IVE MADE ANDOR INTO A MOVIE OF SORTS CUT OUT THE BORING EMPIRE DRIVELL AND JUST KEPT TO ADULT ANDOR NO LORDS OF THE FLYS WITHOUT SUBTITLES FLASH BACKS JUST STICK TO THE STORY OF ANDOR AS A MAN
BIG PASS FROM ME. Kill your cruise control.
each to their own don’t get the kill your cruise control line if you dont want to watch it that way cool
IVE MADE ANDOR INTO A MOVIE OF SORTS CUT OUT THE BORING EMPIRE DRIVELL AND JUST KEPT TO ADULT ANDOR NO LORDS OF THE FLYS WITHOUT SUBTITLES FLASH BACKS JUST STICK TO THE STORY OF ANDOR AS A MAN
BIG PASS FROM ME. Kill your cruise control.
each to their own don’t get the kill your cruise control line if you dont want to watch it that way cool
Just a guess, he probably meant please stop posting in all capital letters, or that this isn’t the thread to start talking about your edit?
I agree with many of you, this show is amazing! Gilroy manages to expand the GFFA with new aspects and stories and make them interesting with great writing and the actors deliver with their performances. Tired, easy tropes are left in the background, we barely see x-wings, TIEs show up for a few moments and stormtroopers are in the background until the season finale. Gilroy not being a big SW fan really helped the show, as he probably had sort of a outsider eye for the whole thing. And they still have some hardcore fans in the production to make the world’s details match with what has come before. The fan service is organic and not in your face.
I never thought we’d see lines of dialogue delivered in such a great manner again in Star Wars. The four main monologues now up on the official Star Wars channel are a joy to watch and listen to. Just four among many of the strong acting performances and high standards of writing and character interactions throughout the series:
Kino Loy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKB67KzjO4A
Luthen Rael - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3RCme2zZRY
Nemik - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-asb8zTiuZ4
Maarva - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaKrm5txGCQ
I also loved the “That’s just love” scene between Cassian and Maarva, I must have been cutting onions watching that. The same with Cassian receiving the news at the end of Episode 11. Diego Luna is such an amazing and nuanced actor in this.
And the Mon Mothma character throughout the series has been wonderful to watch, Genevieve O’Reilly was simply fascinating to watch on screen.
Tony Gilroy certainly has his work cut out for the season 2:
https://www.vulture.com/article/andor-tony-gilroy-finale-interview.html
"What we’re working on now, the second part of this project, is not about Cassian becoming radicalized. It is very much about, How difficult is it for the Rebel Alliance to come together with all the outliers and original gangsters? Different agendas and betrayals? The tension of the next four years as things pull together? The effect of time on people? "
IVE MADE ANDOR INTO A MOVIE OF SORTS CUT OUT THE BORING EMPIRE DRIVELL AND JUST KEPT TO ADULT ANDOR NO LORDS OF THE FLYS WITHOUT SUBTITLES FLASH BACKS JUST STICK TO THE STORY OF ANDOR AS A MAN
BIG PASS FROM ME. Kill your cruise control.
each to their own don’t get the kill your cruise control line if you dont want to watch it that way cool
Just a guess, he probably meant please stop posting in all capital letters, or that this isn’t the thread to start talking about your edit?
I agree with many of you, this show is amazing! Gilroy manages to expand the GFFA with new aspects and stories and make them interesting with great writing and the actors deliver with their performances. Tired, easy tropes are left in the background, we barely see x-wings, TIEs show up for a few moments and stormtroopers are in the background until the season finale. Gilroy not being a big SW fan really helped the show, as he probably had sort of a outsider eye for the whole thing. And they still have some hardcore fans in the production to make the world’s details match with what has come before. The fan service is organic and not in your face.
I never thought we’d see lines of dialogue delivered in such a great manner again in Star Wars. The four main monologues now up on the official Star Wars channel are a joy to watch and listen to. Just four among many of the strong acting performances and high standards of writing and character interactions throughout the series:
Kino Loy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKB67KzjO4A
Luthen Rael - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3RCme2zZRY
Nemik - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-asb8zTiuZ4
Maarva - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaKrm5txGCQ
I also loved the “That’s just love” scene between Cassian and Maarva, I must have been cutting onions watching that. The same with Cassian receiving the news at the end of Episode 11. Diego Luna is such an amazing and nuanced actor in this.
