Star Wars: Andor (Disney+)

[VinylGuy]

Oh man i wish i had seen Andor just to be here fighting the good fight with everyone, making stupid claims dressed as the TRUTH!! and thinking about what SW should be....

I miss those days...i mean, im happier now, but...the dark force of this thread is calling me...i might answer its call....

[McParadigm]

So many valid and interesting points undercut by petty cheap shots that don't need to be taken.

Anyway, I'm glad you like the show.

Other than the Kenobi bit, I’m not sure what constituted a petty shot. I’m talking about the mindset with which media companies target fan communities. Why that mindset is not conducive to projects that prioritize the qualities Andor, thankfully, prioritized.

Syril Karn feels invalid. His father was a ghost. His mother is pathologically incapable of allowing him pride. The only path to acceptance he gets from her is to be less like himself, and more like someone else.

He is a sitting duck for any person, group or organization that can give him that acceptance. Especially if that person or group feels like it has the authority to make others give it to him, too.

The Empire.

Dedre.

The Ghormans.

That's what makes him susceptible to becoming a fascist idealist. It also informs every scene he appears in. When Partagaz tells him he did a good job, Syril's internal conflict guides the writers' chosen response: he asks "if I say this is the greatest moment of my life, does it spoil everything?”

This is such great, deft character work. Because this is the closest Syril has ever gotten to pride. It's as close as he ever will get.

And even in that moment, Syril Karn needs someone to validate the experience for him.

There are a lot of shows out there trying to do serialized dramatic television on the same level as Andor, and most of them kind of suck. Because without that delicate touch, a show like this starts to get soapy and miserable real quick.

You have to really make it your priority. You have to hire the kinds of people who can do that (there aren’t very many), rather than the kinds of people who can crank out a Marvel tv show.

I’m not saying that the projects targeting fandom hype are less valid than Andor. I would certainly argue that they are more cynically developed, but cynical projects can make good content too.

I’m saying that they’re not, as a general rule, going to aspire to Syril Karn. They’re going to aspire to yet another character wearing black, who is a Bad Guy, who says lots of cryptic and sometimes dopey Bad Guy things…because writing richly textured characters is not the point of those productions.

Hell, I bet if Disney did intentionally try to re-create that level of storytelling, they’d make one of the worst things ever made. Or worse, they’d make Picard.

[E.H. Ruddock]

Can someone please tell me how to write a review of this show that won't get fucking destroyed by some of you in here?

[VinylGuy]

Can someone please tell me how to write a review of this show that won't get fucking destroyed by some of you in here?

haha

[B]

Can someone please tell me how to write a review of this show that won't get fucking destroyed by some of you in here?

I was going to say that it was pretty awesome when K2 used that dude's body for a shield despite being mostly impervious to blasters, but I think that's a minority opinion around here.

[@SkitchP]

Can someone please tell me how to write a review of this show that won't get fucking destroyed by some of you in here?

I was going to say that it was pretty awesome when K2 used that dude's body for a shield despite being mostly impervious to blasters, but I think that's a minority opinion around here.

One thing this board doesn't have is a preponderance of Minority opinions.

[Bi_3]

Can someone please tell me how to write a review of this show that won't get fucking destroyed by some of you in here?

I was going to say that it was pretty awesome when K2 used that dude's body for a shield despite being mostly impervious to blasters, but I think that's a minority opinion around here.

I was a little puzzled at the point of the Storm Troopers armor if even a small blaster goes right through it. Looks cool though

[McParadigm]

That’s a great moment.

[E.H. Ruddock]

I hope Kleya isn't Andor's sister. That seems a little too convenient. This world and time is troubled. Not everything needs to be neatly explained.

[McParadigm]

The show begins and ends without communicating anything of the sort to us. And the show tells us things when they are true.

[@SkitchP]

I hope Kleya isn't Andor's sister. That seems a little too convenient. This world and time is troubled. Not everything needs to be neatly explained.

I'm pretty sure Gilroy said she wasn't

[epilogue]

Can someone please tell me how to write a review of this show that won't get fucking destroyed by some of you in here?

I was going to say that it was pretty awesome when K2 used that dude's body for a shield despite being mostly impervious to blasters, but I think that's a minority opinion around here.

That was hilarious and very cool.

