Andor - Premiere - Review

When Lucasfilm announced that they were getting into the TV business, we got The Mandalorian and while we have since had shows focus on classic characters like Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi, their latest offering is focusing on a more recent addition to the Star Wars mythos, Cassian Andor. Does this show deliver the promise of igniting the spark of a rebellion, or is it nothing more than a fizzle?

Disney are releasing the first three episodes at once, so we can considering those to be the premiere and wrapping them up into one review, even though they can be watched on their own. Just note, there may be some slight spoilers ahead, nothing major, but enough to be wary.

* Spoiler Warning *

In all things Star Wars, the opening of most things are grand establishing shots, a ship flying through space, a character walking across something, you know, something to set the scale. How Andor starts is completely different, in that it uses a much more focused shot, with a dark and rainy setting to really drive home that this is something different. The planet that Cassian is on is also a new one and thankfully its nothing remotely connected to Tattooine, so yes other planets exist in tv land, but the time spent there is brief. Cassian has a reason for his visit, I won’t spoil why, but it doesn’t end well and that single event kicks off a grand investigation, which brings the Empire into the equation, but more on that later. What I liked about this opening moment, isn’t what happened, but rather how Cassian dealt with it, he wasn’t that swarthy killer, no he was the opposite. He has the skills, but almost no desire to use them, until pushed to the limit and when he pushes back bad things happen.

While the show switches to showing us the morning after, at least how it might start, it then threw up a flashback and I was not expecting it and while I could breakdown what happens in it, I will just say that whatever you might be expecting, you won’t expect this. This is not the first show it make use of a flashback to tell an important part of a larger story, Arrow is one such show, but while that show focused on the man learning the skills we see him use in the modern day, this doesn’t. It isn’t to say that the flashbacks are not interesting, they do provide some context to the earlier actions, along with why he has so many skills. The problem with them is that they could be removed and the story wouldn’t suffer with their absence.

While the show is about Cassian, there are a host of new characters that we get to meet, from his mother to friends and of course, the mysterious buyer. The show doesn’t give a whole lot of context to them, at least in the first three episodes, but rather focuses on their connection to Cassian, which works wonders for expanding him. From Rogue One, we knew that he was considered a scoundrel, someone who would do whatever he could to complete his mission and it isn’t something he picked up from the other rebels. Seeing him charm folks that he owes money to, or that can do things for him could easily come off as scummy, but for Cassian it’s just another day in his life. That being said, the actions at the start have consequences and those get bigger and bigger as the episodes go by. I was expecting the Empire to show up, it is a show that is meant to be about the start of the rebellion, but exactly how they come in, was quite a surprise.

Where the show shines though, is with its cast and a large portion of the praise goes to the shows main star Diego Luna. As we have already met the character back in Rogue One, discovering him again but just younger, was never going to be that interesting a setup, however Luna has brought to the character a real sense of under prepared they really are for the galaxy at large. There are times when we get to see Cassian expand past that and showcase additional depth, but you can see in his face, that he doesn’t quite believe his actions and Luna completes that transition wonderfully. As I mentioned before, there is a larger cast at play than just the main character and while we get to learn snippets of them, they help fill in the world. His friend/business partner Bix is brought to life by Adria Arjona, who seems more at home in Star Wars than she did in Morbius and while there is more to their dynamic, you can see in their interactions that the pair have a fun relationship, as tenuous as it is. The surprise for me was Fiona Shaw, who fans may remember played Petunia Dursley in all of the Harry Potter movies, she has a big role in the flashbacks, but just as important a role in the present. The relationship between her character Maarva and Cassian is different, but there is love between them and it shows.

Something that I have to comment on though, is the shows willingness to leave the world of screens behind and use real world locations, yes the volume is still used and does blend a lot better now, but its bolstered by the actual world. Star Wars has always been about real world locations, be they desert, ice filled landscapes or beyond and having some sets and locations that you could walk on and not see walls of green or blue screen. The town set is just that a set, but use of a larger set, combined with the volume and real locations, helps make this feel more like Star Wars than any of the other shows so far.

The first three episodes of Andor do set the stage for something much bigger, there is action to be had here, but that is not he point of them, it is more about establishing who Cassian is now, compared to what we know him to become. Luna provides a fresh take to the character that hints at what might be, but without it being forced down the viewers throats and perhaps more importantly, the characters that surround him, all feel real as well. The larger narrative of the spy thriller that was promised is only teased at ever so slightly at the end of the third episode, but it is a start. Thankfully, the series can take time to develop things, because there are still 9 more episodes to go, but with a start this strong, I have a good feeling about this.

The Score

9.0

Review access provided by Disney

The Pros

+The world and the characters within, feel far more real than anything TV Star Wars has done before

+Diego Luna has given new depth to the character and not played them younger, which gives room to grow

The Cons

-The flashbacks, while interesting, could be removed and the story wouldn’t hurt from their absence

-It is a much slower start than most people would be expecting, which could hinder your enjoyment