And the Mon Mothma character throughout the series has been wonderful to watch, Genevieve O’Reilly was simply fascinating to watch on screen.
Tony Gilroy certainly has his work cut out for the season 2:
https://www.vulture.com/article/andor-tony-gilroy-finale-interview.html
"What we’re working on now, the second part of this project, is not about Cassian becoming radicalized. It is very much about, How difficult is it for the Rebel Alliance to come together with all the outliers and original gangsters? Different agendas and betrayals? The tension of the next four years as things pull together? The effect of time on people? "
my edit is simple i just focus on andor and his story not the empire and its political back biting at the ISB or the Mothma story line these aspects of the show just bored the life out of me its just one mans struggle to get on in the galaxy after accidentally killing a security guard while looking for his long lost sister
Kino Loy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKB67KzjO4A
Luthen Rael - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3RCme2zZRY
Nice! Finally some interesting and useful content on the official YouTube channel too. I wish they did more of this type of video, it’d be worth visiting more if they did.
Diego Luna is nominated for a Golden Globe: https://twitter.com/newsandor/status/1602335085746716673
“Diego Luna is the first actor to be nominated for a Golden Globe for a Star Wars TV series, and the second Star Wars actor since the 1970s to be nominated (Alec Guinness was the first for A New Hope). Bravo, @diegoluna_ !”
Edit: I posted some videos on Andor in the YouTube/Vimeo/etc… Star Wars video finds thread.
Videos discussing what to expect for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, talking about the story, writing, direction, cinematography, characters, acting, settings, use of CGI, sound, costuming, Andor’s gritty and real feel, the tone of the show, and also how it has been received by fans, how it compares with other Star Wars series and films (and with other sci-fi), and so on.
And some fun videos on it too.
The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.
IVE MADE ANDOR INTO A MOVIE OF SORTS CUT OUT THE BORING EMPIRE DRIVELL AND JUST KEPT TO ADULT ANDOR NO LORDS OF THE FLYS WITHOUT SUBTITLES FLASH BACKS JUST STICK TO THE STORY OF ANDOR AS A MAN
BIG PASS FROM ME. Kill your cruise control.
each to their own don’t get the kill your cruise control line if you dont want to watch it that way cool
Just a guess, he probably meant please stop posting in all capital letters, or that this isn’t the thread to start talking about your edit?
I agree with many of you, this show is amazing! Gilroy manages to expand the GFFA with new aspects and stories and make them interesting with great writing and the actors deliver with their performances. Tired, easy tropes are left in the background, we barely see x-wings, TIEs show up for a few moments and stormtroopers are in the background until the season finale. Gilroy not being a big SW fan really helped the show, as he probably had sort of a outsider eye for the whole thing. And they still have some hardcore fans in the production to make the world’s details match with what has come before. The fan service is organic and not in your face.
I never thought we’d see lines of dialogue delivered in such a great manner again in Star Wars. The four main monologues now up on the official Star Wars channel are a joy to watch and listen to. Just four among many of the strong acting performances and high standards of writing and character interactions throughout the series:
Kino Loy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKB67KzjO4A
Luthen Rael - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3RCme2zZRY
Nemik - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-asb8zTiuZ4
Maarva - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaKrm5txGCQ
I also loved the “That’s just love” scene between Cassian and Maarva, I must have been cutting onions watching that. The same with Cassian receiving the news at the end of Episode 11. Diego Luna is such an amazing and nuanced actor in this.
And the Mon Mothma character throughout the series has been wonderful to watch, Genevieve O’Reilly was simply fascinating to watch on screen.
