Oh I agree. But to be honest I don’t think the political nature of Rogue One works in that context, where it’s still trying to be a fun action adventure story. The Alliance sending an assassin out or using bombers to kill a guy instead of rescuing him? That’s kinda sickening when it’s trying in some ways to still be a proper gee whizz Star Wars yarn. It’s not detached enough from the material where C-3PO is saying something funny or a bunch of muppets show up. And I wanted a proper heist movie and it’s only like fifty percent there. Andor works more for me because it goes like ninety percent into spy fiction territory.
I think this sums up exactly why Rogue One didn’t work for me. It was clearly trying to be a gritty spy thriller with a more grimdark take on the Star Wars universe, but the execution of that goal felt incredibly half-assed in the end. They were too worried that it wouldn’t feel like a “real Star Wars movie”, and the result is a confused jumble of “bombastic space opera” and “gritty war film” that just ends up feeling dull.
Andor is a lot better in that regard, because it actually commits to Rogue One’s promise of dark, mature Star Wars storytelling. It’s a show for adults, and it does not hesitate to let you know.