before “Rogue One,” and follows Cassian Andor, a likable rogue who often finds himself in trouble. The show opens with Andor looking for his lost sister, only to end up killing two peacekeepers.
The resulting domino effect of Andor’s actions inspires the plot moving forward, as plot lines grow out from this single violent moment. The show explores how a single event creates repercussions throughout the galaxy, similar to historical events.
Tony Gilroy, the showrunner, has explained the inspiration for “Andor” is a pastiche of history. It’s no singular event, moment or figure but a history that defines the show. The result is an interweaving narrative of vindictive bureaucrats, conspiring politicians and rebels that feel current.
The musical choices of the show are a mixture of orchestral and electronic, blending the sweeping epic of John Williams with the ethereal music of Kavinsky, creating a tone for the “Star Wars” show that is bleak and energetic. Additionally, tracks often repeat and are remixed over the course of the series.
The element that truly stands out in “Andor” is the editing. Balancing several narratives across several different planets is often difficult since it requires a balance in each narrative to convey a meaning.
The showrunners have achieved a concise format to not only build up characters but to lay the seeds for their connections through a braided format. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the first arc (episodes one through three) of the series.
The arc is punctuated by the “Past/Present Suite” as the show cuts between Andor’s time on Kenari in the past and Ferrix in the present. The actions on Kenari paralleled Ferris, slowly coming together over the course of three episodes.
By the finale of the third episode, the cuts happen every 30 seconds until the final moments cut between Andor’s departure from Kenari and his leaving Ferrix. The action layers onto itself so that a dialogue is formed across the two periods.
The scene works to show the way that the narrative is layered, that past and present exist not as points but as an aspect of ourselves. The narrative uses the device to frame how there isn’t so much a dichotomy, but personal perception.
The show slowly unpacks these ideas through imagery from George Lucas’ “Star Wars” films. It draws particularly from Samurai and war films while blending in Gilroy’s interest in morally gray characters to make a narrative equally epic and human.
The result is a show that goes beyond the limits of being a prequel and a “Star Wars” series to be a unique narrative. The story stands out in a medium bogged down by revivals and spin-offs. It is a story of hope, which makes it a must-watch for any sci-fi fan.
Benjamin Ervin is a senior studying English literature and writing at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Benjamin know by emailing him be425014@ohio.edu.