Tony Gilroy certainly has his work cut out for the season 2:
https://www.vulture.com/article/andor-tony-gilroy-finale-interview.html
"What we’re working on now, the second part of this project, is not about Cassian becoming radicalized. It is very much about, How difficult is it for the Rebel Alliance to come together with all the outliers and original gangsters? Different agendas and betrayals? The tension of the next four years as things pull together? The effect of time on people? "
my edit is simple i just focus on andor and his story not the empire and its political back biting at the ISB or the Mothma story line these aspects of the show just bored the life out of me its just one mans struggle to get on in the galaxy after accidentally killing a security guard while looking for his long lost sister
THIS IS NOT THE THREAD TO TALK ABOUT YOUR EDIT. If you want to post about it, make a new thread in the fanedit section. People might be willing to give it a chance then.
My preferred Skywalker Saga experience:
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX
IVE MADE ANDOR INTO A MOVIE OF SORTS CUT OUT THE BORING EMPIRE DRIVELL AND JUST KEPT TO ADULT ANDOR NO LORDS OF THE FLYS WITHOUT SUBTITLES FLASH BACKS JUST STICK TO THE STORY OF ANDOR AS A MAN
BIG PASS FROM ME. Kill your cruise control.
each to their own don’t get the kill your cruise control line if you dont want to watch it that way cool
Just a guess, he probably meant please stop posting in all capital letters, or that this isn’t the thread to start talking about your edit?
I agree with many of you, this show is amazing! Gilroy manages to expand the GFFA with new aspects and stories and make them interesting with great writing and the actors deliver with their performances. Tired, easy tropes are left in the background, we barely see x-wings, TIEs show up for a few moments and stormtroopers are in the background until the season finale. Gilroy not being a big SW fan really helped the show, as he probably had sort of a outsider eye for the whole thing. And they still have some hardcore fans in the production to make the world’s details match with what has come before. The fan service is organic and not in your face.
I never thought we’d see lines of dialogue delivered in such a great manner again in Star Wars. The four main monologues now up on the official Star Wars channel are a joy to watch and listen to. Just four among many of the strong acting performances and high standards of writing and character interactions throughout the series:
Kino Loy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKB67KzjO4A
Luthen Rael - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3RCme2zZRY
Nemik - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-asb8zTiuZ4
Maarva - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaKrm5txGCQ
I also loved the “That’s just love” scene between Cassian and Maarva, I must have been cutting onions watching that. The same with Cassian receiving the news at the end of Episode 11. Diego Luna is such an amazing and nuanced actor in this.
And the Mon Mothma character throughout the series has been wonderful to watch, Genevieve O’Reilly was simply fascinating to watch on screen.
Tony Gilroy certainly has his work cut out for the season 2:
https://www.vulture.com/article/andor-tony-gilroy-finale-interview.html
"What we’re working on now, the second part of this project, is not about Cassian becoming radicalized. It is very much about, How difficult is it for the Rebel Alliance to come together with all the outliers and original gangsters? Different agendas and betrayals? The tension of the next four years as things pull together? The effect of time on people? "
Yeah, means kill the caps lock aka all caps.
IVE MADE ANDOR INTO A MOVIE OF SORTS CUT OUT THE BORING EMPIRE DRIVELL AND JUST KEPT TO ADULT ANDOR NO LORDS OF THE FLYS WITHOUT SUBTITLES FLASH BACKS JUST STICK TO THE STORY OF ANDOR AS A MAN
BIG PASS FROM ME. Kill your cruise control.
each to their own don’t get the kill your cruise control line if you dont want to watch it that way cool
Just a guess, he probably meant please stop posting in all capital letters, or that this isn’t the thread to start talking about your edit?
I agree with many of you, this show is amazing! Gilroy manages to expand the GFFA with new aspects and stories and make them interesting with great writing and the actors deliver with their performances. Tired, easy tropes are left in the background, we barely see x-wings, TIEs show up for a few moments and stormtroopers are in the background until the season finale. Gilroy not being a big SW fan really helped the show, as he probably had sort of a outsider eye for the whole thing. And they still have some hardcore fans in the production to make the world’s details match with what has come before. The fan service is organic and not in your face.
