ANDOR: A Galaxy at Ground-Level

With its intimate focus, "Andor" takes "Star Wars" to new heights. 

By: Josh McCormack

In the nearly 50 years that “Star Wars” has existed, the majority of its heroes have been presented on some sort of pedestal.

Jedi knights, galactic royalty, bounty hunters, ruthless smugglers. While Anakin, Luke and Rey were all introduced living on barren planets, seemingly far away from the greater conflicts, each of their heroes' journeys revealed truths about their pasts that made them far more important. A prophesied chosen one, the child of said chosen one and the heir to the galaxy’s greatest sith overlord.

Hell, even the kids in the recent “Skeleton Crew” show find out that the reason for being flung into some great adventure isn’t by happenstance, but because their home planet is the “Star Wars” equivalent of El Dorado.

The point is, “Star Wars” has never really made time for the normal people that populate its universe.

We see them in wide shots strolling around Mos Eisley or parking their speeders at various locations in Coruscant, but rarely are they any more than nameless extras. While the climax to the Skywalker Saga’s most recent entry, “The Rise of Skywalker”, hinges on normal people taking up the call to fight in the final battle, we never really see anyone’s faces unless they’re a legacy character (Hey look! Wedge Antilles!).

Enter Tony Gilroy’s “Andor”, Lucasfilm’s first real successful foray into the world of prestige streaming television.

While initially presented as a prequel to the fan-favorite “Rogue One”, showrunner Tony Gilroy was able to sneak in a beautifully made treatise on rebellion in the face of fascism. A story about the sacrifices that must be made in order to rebel and where to find hope in a galaxy wallowing in hopelessness.

Having just come to an end with its series finale after two seasons, “Andor” proved to be one of the most unique “Star Wars” stories ever told. Both in its narrative and its presentation, the show defied so many of the hallowed norms of this franchise. The result is a mature, slow-burn espionage thriller that just so happens to be set in a galaxy far, far away.

But what really makes “Andor” so different?

At first glance, there’s a lot of elements fans are familiar with. Many of the planets we’re seeing are ones we’ve seen before. The iconic Imperial Stormtroopers roam around at some point in almost every episode. Legacy characters like Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, Orson Krennic and the titular Cassian Andor are all people fans are familiar with. Even the time period in which the show is set is one of the most overly explored periods in “Star Wars” history, that being the gap between “Revenge of the Sith” and “A New Hope”.

The reason for “Andor” feeling like such a breath of fresh air can all be traced back to one thing; its focus.

“Andor” focuses on the average individual in the “Star Wars” universe who risks it all to fight systematic oppression. For the first time, the audience is invited to see one of these stories develop at ground-level. It’s a lens that allows us to get a sense of what the day-to-day aspects of life would be like living in a universe that is under the rule of the Galactic Empire.

Not everyone in the rebellion can be a former smuggler going on adventures or a Mandalorian warrior fighting for justice on various planets. Some of them are merely farmers, shopkeepers or even hospital workers. This allows “Andor” to explore the mundanity of “Star Wars” and through this the universe somehow feels bigger than ever.

This is really felt in the show’s visual style, which sparingly uses shots of ships flying around grand vistas or the floaty digital camera work that perpetuated Lucas’ prequel trilogy. Instead, all of the vantage points are at street level. Seeing planets like Coruscant from the perspective of those living in apartments or working in one of the countless office buildings makes the scale of these fictional worlds seem more oppressive than awe-inspiring, which is Gilroy’s intent. In the eyes of an idealistic farm boy from Tatooine, the Galaxy is full of possibilities, but for someone on a planet constantly under the watchful eye of the Empire, this is a Galaxy of terror.

