Andor Review: A Refreshingly Grounded, Sober Take On The Star Wars Universe

thegamer.com:

I watched the first 3 episodes of Andor back-to-back at a screening with hundreds of fans, influencers, community leaders, and other excitable, deeply invested Star Wars types. When the Lucasfilm logo appeared on the screen they cheered, clapped, and whooped, swept up in the excitement of getting an early look at Disney's newest small-screen Star War—albeit on an IMAX screen so big I had to crane my neck to see anything happening near the top of it.

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But what's telling about Andor is that, for the rest of the screening, there were no more cheers. Not because the show wasn't cheer-worthy. Far from it. The audience was rapt, hanging on every scene, watching it with hushed reverence. But there was no cause for fanboyish hooting and/or hollering, because Andor is that rarest of things: a Star Wars TV show that resolutely resists the urge—at least in these first 3 episodes—to wink knowingly at the audience.

There are no throwaway references to the original trilogy, no jammed-in cameos from familiar characters, no Jedi, no lightsabers. Despite being a prequel to a prequel, the underrated Rogue One, it's a show that stands entirely on its own—and that's extremely refreshing. Granted, The Mandalorian felt like this too in its early days before lil Grogu showed up. Andor might succumb to the Star Wars TV universe's worst impulses, but for now it's its own thing

I'll be the first to admit that I was baffled by the decision to give Casasian Andor his own show. I love Rogue One for its stunning visuals, moody atmosphere, and overarching plot, but I found the characters largely forgettable and far too lightly sketched to feel any real attachment to. But in the same way the