I never thought we’d see lines of dialogue delivered in such a great manner again in Star Wars. The four main monologues now up on the official Star Wars channel are a joy to watch and listen to. Just four among many of the strong acting performances and high standards of writing and character interactions throughout the series:
Kino Loy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKB67KzjO4A
Luthen Rael - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3RCme2zZRY
Nemik - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-asb8zTiuZ4
Maarva - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaKrm5txGCQ
I also loved the “That’s just love” scene between Cassian and Maarva, I must have been cutting onions watching that. The same with Cassian receiving the news at the end of Episode 11. Diego Luna is such an amazing and nuanced actor in this.
And the Mon Mothma character throughout the series has been wonderful to watch, Genevieve O’Reilly was simply fascinating to watch on screen.
Tony Gilroy certainly has his work cut out for the season 2:
https://www.vulture.com/article/andor-tony-gilroy-finale-interview.html
"What we’re working on now, the second part of this project, is not about Cassian becoming radicalized. It is very much about, How difficult is it for the Rebel Alliance to come together with all the outliers and original gangsters? Different agendas and betrayals? The tension of the next four years as things pull together? The effect of time on people? "
my edit is simple i just focus on andor and his story not the empire and its political back biting at the ISB or the Mothma story line these aspects of the show just bored the life out of me its just one mans struggle to get on in the galaxy after accidentally killing a security guard while looking for his long lost sister
THIS IS NOT THE THREAD TO TALK ABOUT YOUR EDIT. If you want to post about it, make a new thread in the fanedit section. People might be willing to give it a chance then.
Seconding!
But for me, ANDOR is perfect as is, doesn’t need a fan edit, AND I WANT SEASON TWO ALREADY. Of course I’m biased and watched in 4K HDR, if I haven’t mentioned already.
I wonder why we haven’t had a “Disney Gallery” for Andor yet? With Mando & BOBF we have had these a few weeks after the last episode aired, but no sign of one for Andor. There’s already a BTS for Willow which aired its last episode long after Andor.
I wonder why we haven’t had a “Disney Gallery” for Andor yet? With Mando & BOBF we have had these a few weeks after the last episode aired, but no sign of one for Andor. There’s already a BTS for Willow which aired its last episode long after Andor.
Maybe, because they know it’s exactly 2 seasons, and because discussions of some of the story planning stuff would be difficult without getting into spoilers at this point, they’re waiting until after season 2?
I’m 10 episodes in. Only 2 left.
I’m kind of mad now. I’m mad because it’s so fantastic. After all the mediocrity, they out of nowhere make one of the best Star Wars things ever. This is way, way better than any of the other recent stuff, by a country mile. It’s absurd how much better it is.
But we can’t turn back. Fear is their greatest defense. I doubt if the actual security there is any greater than it was on Aquilae or Sullust. And what there is is most likely directed towards a large-scale assault.
I wonder why we haven’t had a “Disney Gallery” for Andor yet? With Mando & BOBF we have had these a few weeks after the last episode aired, but no sign of one for Andor. There’s already a BTS for Willow which aired its last episode long after Andor.
Poor, isn’t it? It is like Lucasfilm do not want to plug, promote or even talk about their own show.
No “Disney Gallery: Andor” or similar “Behind The Scenes” special, as there has been for the other series.
Nothing on the official Andor twitter for over 2 months.
Nothing on the official Star Wars YouTube channel for Andor for over 3 months.
No videos at all on Andor on the ILMVFX YouTube Channel - no “Behind The Scenes”, or “Inside ILM”, or “Virtual Production” videos.
No Andor books; such as an “Art Of Andor”, “Making of Andor”, or “Visual Guide” for Andor.
There is one panel on Andor at Celebration 2023, for an hour, but nothing else I could find.
I find it underwhelming. Lazy and unengaging too, considering both the fans’ and critics’ positive reactions and praise for Andor.
“Disney Gallery” is a formulaic show, and Disney+ and Lucasfilm have done a number of previous “Gallery” or “BTS” shows, so it shouldn’t be too difficult or time consuming to put a show together for Andor.
A Visual Guide book for “Dawn Of The Rebellion” has been announced, featuring “content from the movies, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Andor” - https://twitter.com/swbooks/status/1634091342337908736?.
