Star Wars: Andor (September 21st, 2022)

[jaztermareal]

That's funny to me, because I've always had strong associations between Star Wars and British accents -- thanks in part to Tarkin and Fisher's intermittent aristocratic accent in the beginning of ANH.

that and the films were made in the UK too

 

[davejames]

For me, it's not instant gratification, it's just writing/filmmaking 101 - if you can remove a scene and it has no impact on the story, then it doesn't need to be there - and it definitely feels like some of the Cassian/rebels scenes could be trimmed, deleted, or re-worked to include material that doesn't feel like it's going over the same ground.

Having watched the first 3 episodes again, although slow, it doesn't feel like they are saying the same thing, different ways - as the Cassian, ep 4 stuff did.

But at the end of the day, I'm SO RELIEVED to see something in the SW universe handled with such respect, care, and maturity.

(...and the production design and costumes of the Imperials and Mothma scenes has been exquisite).

Agreed, I'm fine with the slower pace but it just feels like this show is trodding the same ground we've seen a dozen times before, and I'm still not seeing why this story was even necessary. And now we got another Solo-style heist coming up that I'm not feeling remotely excited for.

I do like the attempt to flesh out the Imperials more than we've ever seen before though, and almost wish the show could have been only about them. As it at least would have felt new and different.

 

[TheBatman]

I like how Lucasarts and writers push the writing style and tone to new limits and consequently see how the ratings look. In showbiz, its hard to please everyone but you get enough praise for a show from critics and you know youre headed in the right direction.

This show already had season 2 greenlit way before the first episodes aired. Just shows the type of positive reception it received from private screens and review panels.

 

[jye4ever]

Unfortunately we are all victims of the “Subscription Narrative”

All these streaming services are creating stories that will drag their feet for 5 or more seasons so that we remain subscribed!

Just look at the plots play out in Andor, TROP, HOTD etc.

Get ready for the rebellion to form slowly over 5 seasons lol

That being said accept that one problem from Andor and this show is amazingly put together.

 

[The Buffinator]

Unfortunately we are all victims of the “Subscription Narrative”

All these streaming services are creating stories that will drag their feet for 5 or more seasons so that we remain subscribed!

Just look at the plots play out in Andor, TROP, HOTD etc.

Get ready for the rebellion to form slowly over 5 seasons lol

That being said accept that one problem from Andor and this show is amazingly put together.

That's going to make for a lot of angry viewers considering Andor is only 2 seasons of 12 episodes each. There won't even be a cliffhanger as it'll end just 40% of the way there....at least in your reality.

 

[jye4ever]

That's going to make for a lot of angry viewers considering Andor is only 2 seasons of 12 episodes each. There won't even be a cliffhanger as it'll end just 40% of the way there....at least in your reality.

If that’s the case they better get to Bor Gullet’s introduction pretty damn soon lol

 

[choombaz]

I echo the other sentiments that this show just looks beautiful. It’s so great to have real locations instead of the artificial backgrounds that plagued the other Star Wars shows. It was used to pretty good effect in Mando but seemed to become more obvious and artificial as time went on (you would think it would be the other way around??).

 

[jye4ever]

I still can’t get over how spectacular the dialogue was in this one episode my mind was blown this felt so very rewarding and fulfilling.

This felt more like HBO than D+.

 

[choombaz]

I still can’t get over how spectacular the dialogue was in this one episode my mind was blown this felt so very rewarding and fulfilling.

This felt more like HBO than D+.

Agree. I do find it amusing though than Dan Gilroy who wrote this episode, his first writing credit was Freejack!!! And Tony’s first writing credit was The Cutting Edge (which I admit I have a soft spot for).

 

[Wor-Gar]

Lots of Gilroy brothers.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Finished episode 4 last night. It reminds me of Better Call Saul. Exquisitely prepared storytelling.

I soaked up every scene. It looks amazing, the writing is layered and textured. Stellan owns every scene he is in, and he can really bring it (Chernobyl, Dragon Tattoo, Good Will Hunting).

Dedra is great already, I am loving the Imperial scenes.

I feel Andor is becoming the new standard for high quality Star Wars storytelling. Lucasfilm would be smart to keep Tony Gilroy around for a long time.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Lucasfilm would be smart to keep Tony Gilroy around for a long time.

