The season premiere of Disney+'s Andor has already received the highest Star Wars praise since The Mandalorian, with many fans appreciating the show's darker and more grounded tone. It's completely different from anything that Star Wars has put out before, which immediately makes it noteworthy within the franchise.Star Wars fans have already taken to Twitter to discuss their thoughts on Andor, with most audiences praising the show for its creativity and completely new style. There's definitely great potential for the remaining episodes of Andor - assuming that the show manages to stick the landing.
Andor Has A Prequel Problem
Though prequels are becoming more and more popular in film and television, there's one fundamental problem that often prevents them from reaching the heights of their source material - audiences already know how the story is ultimately going to end. And with Andor, fans already know that the protagonist's journey will end at the hands of the Empire on Scarif.
Andor manages to mostly overcome this common prequel problem by including several other exciting characters and creating a completely separate narrative that has nothing to do with Andor's future. The show clearly identifies itself as something separate from the Skywalker saga.
Cassian Is A Relatable Protagonist
Ever since his appearance in Rogue One, Cassian Andor has been a fan-favorite character thanks to his no-nonsense attitude and unwavering dedication to his work. These traits are explored even more in Andor, but audiences get to see a much more human side to the show's protagonist.
It's not often that audiences get such an intimate glimpse into the private lives of Star Wars characters, but Andor doesn't shy away from the simpler and less extravagant aspects of its protagonist's life. There are plenty of small details throughout the show that allows audiences to better connect with Andor.
Andor's New Music Is Fantastic
Star Wars has always been famous for its music, with John Williams' original soundtrack often considered an all-time great. However, there's something about the music in Andor that feels completely different whilst still harboring a sense of the traditional music that's always made this franchise so exciting. It fittingly complements the story in all of its most exciting moments, with the title music, in particular, standing out among the rest.
More than anything else, Andor is a sci-fi thriller, and the music certainly represents this specific genre. There are loads of unique instruments and melodies that are rarely found in TV scores, and the intensity of the music perfectly matches the intensity of the narrative itself.
Andor Has Unique Storytelling
It's no secret that the Star Wars universe is absolutely huge - it consists of several movies, shows, comics, games, and even novels that offer plenty of lore and backstory on some of the universe's most interesting characters and locations.
Fans have already noticed that Andor's distinct tone is very similar to that of the Star Wars novels - richer, more atmospheric, and more dense with character development. Although Andor is yet to become one of the many Star Wars characters to appear in a novel, there's nothing to say it couldn't happen in the future.
Andor Has A Slow-Burn Pace
Most Star Wars projects are fairly action-packed and fast-paced, but Andor is surprisingly the complete opposite. The story takes its time to introduce new characters and intriguing subplots before bringing everything together in the third episode for some truly meaningful emotional payoffs.
The pacing certainly won't be for everybody, and many long-time Star Wars fans might initially be deterred by the concept, but it's the only way that this particular story could have excelled in the way that it does. Andor was never the boldest or brashest character, and his show clearly represents this.
Andor Introduces A Fan-Favorite New Droid
While the sequel trilogy introduced audiences to BB-8, and Rogue One introduced audiences to K-2SO, Andor carries on that tradition by bringing another new droid into the spotlight. His name is B2EMO, and many fans are already calling him one of Star Wars' best droids to date.
Like every other droid in the franchise, B2EMO is full of personality that makes him stand out from the crowd. His relationship with Andor is consistently fun to watch, but his absence from Andor's life in Rogue One has many fans worrying about his fate.
Andor Is Filled With Great Performances
Diego Luna is already surprising audiences with his raw and grounded performance in Andor, completely dispelling any doubt that fans may have held about the return of his character. He's subtle and mysterious in all the right ways but also emotional and vulnerable when he needs to be.
Luna works excellently with the rest of Andor's diverse cast, presenting his character's many complex relationships in a consistently intriguing way. Although not much of his history is known, Cassian Andor is quickly becoming one of the most interesting Star Wars characters ever.
Andor Is Largely Self-Contained
Andor's lack of references to the wider Star Wars universe might upset some long-time fans, but it's really the only way that Star Wars can effectively move on from the Skywalker Saga and begin to tell different stories - without solely relying on fan service and nostalgia.
Andor takes place completely separate from the rest of the Star Wars universe, which means that even those with little (or no) knowledge about the wider franchise could enjoy the show. If this is the direction that Star Wars is taking with its TV projects, it certainly seems like they'll find more success.
Andor Has A Mature Story
Whereas most of the Star Wars movies have been aimed toward a younger audience, Andor certainly isn't the kind of show that children will enjoy. Like Rogue One, it's much darker and grittier in both its content and its themes, straying from the typical Star Wars formula in a way that feels completely new - and necessary.
In fact, the very first scene in Andor involves a brutal murder that immediately sets the scene for the rest of the show. He isn't a hero in the traditional sense - he's flawed, immoral, and selfish, but these are all things that make Cassian Andor the great Star Wars character that he is.
Andor Has Political Commentary
Ever since the rebels destroyed the Death Star in A New Hope, Star Wars has always been a politically-motivated franchise. Each film has something different to say about power, conflict, and violence that can easily be applied to the world that we live in today.
However, Andor is much more blatant with its political commentary than most Star Wars fans will be used to. The show is a political thriller, and the oppressive ideologies of the Empire play a huge role in how this unique story unfolds on screen.