From https://twitter.com/eleventhirtyate/status/1633939968316911616 with their fun take on the book announcement. I think Pablo Hidalgo tweeted something on that thread or image, but he has probably deleted it since.
The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.
The reason why is probably that not enough people watched the show. Yes, almost all who did, both critics and audiences alike, loved it but it just didn’t catch on with mainstream audiences. If you compare how many people watched Andor compared with the Book of Bobba Fett and Kenobi, Andor was definitely the least watched of the three. Specifically, if you compare the 3 series’ Nielson ratings, both Boba Fett and Kenobi charted multiple times, whereas Andor only charted a few times. Disney even tried to boost ratings by airing the first few episodes on Cable Television as well as on streaming, and even that didn’t push up its numbers as much as they wanted. Don’t get me wrong I wish they’d try to promote it way more as well but those are probably the reasons why. You could probably make an argument that the reason why Andor didn’t do as well was that the previous 2 shows were so bad the dissuaded fans from checking out another season, or that it was up against House of the Dragon, but Andor just didn’t do that well in terms of viewership numbers, which is a shame as it’s probably the best Star Wars thing we’ve gotten in years.
Personally, I’m glad Andor isn’t super mainstream. If it had Mando levels of popularity, Disney execs would likely be micromanaging the second season to an absurd degree right now. Andor’s continued obscurity means that the “lightning in a bottle” of the first season might still be recaptured.
Also, was anyone really expecting Andor to be super popular anyways? It’s a show based on the most forgettable character in the most forgettable Star Wars movie, with a very slow pace and almost no action scenes. It was never going to stand a chance against anything with “Boba Fett” or “Obi-Wan Kenobi” in the title, no matter how much praise it got.
My preferred Skywalker Saga experience:
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX
In a lot of ways Andor is off-brand for the Company so if the brand is what matters they’d rather keep it off the record so to speak. After all, instead of being disposable nonsense it’s a show that took a torture scene from Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy…
I wonder why we haven’t had a “Disney Gallery” for Andor yet? With Mando & BOBF we have had these a few weeks after the last episode aired, but no sign of one for Andor. There’s already a BTS for Willow which aired its last episode long after Andor.
Poor, isn’t it? It is like Lucasfilm do not want to plug, promote or even talk about their own show.
No “Disney Gallery: Andor” or similar “Behind The Scenes” special, as there has been for the other series.
Nothing on the official Andor twitter for over 2 months.
Nothing on the official Star Wars YouTube channel for Andor for over 3 months.
No videos at all on Andor on the ILMVFX YouTube Channel - no “Behind The Scenes”, or “Inside ILM”, or “Virtual Production” videos.
No Andor books; such as an “Art Of Andor”, “Making of Andor”, or “Visual Guide” for Andor.
There is one panel on Andor at Celebration 2023, for an hour, but nothing else I could find.I find it underwhelming. Lazy and unengaging too, considering both the fans’ and critics’ positive reactions and praise for Andor.
“Disney Gallery” is a formulaic show, and Disney+ and Lucasfilm have done a number of previous “Gallery” or “BTS” shows, so it shouldn’t be too difficult or time consuming to put a show together for Andor.
A Visual Guide book for “Dawn Of The Rebellion” has been announced, featuring “content from the movies, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Andor” - https://twitter.com/swbooks/status/1634091342337908736?.
From https://twitter.com/eleventhirtyate/status/1633939968316911616 with their fun take on the book announcement. I think Pablo Hidalgo tweeted something on that thread or image, but he has probably deleted it since.
I think i might know the reason why we haven’t got a BTS feature yet. Disney have recently announced the panels that will feature at Celebration Europe in May and there are 3 Andor panels;
The Making of Andor Season One
Fri, Apr 7, 2023 • 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location: Celebration Stage
Executive Producers Tony Gilroy and Diego Luna and their team of creatives recount the making of the epic first season of Star Wars: Andor.
