Staying On Program

A brief review of "Andor"

There’s nothing too complicated or overly profound about Andor, the latest entry in the ever-expanding Star Wars television empire on Disney Plus. the show offers viewers fairly standard mix of espionage and thriller genres – albeit one that just so happens to take place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But what Andor lacks in themes, plot, and characters, it more than makes up for in its execution, from the show’s casting and acting to its locations and – especially – deceptively simple yet intricate narrative structure. It’s simply one of the best made shows of the streaming era, whether set in the sprawling Star Wars mythos or not.

Start with locations: Andor certainly benefits from the liberal use of on-location shooting to bring to life worlds both familiar and new. Whether it’s the brick and mortar of protagonist Cassian Andor’s (Diego Luna reprising his Rogue One role) hardscrabble homeworld of Ferrix, the earthy environs of backwater rock Aldhani, or the steel and concrete of capital planet Coruscant, these places feel real in Andor. Ferrix, for instance, has its own unique customs and culture; the Imperial Security Bureau and other Coruscant locations possess glossy exteriors that conceal the brutality, intrigue, and moral compromises laying just beneath the capital planet’s pristine façades. It’s easy to believe that these places have been lived in, or that they have their own histories and peculiarities.

Unlike previous entries that draw audiences back to the same planets time and time again - I’ve lost track of how many times a movie or show has visited Tatooine - Andor introduces new locations and expands the scope of the Star Wars mythos. It does so without losing sight of the wider fictional universe in which it’s embedded, honoring and adding to what’s come before without indulging in obvious fan service. We’re treated to fresh perspectives on old settings like Coruscant at the same time we’re presented with new worlds like Ferrix or Aldhani.

What’s more, the show’s ethereal electronic score resembles the soundscape crafted by Vangelis for the original Blade Runner more than it does the iconic orchestral cues of legendary Star Wars composer John Williams. It lends Andor a cool tone and creates a retro-futuristic ambience that makes perfect sense for Star Wars but remains utterly unique within the wider franchise. In that respect, composer Nicholas Britell’s score resembles Ludwig Goransson’s Western- and samurai-inflected themes for The Mandalorian –  an unexpectedly fitting soundtrack for a mythos that draws inspiration from so many different sources.

Andor is likewise well-cast and well-acted, even if its characters aren’t necessarily imbued with too much depth. Stellan Skarsgård in particular stands out as the relentless and intense Rebel cell leader Luthen Rael, elevating the series as a whole and delivering perhaps the most impressive monologue in the four-and-a-half decades of Star Wars storytelling. Similarly, Andy Serkis turns in an outstanding performance of his own as a grizzled foreman in an Imperial prison during a three-episode arc toward the end of the season. Denise Hough lends an icy ambition to Dedra Meero, an Imperial intelligence officer determined to climb the bureaucratic ranks with ruthless efficiency.

But it’s Andor’s storytelling structure that makes it stand out - not just from other recent Star Wars shows, but most other streaming television series as well. It manages to build an overall season-long narrative while avoiding the pitfalls of overly aggressive serialization that afflict many of its rivals and competitors. Indeed, each episode of Andor tells a complete story in and of itself at the same time it advances both the smaller, multi-episode story arcs and the season-long narratives in which it’s embedded.

When an episode of Andor ends, very little is left unresolved at any narrative level – episode, arc or season – and the overall story moves forward. Very few if any scenes feel like filler or fat, intended to pad a given episode rather than serve some part of the story. That’s a stark contrast with other streaming shows that either leave plot threads dangling or fail to make much narrative progress in entire episodes; many shows seem to have more time at their disposal than they have story to tell. Even seemingly transitional beats serve some storytelling purpose in Andor, leaving very little narrative slack and keeping things taut across the show’s twelve episodes.

With Andor, audiences get a payoff with each episode and story arc rather than slow burn narratives that either fizzle out or meander aimlessly before reaching an underwhelming climax. Nor does the show simply offer one episode after another without any larger sense of storytelling direction; while each episode tells a complete story, the show itself keeps its larger narratives moving ahead from episode to episode and arc to arc. That alone makes Andor a model that future streaming shows would do well to emulate.