It’s all over. Andor has closed out its second season, completing the story of Cassian Andor, setting the stage for Rogue One, and changing the entire Star Wars galaxy in the process. Everybody take a breath. They did it. It’s a show that’s set to linger long in the memory, sure to have a significant legacy in the history of George Lucas’ space opera – not just in-universe, but in our world too. As the dust settles on a series like no other – and we all contemplate the Ghorman massacre, Mon Mothma’s escape from the senate, Cassian’s last mission on Coruscant, and that heart-wrenching final shot – here are the things that Star Wars (and its fans) can learn from Andor.
1) Even the darkest Star Wars is still about hope
If you had to sum up Andor in a word – near-impossible, admittedly – ‘unflinching’ might be it. Never have Star Wars fans been plunged into the hell of Imperial rule like this, witnessing characters really give everything in the pursuit of freedom. Andor drew from from the darkest depths of human history – in Season 2 alone, this was a show that made no bones about saying ‘rape’, or ‘genocide’. Nobody got an easy way out. Still, at the core of it all, hope remained.
The next Andor probably won’t be another show that feels specifically like Andor.
The importance of ‘hope’ in Star Wars can’t be underestimated. It’s right there in the re-titling of Lucas’ 1977 original: A New Hope. “Hope” is the final word in Rogue One, from Princess Leia herself. And then there’s that line that Andor retroactively seeded, from that Ghorman bellhop: “Rebellions are built on hope.” That’s what all this was for; why lives were burnt for the sunset they’d never see – for the hope that the Empire may one day end. The very final shot of Andor – SPOILER ALERT! – of Bix, with Cassian’s child, on Mina-Rau was steeped in tragedy, yes. But it was hopeful too: an image of new life, of a better future we know is dawning, that Cassian has helped to forge. Even in its darkest days, Star Wars is a story of hope.
2) Not every Star Wars story needs to be Andor
It’s an understandable impulse: the impact of Andor is so strong, you think, “more Star Wars should be like this”. But should it? The tonal singularity of Andor in the Star Wars universe is what feels so refreshing about the show – taking the iconography and thematic core of a nearly 50-year-old saga, and approaching it “from a certain point of view”. It was inherently Star Wars, yet distinctly new. Undeniably, it worked – but make all Star Wars like this, and you start to get away from what the series is at heart: a pulpy space-opera adventure. The hunt will likely be on for ‘the next Andor’ – which probably won’t be another show that feels specifically like Andor. In fact, the last thing we really want is another show trying to be Andor, and failing to match its brains or guts. Instead, the takeaway should be that…
3) Star Wars can sustain different genres
If you had to put Andor in a genre, sci-fi trappings aside, it was a political espionage thriller, a spy show amid a backdrop of revolution. Which is something Star Wars has never been before; generally, Lucas’ leanings were always towards Western tropes, samurai movies, operatic tragedy, and old-fashioned serialised derring-do. That the saga has long been steeped in politics (yes, even back in the original trilogy) meant that a series like Andor could flourish; and experimenting with other genres, while keeping the heart of Star Wars intact, might result in more must-sees. Perhaps horror, given the darkness of the Sith and Palpatine’s unholy attempts to evade death; maybe a disaster movie, borrowing from the narrative approach to the High Republic novels; or an all-out podracing sports-movie underdog tale. There are signs that Lucasfilm is already exploring further: James Mangold’s Dawn Of The Jedi movie is going for full-on Biblical epic. Look, we’re not the ideas people, but there’s a whole galaxy out there, so let’s explore it.
4) Star Wars shouldn’t just be about what fans ‘want’
It’s the most grating and unimaginative response on social media whenever a new project comes into view: “Who asked for this??” And sure, audiences have been trained to be sceptical of franchise over-reach by studios spreading properties thin. But that question suggests a sense of smirking entitlement, too; that the only stories deserving of being told are ones that audiences are asking for. Lest we forget, Andor was a show that nobody asked for. The character was not the most impactful in Rogue One. It seemed unusual that Lucasfilm was pursuing a Cassian Andor show, of all things. And yet, it proved to be a masterpiece – there was vision, commitment, exceptional writing. Maybe the thing fans should be asking for is the thing they never knew they needed; that’s what studios and creators should be trying to deliver.
5) A strong idea should be followed with the strongest conviction
Perhaps the real secret weapon of Andor was how it never compromised. It said what it needed to say, always with its entire chest. Before Season 2 arrived, Tony Gilroy told us that the show was “protected all the way down the line” in its creation – by Kathleen Kennedy, by Lucasfilm, by Bob Iger, by the success of other Star Wars shows. They had “ultimate freedom” to tell exactly the story they wanted to tell, no punches pulled – and it paid off spectacularly. Whatever does come next, here’s hoping it arrives with the same strength of its convictions, and with as much muscle behind it, to hit as hard as Andor and tell a complete story. (The Acolyte Season 2? Please?) Hopefully, the sheer weight of critical acclaim for Andor will enable the arrival of the next Andor. See? It’s important to end on hope.
Andor is streaming now on Disney+