He's the best thing to happen to Star Wars since George Lucas circa '77

 

[jye4ever]

He's the best thing to happen to Star Wars since George Lucas circa '77

77 and/or Grogu

 

[Wor-Gar]

77 and/or Grogu

Grogu was a great gimmick. Perfect balance against steely, silent type to humanize him.

But I wouldn't say it affected Star Wars as a whole; it didn't reinvent the storytelling or its style or what we expect as an audience. I think RO did that more than any other Disney SW... and I think this show will ultimately do that too -- thanks to Gilroy.

Not attributed to Gilroy, but even the look of RO has redefined how Star Wars looks now. It was too late to affect the ST, but Solo, Mando, Book and OWK all had that dreary, muted, cluttered style that started with RO.

Can you imagine a Mando season with Gilroy at the helm? I hope the Repeat/Goof period is over. I hope this inspires more writers and creatives to see the potential in the Star Wars universe for interesting storytelling beyond repeating riffs, redefining old characters and selling toys.

 

[jye4ever]

Grogu was a great gimmick. Perfect balance against steely, silent type to humanize him.

But I wouldn't say it affected Star Wars as a whole; it didn't reinvent the storytelling or its style or what we expect as an audience. I think RO did that more than any other Disney SW... and I think this show will ultimately do that too -- thanks to Gilroy.

Can you imagine a Mando season with Gilroy at the helm? I hope the Repeat/Goof period is over. I hope this inspires more writers and creatives to see the potential in the Star Wars universe for interesting storytelling beyond repeating riffs and selling toys.

I 100% fully agree and hope you are right BUT my “and/or” inclusive grammatical conjunction went completely over your Toht head!

Had it been Buffinator it would’ve not been missed….nor would’ve its existence even been believed in the first place

 

[Wor-Gar]

I melt in sadness...

Maybe the package they are getting ready to steal is... baby Grogu!

And/or Season 2

Andor: I dunt understand why you do dees tings!

Grogu barfs onto his feet.

 

[Johnny Utah]

It was cool hearing about Mimban again too. Loved Solo.

 

[Mandible]

So I watched ep4 again and, although the reiteration of points around Cassian directly feels lessened, it's still too much.

Girl fights with Stellan.
Camp fights with girl.
2 guys fight with girl in tent.
Imperial guy who arrives on speeder bike fights with girl.

It's the same points every time. It does makes sense; that would be a genuine reaction from each one if someone new was brought into the fold with only 3 days to go - but still...

All the other stuff is so interesting and beautifully executed, it makes those scenes feel drawn out.

Gilroy has definitely been a blinding breath of fresh air that SW needed, but I think it's because he doesn't like SW that it works so well. He's just a filmmaker that knows how to tell stories and make movies without being caught up in all the expectations and agendas.

The thing that resonates with me the most about this show (over just about everything being made these days) - it's being handled with dignity, obvious life experience, and a singular consistent vision (so far).

 

[jedibear]

I melt in sadness...

Maybe the package they are getting ready to steal is... baby Grogu!

And/or Season 2

Andor: I dunt understand why you do dees tings!

Grogu barfs onto his feet.

Oh gawd no. Googoo has already been overused to the point of nauseum. Don't be shocked if the Kennedy agenda-driven coven has the little thing's story arc mapped out and it turns out to be a female reincarnation of Yoda...

But I hope they leave Gilroy and his team alone on Andor...

 

[The Buffinator]

Grogu was a great gimmick. Perfect balance against steely, silent type to humanize him.

But I wouldn't say it affected Star Wars as a whole; it didn't reinvent the storytelling or its style or what we expect as an audience. I think RO did that more than any other Disney SW... and I think this show will ultimately do that too -- thanks to Gilroy.

Not attributed to Gilroy, but even the look of RO has redefined how Star Wars looks now. It was too late to affect the ST, but Solo, Mando, Book and OWK all had that dreary, muted, cluttered style that started with RO.

Can you imagine a Mando season with Gilroy at the helm? I hope the Repeat/Goof period is over. I hope this inspires more writers and creatives to see the potential in the Star Wars universe for interesting storytelling beyond repeating riffs, redefining old characters and selling toys.

Agreed so long as the characters and designs still lead to great toys. After all, we're here because we collect the stuff lol...