Andor, the Empire and a History of Resistance
Sat, Apr 8, 2023 • 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Location: Fan Stage
Star Wars is full of conflict between good and evil, and the stories of the galaxy far, far away center on that fight against oppression. Using real world history of resistance and rebellions, we will examine the entire saga and the Andor series in particular to see how and why our heroes seek to stand against the Galactic Empire in their own ways. Our panelists include Chris Kempshall (author, The History and Politics of Star Wars: Death Stars and Democracy; co-author, Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy), Rebecca Harrison (author, BFI Classics: The Empire Strikes Back), Manuel Barcia, Oli Mould, and Jake Rowlett. Join host James Floyd (Star Wars Insider regular contributor, Star Warsologies podcast) in exploring the freedom fighters that helped topple the Empire.
Behind the Magic: The Visual Effects of Andor
Sun, Apr 9, 2023 • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: Twin Suns Stage
Join Industrial Light & Magic, and members of the creature effects and special effects teams for a deep dive into the special and visual effects that brought a burgeoning rebellion to life in Star Wars: Andor.
Sadly it looks like only the first one is going to be streamed. So i guess they are keeping all the BTS stuff for Celebration.
Talking of celebration, there are a few panels for the 40th anniversary of ROTJ and not a single one is going to be streamed outside of the event. So, unless you’re lucky enough to be able to get into one of the panels, you’re shit out of luck.
Ah! Excellent news.
Then we may get edited down Andor videos on the official channels sometime soon after? It is baffling why they do not livestream more shows, or show them days or weeks after. Even people who go to Celebration may want to see these panels again in the comfort of their own home afterwards.
There is also more Return of The Jedi panels added to the Celebration website as well. There was only 1 ROTJ panel and a screening of it before, now there are 5 panels listed for it. 😃
It is good to see more Andor panels added too!
The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.
“Andor won the Critics Choice Super Award for Best Sci-fi Series!” 😃
The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.
It’s a show based on the most forgettable character in the most forgettable Star Wars movie
Regardless of the general public’s knowledge on Cassian, Rogue One remains of my favourite star wars movies and Cassian has always been one of its highlights. One of the best disney star wars characters imo.
“Remember, the Force will be with you. Always.”
It’s a show based on the most forgettable character in the most forgettable Star Wars movie
Regardless of the general public’s knowledge on Cassian, Rogue One remains of my favourite star wars movies and Cassian has always been one of its highlights. One of the best disney star wars characters imo.
That’s your opinion, and I respect that, but I personally disagree.
Rogue One has always been one of my least favorite Star Wars movies. Beyond shallow fanservice and cool-looking shots, it has almost nothing of value to offer. It’s the only installment of the franchise that falls victim to the Eight Deadly Words: “I don’t care what happens to these people.”
And Cassian does have a fairly decent arc (although it was only made obvious with his spinoff), but I stand by my assessment that he was the most forgettable character in that movie. After watching it for the first time, I distinctly remembered the “depressed main character girl”, the “funny killer robot”, the “blind guy who fights with a stick”, and the “guy with lots of guns”, but Cassian just faded into the recesses of my memory completely.
When Andor came out, I genuinely had to assure my family that the main character of the new Star Wars show had appeared in one of the movies before, because they had forgotten him even more than I had. If that’s not proof of how forgettable Cassian was before his show turned out to be inexplicably good, I don’t know what is.
My preferred Skywalker Saga experience:
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX
I think the value of Rogue One was always in its approach to the galaxy, that Andor then took the ball and ran with to its full realization. Andor doesn’t happen without RO and not just as a parent film to the spin-off.
Like, all the fanservice and Fated Plot were just grist for a film that dared to look at the classic lived-in OT aesthetic, and conceive of it as lived in beyond the visuals. It gets a wrap for being “slow” in the first half but the geopolitical texture it establishes for what’s usually been a pulpy backdrop was enticing IMO. Even the characters being unremarkable and thinly sketched added to that sense of scale; the conflict of the time as tangible “historical” incidence, not genre theater inhabited by larger-than-life figures.
