How do you justify a prequel to a prequel? The Star Wars universe, like many pop-culture properties, has been immersed in recent years in attempts to revisit the characters and stories that are already familiar to fans, including the 2016 feature Rogue One. Whether or not you were a fan of its particular narrative or the creepy CGI-generated versions of vintage characters that it included, it was built on the connection of its heroes’ mission to the original Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope assault on the Death Star. Had Cassian Andor—the hard-edged rebel played by Diego Luna—earned enough fan fascination to warrant a spin-off about the things he did before he did the things that were before Star Wars?
That’s an interesting question—and curiously enough, it’s not actually one that Andor’s creator and Rogue One screenwriter Tony Gilroy, at least through its first four episodes, is most interested in answering. Because while Luna’s intensity ensures that Cassian Andor doesn’t fade entirely into the background, this is a series where everything that’s going on around him is what makes it uniquely interesting to watch.
Our story begins roughly four years before the events of Rogue One, with Cassian on a quest to find someone from his past on a corporate-controlled planet. That quest ends with him confronting two security guards, ultimately killing both of them. As a result, he winds up in the sights of zealous security officer Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), which complicates his business as a smuggler/black marketeer with his partner Bix (Adria Arjona).
Mixed in with that plot is a series of flashbacks to young Cassian (Antonio Viña) on his pre-industrial home planet of Kenari, where his people have a “first contact”-type experience with a crashed spacecraft. That subplot ultimately becomes a kind of origin story explaining how he connects with his adoptive “mother” Marva (Fiona Shaw), and will likely develop further in subsequent episodes, but for the moment feels like a lot of unnecessary throat-clearing.
That’s because Gilroy keeps finding amazing details and supporting characters flitting through the main storyline. There are terrific design components in the individual worlds, from the bubble windows of the rainy “red light district” where we first meet Cassian, to the anthropological details on his adopted home planet of Ferrix, like someone who enthusiastically takes on the job of hammering out the opening and closing chime of the workday. “World-building” is an overused term in fantasy storytelling, but Gilroy absolutely earns it here.
And it’s even better when Andor’s world-building turns its attention to something that wouldn’t intuitively seem like the stuff of great genre entertainment: the administrative minutiae of a fascist empire. As Karn begins his vendetta against Cassian, we get to see the supervisor who would much rather file a report that makes the whole mess go away. In the fourth episode, we see a budget meeting—you read that right, a budget meeting—that turns into a hilarious extended metaphor for counterintelligence operatives as “health care providers.” Nearly every time Andor deals with the inner workings of the empire, it’s absolutely wonderful, emphasizing how even the cruelest organization mostly consists of bureaucratic functionaries who only really care about not having their day get too complicated.
There is indeed also material that guides Cassian into his first connection with the Rebellion, and it’s effective in its own way. Luna’s performance stays on the enigmatic side, as there’s clearly more hinted-at back story still to uncover before all is said and done. If that side of Andor picks up the pace—and the fourth episode hints at just as many potentially intriguing details in the Rebel network—this could end up being one of the most original and satisfying Star Wars offerings yet. And all because instead of just making a prequel to a prequel, they found a tale to tell that works without Easter eggs, fan service or CGI re-animations.
Andor is now streaming on Disney+ with the first 3 episodes available to watch now.
Discount Disney Theme Park Tickets & Hotels!!!
MiceChat brings you the BEST theme park ticket, hotel & package deals! (You’ll find extra nights free, big discounts, and special offers as well).
Check out the latest offers for Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and Knott’s Berry Farm:
(MiceChat works with Get Away Today to provide you with the best theme park travel deals and we may make a small commission on any sales made through our links)
Let’s Hear From You
Is Andor going on your Disney+ watch list? Does a prequel to a prequel (that ends in everyone dying) garner your interest? Share your thoughts in the comments.
You must be logged in to post a comment.