This thread really is an enjoyable and intelligent read. So much to agree with and absorb the various views and takes in here. I’d love to know what Pakka thinks of Andor and its place and contribution to Star Wars. His thoughts on the installments to Star Wars since starting this thread too.
Thanks for your kind and thoughtful response! Apologies for taking so long to reply - I think I saw this some time ago, meant to respond, but life came along and distracted me for long enough that it slipped my mind.
I do LOVE Andor - such a breath of fresh air in so many ways. It’s very much a story about people just trying to get by, and the way that sometimes the time we live in doesn’t allow that (shades of LOTR there). So much great writing and acting, as well - Luthen’s speech in Ep 10, the horrible choice that Mon Mothma is left with, the whole prison subplot - just thinking about it has made me want to watch it again! And the music!
I was quite fond of The Mandalorian in its first season - felt like a very different view of the galaxy, much more low-level - but after it became a hit, the Great Maw of IP swallowed it whole and shoved it back into the larger story in ways that I found disappointing. Also, Filoni’s desire to take bits of the 90s EU and integrate them back into the new official universe largely leaves me cold, as I’m not a fan of 90s EU, and some of it is just misguided, like using the Dark Troopers from the 90s video games. I didn’t hear good things about Obi-Wan Kenobi, and so have not watched it, and also haven’t watch Ahsoka because it’s so tied to Rebels, which I tried to get into at the beginning, but it just didn’t grab me. Too much same-old, same-old.
With the writers’ strike resolved, hopefully the second (and sadly, last) season of Andor is being written as we speak, and if the actors’ strike gets resolved soon, we hopefully won’t have to wait too long to see it.