This article contains spoilers for Andor episodes 1-3.
Andor is the closest thing to a George Lucas TV show Star Wars viewers are ever going to get. A visionary filmmaker, George Lucas always wanted Star Wars to grow and evolve. Ironically, that was a major reason the Star Wars prequel saga became so controversial - because it wasn't quite what viewers expected, indulging in politics to a degree that (strangely) took audiences by surprise. George Lucas' plans for a Star Wars TV show would have been another step in the franchise's evolution.
Lucas planned to change focus, moving away from the Jedi and exploring the everyday lives of citizens in the Star Wars galaxy. Rather than focusing on the sequels and the future of Star Wars, he was interested in filling in the gaps - specifically, in bridging the gulf between the prequel saga and the original trilogy. Lucas was drawn to the Dark Times of the Empire's reign, an era when the light of the Jedi had seemingly been doused forever and the Sith appeared triumphant. Lucas simply wanted to do something different.
The first three episodes of Andor are as close to Lucas' vision as the franchise is ever likely to get. Where other Star Wars Disney+ TV shows have over-indulged in Easter eggs, Andor episodes 1-3 are set as far from the established Star Wars galaxy as it's possible to get; they're based in the Corporate Sector, a region of space allowed a degree of independence by the Empire, where there aren't even any stormtroopers on patrol. Its protagonist, Cassian Andor, has absolutely zero Force-sensitivity and even less interest in the Jedi (assuming he's ever even heard of them). Although Andor starts slowly, it builds momentum as the story continues - until Andor episode 3 ends with the future rebel fleeing the Corporate Sector as a mercenary. There's something vaguely reminiscent of Han Solo in Cassian's departure from the Corporate Sector, but viewers know Han's quasi-redemption arc won't come easily as Cassian Andor's story continues; the latest Disney+ TV show is setup for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, after all, and Cassian is still a dark and sinister spy by that point in the timeline.
How Andor Realizes George Lucas' Vision For Star Wars
George Lucas sold Star Wars to Disney in 2012, and it's a matter of record that he wasn't impressed with the first few offerings. Former Disney CEO Bob Iger is surprisingly candid about that fact in his memoir, The Ride of A Lifetime, in which he recalls Lucas' reaction to a special screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. "There's nothing new," Lucas said as he walked away disappointed. "There weren't enough visual or technical leaps forward." Hopefully, he'd be rather more impressed with Andor, which looks visually stunning and feels as though it operates on a massive scale. Ironically, that's partly because the show's creator and writer Tony Gilroy chose to ditch Disney's current CGI obsession, the Volume, and do his own thing. Lucas may have always loved pushing the boundaries of technology, but he also loved creators who had a vision, and Gilroy's vision shows throughout Andor episodes 1-3. To be sure, Gilroy's choices wouldn't be the same as Lucas'; but he'd have respected Gilroy's approach all the same.
The Disney era of Star Wars has been a controversial one, with the films stalling after the divisive reaction to the sequel trilogy and the critical and box office failure of Solo: A Star Wars Story. The Disney+ TV shows have been much more successful, however, opening up new periods in the Star Wars timeline between the trilogies and capturing the public imagination with a number of high-profile cameos and returns. Still, for all that's the case, Andor episodes 1-3 feel like the beginning of something new; the next evolution of Star Wars, something different and not quite so dependent on the successes of the past. Hopefully, Lucas would be much happier with this.
New episodes of Andor release on Wednesdays on Disney+.
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