A worthy prequel to a prequel

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Friday, April 25th.

Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: A return to a galaxy far, far away—where the Force may be fading, but the politics are getting sharper.

BROWN: The Star Wars franchise has stumbled in the Disney-Plus era. The Mandalorian won hearts—but fired actress Gina Carano over her personal political views. Critics accused Disney of putting progressive ideology ahead of storytelling.

Then came last year’s series The Acolyte, widely panned by fans for weak writing and heavy-handed themes.

EICHER: That's why all eyes are on Andor. The first season won critical acclaim. But will Season 2 be enough to bring disillusioned fans back to the franchise? Here is WORLD arts and culture editor Collin Garbarino.

COLLIN GARBARINO: The television series Andor is a bit peculiar: It’s a prequel to a prequel. The series follows the adventures of Cassian Andor, the rebel agent first introduced in the 2016 Star Wars prequel Rogue One. Rogue One depicts the events leading up to the original movie from 1977. In the first season of Andor, we saw Cassian get recruited by the fledgling Rebel Alliance. Now actor Diego Luna returns to the role to finish telling Cassian’s story.

CASSIAN ANDOR: The Empire cannot win. You’ll never feel right unless you’re doing what you can to stop them.

This season has 12 episodes, divided into four story arcs. Each three-episode arc moves the action one year closer to the climactic Battle of Yavin when Luke Skywalker blew up the Death Star. It's a sprawling series with multiple plot lines that all begin to converge the closer we get to Yavin.

CASSIAN ANDOR: I need to go home.

KLEYA MARKI: No. Don’t do that.

CASSIAN ANDOR: Come again.

KLEYA MARKI: It’s very crowded there right now.

CASSIAN ANDOR: What does that mean?

The action bounces around the galaxy, and sometimes Cassian’s story takes a backseat to other characters’ political intrigues and spy craft. Sometimes the secret rebel leader Mon Mothma and the undercover rebel agitator Luthen Rael take center stage. They’re once again played by Genevieve O'Reilly and Stellan Skarsgård respectively.

MON MOTHMA: What are you doing here?

LUTHEN RAEL: I’m afraid that’s a secret.

Imperial characters also get their share of attention. Especially the unlikely couple Dedra Meero and Syril Karn who tried to hunt down Cassian in Season 1. In some ways, this imperial storyline becomes the most compelling one in the show.

DEDRA MEERO: Propaganda will only get you so far. You need a radical insurgency you can count on.

The show really understands the duality of mankind’s dignity and fallenness. Dedra and Sryil may have chosen to fight for the dark side, but we still get glimpses of their humanity. In fact, they might be this season’s most sympathetic characters. The rebels are technically the good guys. But this show complicates their heroism by emphasizing the less idealistic side of rebellion.

CASSIAN ANDOR: I’m here to meet a friend. Where is he?

REBEL: We ask the questions.

This show somehow manages to stick more closely than other spin offs to the gritty feel of the original Star Wars, while at the same time giving audiences something new. This isn’t the Star Wars of lightsaber-wielding Jedi. This version of the galaxy is full of smugglers, spies, and compromised bureaucrats. Showrunner Tony Gilroy might have made a name for himself as the writer responsible for the Jason Bourne movies, but Andor could be the best espionage thriller he’s created so far.

IMPERIAL AGENT: With the right ideas, planted in the right markets, in the right sequence, We can now weaponize this galactic opinion.

We see misinformation campaigns, false flag operations, and politicians who dither in the face of tyranny. We even see imperials trying to manage their own immigration issues.

BRASSO: How soon?

FARMER: They finished there today… so tomorrow.

BRASSO: Are they checking visas?

Many viewers will think Gilroy has based the show’s themes on our present situation. But much of the season was actually inspired by the Nazi occupation of France and the French Resistance. This setup might sound strange, but it works.

That said, there are a couple of things that don’t work so well. First, halfway through the season we get a lesbian kiss… this though the LGBT storyline is almost nonexistent through the rest of the series. It kind of confirms the joke that’s floating around the internet in which Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy continually demands, “Put a chick in it, and make her gay.”

The other problem is that the series ends on a whimper. The six middle episodes are strong, full of action, intrigue, and emotion. The final arc peters out as it tries to tie itself to the Rogue One movie.

These complaints aside, Andor Seasons 1 and 2 remain in the top tier of Star Wars television Probably surpassed only by the first season of The Mandalorian.

Despite the critical acclaim, the first season of Andor had relatively low ratings. I expect this season will struggle to find an audience too. Old Star Wars fans might skip it since Disney has mishandled their beloved franchise so badly. Fans of espionage thrillers probably won’t watch either since it’s packaged as a Star Wars show. It’s a shame this compelling spy drama might stay in the shadows.

I’m Collin Garbarino.

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