Warning! SPOILERS about Andor season 1 episode 1 ahead.Although quite different from the stories told in the Star Wars universe, Andor season 1, episode 1 continues a franchise food tradition that's been around since the original movie was first released in 1977. Set in 5 BBY, Andor is a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, detailing Cassian Andor's journey from thief to rebel spy. The Disney+ series also stars Fiona Shaw, Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Genevieve O'Reilly, and Alex Ferns.
From Bantha milk to Thala-siren milk, floating Naboo fruit or meiloorun fruit, drinks and food in the Star Wars universe have always been as otherworldly as possible. While some options seem more realistic than others, the way they are prepared still tends to be unusual, as Rey's instant bread portions in Star Wars: The Force Awakens proved.
Andor season 1, episode 1 follows this weird Star Wars food tradition, with a Pre-Mor security officer in Morlana One eating what looks like takeout blue noodles. The situation is entirely mundane, as the scene depicts a group of officers on the job complaining about their deputy inspector (the villainous Andor character Syril Karn), yet also stands out because of the color of the noodles — so similar and yet so different from real food.
Why Food In Star Wars Is Often Blue (Or Green)
No official Lucasfilm explanation seems to be available about Star Wars' weird food colors. The franchise always presents items that could be mistaken for real food – like the polystarch bread portions and caf, which is mentioned in Andor season 1, episode 3 – just with different characteristics. Aunt Beru's blue Bantha milk in A New Hope and Luke's green Thala-siren milk in Star Wars: The Last Jedi look unmistakably alien, but they are also closely reminiscent of dairy or plant-based milk.
One possible explanation for the weird colors and shapes of Star Wars food can be ascribed to its universe's worldbuilding. Like the different species inhabiting its many planets, the food that people eat in Star Wars contributes to establishing the stories as set in alien settings, whose very human stories mirror what may happen in real life but that still very much happens in a galaxy far, far away.
Andor's Blue Food Fits With Its Approach To Star Wars
Compared to the heroic stories usually told by Star Wars movies or TV shows, Andor takes a different approach, at least in the first few episodes, focusing more on presenting its main characters in their daily life. While tragedy never strays too much from Andor's central characters, the stories of those living on Ferrix and Morlana One are ordinary and grounded in their reality, as characters like Bix and Brasso can be seen occupying their days with jobs, visits with friends, and drinks in taverns after work.
Despite the different approach to telling Cassian Andor's story, though, having such an established tradition like blue-colored food appearing in Andor solidly links it to the Star Wars universe, making it an unmistakable part of the franchise regardless of the series' different tone. This way, even if it's set on new, previously unexplored planets, Andor firmly references the broader Star Wars universe, doing so with subtle nods that can still be fully picked up by viewers.
New episodes of Andor release on Wednesdays on Disney+.
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