Andor doesn’t look or feel like Star Wars—and that’s a good thing

Here’s a hypothetical question: if someone who had never heard of Star Wars jumped into the first episode of Andor, would they be able to follow it as well as a fan with comprehensive knowledge of the lore? If such a person existed, they probably could. Andor doesn’t have a baby Yoda or Boba Fett or Obi-Wan Kenobi to connect it to the older films. It’s not interested in cashing in on that kind of nostalgia.

And while it is built around a character who first appeared in Rogue One, you don’t need to have seen that film to get what Cassian Andor is about as a character. Everything you need to know about him is provided in the first three episodes, and beyond. In fact, you might actually enjoy the show more if you didn’t know his ultimate fate.

The series thrusts Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor into the middle of the conflict between a totalitarian regime and the underground resistance fighting to bring it down. That may sound vaguely familiar to Star Wars fans, but it does a lot more with this premise than we’ve seen before. Cassian is no hero.

A more grounded take on Star Wars

He’s not a rogue, either. He’s just a regular guy trying to get by in a world where one misstep can put you on the wrong side of the authorities and completely ruin your life. It’s a more nuanced and mature take on the gray area between good and evil. This isn’t new to Star Wars, it’s just addressed here in a new way. There’s a grounded, human element to it that feels really modern.

Perhaps the most obvious departure is in the visual design. Andor leaves behind the rural outposts we’ve spent so much time in lately for industrial streets, factories, alleyways, and scrapyards. It’s not always pretty, but at least we don’t have to go back to Tatooine yet again. This is the first Disney+ Star Wars series that doesn’t make use of The Volume, an immersive LED soundstage that projects digital environments.

While previous shows used the innovative new technology to great effect, filming in actual locations in the U.K. gives Andor a sense of scope and scale no soundstage could hope to match. The hardware in the show—ships, guns, droids, gadgets, and such—has a weathered quality that shares its spiritual origins with the rest of the Star Wars universe, yet could easily stand on its own outside of it. The tech is there for practical reasons, the designs driven by a carefully calibrated blend of form and function.

Of brothels and blasters

Andor doesn’t just look different, though: it represents a major tonal shift for the franchise. The show heads confidently down the path originally laid out in Rogue One—away from a sci-fi story for kids of all ages and towards more mature and complex modes of storytelling—and goes even further. The first scene is set in a brothel. Not long after that, the main character shoots someone point blank with a blaster (try retconning that, George). Characters have sex and use actual swear words.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise from creator Tony Gilroy, who wrote the screenplay for Rogue One. He’s also known for writing thrillers like the Bourne films and Michael Clayton. His version of Star Wars may not be as recognizable as, say, The Mandalorian, but it’s ultimately cool. You couldn’t accuse this show of giving us the same old thing.

Besides the virtue of originality in and of itself, anyone who’s paid any attention to the fan discourse lately can understand that nostalgia is a trap (if you’re hearing Admiral Ackbar in your head right now, you’ve just fallen into it). People want more Star Wars, and Lucasfilm is ever eager to meet that demand.

But since no new film or series could possibly replicate the emotional impact of the original—which many adult fans first experienced as kids—anything that tries is bound to fall short of expectations. Worse, when the creators of these projects shift the narratives to center marginalized groups, the individuals whose point of view was always centered before react as though something has been taken away from them. Better to wipe the slate clean and start from a place that’s fresh and unexplored. Rather than relying on a connection to something old, Andor dares to give us something new. Whether you like the show or not, you’ve got to give them credit for the effort.