Gilroy and co.’s ability to mine that sense of dread from the characters who are all under the boot of fascistic rule is one of the show’s greatest attributes. It makes the threat of the Empire tangible for the first time ever and gets into the nitty gritty of why a desire to build a rebellion began in the first place. It also leads to one of “Andor”’s most subversive elements, which is to challenge the “Star Wars” saga’s often simplistic view of the light side and the dark side. While that good/evil binary works really well for the galactic fairy tale of Anakin and Luke Skywalker, the formation of a rebellion leads us into some of the most morally grey areas of this universe.

Before its proper formation leading up to the events of “Rogue One” and “A New Hope”, the rebellion is full of infighting, backstabbing and ruthless murder in the name of the greater good. Nowhere is this better personified than in the character of Luthen Rael, played by Stellan Skarsgard. Participating in the rebellion long before it becomes an organized force, Rael is presented as a terrorist in the eyes of the Imperial regime and a radical in the eyes of the more centrist rebel fighters. For a young Padawan, the Jedi code is something that cannot be broken, as it conflicts with their ideals of the force. For a character like Luthen, a rogue revolutionary with no attachment to a greater religion, there is no code. The show begins to question if rebellions can really take off when we’re playing by some sort of rulebook. It’s something Cassian himself struggles with until the show’s end, making a case for both leading by example and also making the hard decisions even at the cost of other people’s lives.

But even in making the Empire more ruthless than ever before, “Andor” also provides them with more depth. Through characters like Dedra Meero and Syril Karn (two characters who also happen to engage in one of “Star Wars”’ coldest love stories), we see the never-ending torment of fascistic bureaucracy. Both characters have chosen the side of the Empire and are dedicated to rise through the ranks and be seated next to Emperor Palpatine. But the reality of their roles never goes beyond a series of board rooms. Years of promotions and committing themselves to a single-minded ideology through banal acts of terror leave them either stagnant or the targets of other power hungry coworkers who want the glory for themselves.

While Dedra and Syril consider themselves as mightier than the average ground-level citizen, they are in even greater anguish. Gilroy has stated that the reason for Darth Vader and Palpatine’s absence in the show is due to the fact that he wasn’t really interested in writing scenes for them. While I know that many “Star Wars” fans might have liked to see them appear in some capacity, the fact that we never see them feels oddly perfect. Vader and Palpatine (and even Grand Moff Tarkin, for that matter) represent the level of power that both Dedra and Syril aspire to be at, but the two of them never even share a room with any of them. Every order from the Emperor is delivered by a lackey of a lackey and no matter their sacrifices, Dedra and Syril mean nothing to the Empire’s greatest plan. They are dismissed and finally betrayed by the very system they have sold their souls to. It’s a wonderful portrayal of how pathetic fascists can be and it’s something I never expected to see in a “Star Wars” story.

In fact, “Andor” is full of those moments I never expected to see. From a space wedding that concludes with an intergalactic rave to starting a “Star Wars” show in a brothel where our lead character kills two cops. I’ve often heard my fellow fans say that they want a mature “Star Wars” movie made specifically for adults, and it’s something I was never keen on. In my mind, “Star Wars” should always be for a broad audience, prioritizing family-friendly stories. “Andor” challenged that notion and pushed the boundaries in terms of language and content. It’s a testament to the quality of this show that I trusted where it was going, even in its darkest moments. 

I don’t want every “Star Wars” show to be like “Andor”, but if they have another mature story that can be crafted as well as this one is, bring it on!

Tony Gilroy has admitted that he wasn’t a fan of this universe before jumping on board to “Rogue One” as a writer 10 years ago. But Lucasfilm saw that the veteran screenwriter was too good to pass up and gave him the opportunity to explore this franchise from a new angle.By doing so, Gilroy was able to put together a tremendous group of artisans and combine it with his deep historical knowledge to create something that honored the origins of Lucas’ iconic cinematic pastiche, but filter it through a new lens.

“Star Wars” is said to be a universe, but very few have been able to exploit the wide variety of stories a fictional universe this big can offer them. For all of its darkness, “Andor” just opened an exciting new path for a half-century old saga.

Let's just hope that those in charge are willing to take another creative risk.