It’s cool in that sense! I think all of that is overlooked because Dr. Evazan and Ponda Baba show up on Jedha, but there’s a lot of stuff in the film’s storytelling language that originated what Andor is now. It took Star Wars as a lore seriously, which for me was a lot coming off the heels of TFA which clearly conceived of Star Wars as a brand more than anything.
The look and feel of Rogue One translated over to Andor, but this is surface level stuff. For it to work the kind of characterisation we have now would have be included in the movie. Beyond it not working as a prequel and having too many pointless fan service characters, the reason I don’t like Rogue One is the heroes are nothing but cardboard cut outs. Somewhere there are deleted scenes with Saw and child Jyn that maybe fix this? But it should have been the focus, two fold, with Jyn’s search for a father figure and the mystical Jedha stuff. So I care when she dies and when the planet dies.
However. This is my take, not the general consensus. I got the impression that most people love Rogue One. So it’s failure to find an audience is odd. Particularly when certain SW fans really want it all to be take so seriously. Which means the problem is probably the same fan service being missing. I guarantee people would watch if Darth Vader and Palpatine were shown. Which is my concern for Season 2 and where it could start to crumble.
I do want to stress that to me the part of Rogue One’s DNA that translates over into Andor isn’t just the visual aesthetics or surface tone. When I talk about its “geopolitical texture”, it’s in how:
Jedha is understood and talked about as an ongoing warzone. The franchise typically conceptualizes war as skirmishes beginning and ending in an afternoon, so much so that we have signifiers like BBY to denote the Death Star run that was over in 20 minutes. We visit Jedha as a place that more or less carries on in the midst of heightened tensions, until it doesn’t.
The Alliance conceptualized as different factions, and rebels as a whole having diverse ideologies. Saw as an “extremist” compared to Yavin’s cell is a broad example, but it’s there - and there’s also just subtle flourishes to the in-universe speak that maintains The Empire as an Establishment over this revolution. The Rebels are typically understood almost as its own secret pseudo-government/military, but so much of Rogue One’s first acts emphasizes how beholden they still are to Imperial law, and how fragile whatever authority over their people actually is.
Careerism in the Imperial ranks is given grounded play here. Between Krennic and Tarkin, but also in the Ersos’ blurred professional/personal relationship to Krennic, particularly what’s suggested in the Republic/Empire transition period. Catalyst is a pretty good book so maybe some of that is leaking into my appreciation here, but Rogue One still provides the space for this kind of detailed worldbuilding, and services more grounded drama than melodrama.
And then there’s other stuff that just fills out the world far more thoughtfully than we’ve gotten from the franchise recently. The Whills as a non-Jedi institution that has their own, non-instrumental relationship with the Force is a great concept! I’m not saying it gets to really dig into these things, but it’s coming at it exactly how Andor did. And when I say “seriously” I’m NOT talking about tone or grit or darkness, but in how it lacks pretension and cynicism. It’s all about buying into this Star Wars thing like it was a derived from a sci-fi TTRPG guidebook; nerdy engagement with a fixed, detailed lore, blowing up an aesthetic element and giving it logistical play. Pretending this was all real, and that it should feel real, and be handled like it was real material. Not winking at the conventions that betray that illusion through whimsy and one liners.
It’s not about What Would George Lucas Do, it’s unconcerned with reacting to questions of What Is The Spirit or “Soul” of Star Wars? None of that genre-play or legacy-posturing. Just being a movie. It can be dry because of it, and it’s absolutely mashed together with a more traditional Star Wars third act, but I really do think it’s all there in the macro.
I too found Rogue One to be extremely mediocre, and Andor to be one of the blandest characters in an incredibly bland set of characters. Above all others, that film (and its popularity) demonstrates to me just how different peoples’ expectations of Star Wars can be. Suffice to say I really didn’t care about the spin-off prequel show to the spin-off prequel film when it was announced, and didn’t check it out til long after it was over and the praise kept piling up. Part of me thinks Disney/LFL didn’t care much either, as it seems like a rare case where a creator was left alone to tell their story.
Very well put, NFBisms, I agree completely.
We can only hope for more stories LFL doesn’t care about being allowed to be told 😉
reylo?
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.