[dimejinky99]

I'm not opposed to new technology and I understand it's not financially viable, but man, I wish practical sets were a requirement to make a Star War. That's one thing that really sets Andor apart and elevates it beyond the other shows. It's so perfectly lived in and tactile.

100%

They spent a fuck load of money on that plaza set on Ghorman but the level of detail and effort in it. It jumps out of the screen. Fucking beautiful work all of it. If I had a dream job it would be doing that stuff for Star Wars.

[dimejinky99]

This captures the vastness of the SW galaxy very well. It also perfectly showcases the mixture of analog and digital technology that gives SW its unique style. Both of those are just as crucial as the pulp and whimsy of the OT trilogy.

I mostly agree.

It's a tone thing. If you took these events out of the Star Wars galaxy, nothing changes. There's obviously a nostalgic attachment to iconography. But that's really it. Again, minor criticism. Just something I felt while watching the series. Season Two did a much better job by incorporating more aliens and connecting directly to established canon. But it still felt lacking overall, to me. It's capable of doing those other things that you call "just as crucial" but it doesn't do any of the pulp. If the show didn't balance analog and digital tech well or didn't show the vastness of the galaxy, I think one would be totally in line mentioning those things as minor flaws in the show. It works both ways.

I understand that a large part of the appeal is that dudes who saw the OT when they were kids have now grown up and want Star Wars to grow up with them in the same way. They want dark and gritty. They want "grounded". And I'm glad those dudes have this. It's a bummer that for a lot of them this is a standard now and that they have this at the expense of the rest of Star Wars. I'm already tired of that rhetoric (elsewhere, that's not a dig at anyone here).

I'm glad we have this, too. It's a pleasant and well made diversion. A very nice balance. And I'll be the first to cheer on Tony's Mothma series!

People want compelling stories with rich characters and visual spectacle. They want their imagination to run wild. It's awfully reductive to say that older "dudes" can only be satisfied by dark and gritty stories. We (yes I said we) want something with a soul and a strong creative voice. I find myself comparing this season to Skeleton Crew. Both are highly successful for different reasons, but they're both ultimately still Star Wars. One aims for the thrill ride fun and the other for the political maneuvering and reflection of current events.

Are you letting the rhetoric color your impression of the show too much? This is something I think about as I find myself watching shows well after the cultural buzz has died down. I find myself asking, "wait, this is what the fuss was all about?" often.

You seem offended. My apologies, if that's the case. Nothing I said above was aimed at you or anyone here (as I stated outright). Please don't take any of it personally.

No, I'm not letting rhetoric color my impression of the show. I'm just reacting to the show. A show, by the way, that I'm on record calling one of the best shows on TV. In a show as deservedly lauded and praised as Andor is, I have a couple of very minor criticisms. Just subjective observations. Opinions that I wanted to express with a community of people that I like talking Star Wars with. I'm not demanding that anyone else agree. I'm enjoying reading everyone's thoughts (except Bi's), and I look forward to keeping the conversation going for a long time.

I'm not offended at all! More confused by your criticism that this doesn't feel like SW.

If anything, I fear this discourse is distracting us from focusing on Palestine.

I’m happy to remind you if you need reminding

[dimejinky99]

Hmmm. Do you really think people who aren't Star Wars fans are watching this?

Andor and rogue one were the most watched on Disney + globally this past week. Still is I think.
All I’m seeing on my socials is Joe Public going crazy about it like nothing I can remember in SW ever before. It’s without a doubt gone far beyond just sw fans. There’s fuckin think pieces about it in all kinds of poser magazines ffs

[dimejinky99]

I hope Kleya isn't Andor's sister. That seems a little too convenient. This world and time is troubled. Not everything needs to be neatly explained.

She’s not his sister. The sister is just gone. We get that final flashback shot of her looking at the rain dripping into a cup and that’s it. He’s lost her and he references that in rogue one, but we just don’t see what’s happened to her.

[E.H. Ruddock]

The actress that played Kleya, it was her first acting gig ever

[dimejinky99]

The actress that played Kleya, it was her first acting gig ever

Isn’t that insane? She’s outstanding. Gilroy said he wrote more scenes for the character cos she was that good

[Mecca]

I like how there’s a space France in universe just like Bill Burr comes from space Boston in Mandalorian

[E.H. Ruddock]