It's no secret that Disney has struggled with Star Wars ever since acquiring Lucasfilm back in 2012. Between a hot mess of a sequel trilogy, a lacklustre set of miniseries on Disney+ and a revolving door of ideas and cancelled projects (there hasn't been a feature release since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker) fans and critics alike have often wondered whether or not the studio even knows what to do with the beloved franchise. Certainly, The Mandalorian initially proved to be a promising turn, but Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau's later attempts to "MCU-ify" the Pedro Pascal-led show via a shared universe (alongside the eyebrow-raising The Book of Boba Fett and the lukewarm Ahsoka) diluted any excitement.
Arguably, the only beacons of hope for Disney were the standalone 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Season 1 of Andor in 2022, which presented an expanded origin story for Rogue One's lead hero Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). Each were refreshing instalments in a stale franchise for two reasons: a) The stories finally stepped away from the Skywalker spotlight (or, more correctly, burden) and offered a window into the lives of regular characters suffering under the extraordinary circumstances of war, and perhaps more importantly, b) Tony Gilroy.
Rogue One co-writer and Andor showrunner, Gilroy leaned on his penchant for legal/political/espionage thrillers, bringing an unexpected grit and groundedness to George Lucas's space opera galaxy. He caps that success now with Andor's second and final season, bringing Cassian's story to an epic and satisfying conclusion.
Season 2 kicks off a year after the events of the first season in 4 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin). In Season 1, Cassian's journey was about discovering the purpose and importance of rebelling against the Empire. Now, he is a full-fledged resistance fighter, taking on covert missions assigned by Stellan Skarsgård's Luthen Rael, all while trying to maintain a fulfilling relationship with Bix (Adria Arjona).
On the political side of things, we see Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) continuing to grapple with using her privilege and power to overturn the Empire in the shadows of the Senate. And in the Empire, Dedra Meero (Denise Gough), Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) and Major Partagaz (Anton Lesser) pursue order and control of the galaxy. This time, of course, the stakes are higher and more dangerous for all, as Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn, reprising his Rogue One role) introduces a new imperial directive.
Having seen all 12 episodes, it's not hyperbolic to say that this season of Andor is one of the best TV series to come out this year. We saw the calibre of performances the cast delivered in Season 1, but in their return, each of them is given more complex material to play with, resulting in masterclass performances. Luna, Skarsgård, O'Reilly and Gough are particular stand-outs, exemplifying the limits to which war stretches the limits of human minds and hearts no matter what side of the war they're on. As exciting as the missions are — and there are plenty of high-octane sequences in the season — it's the characters' ever-evolving dynamics with each other that deliver the most captivating moments.
They say television is the writers' medium, and that couldn't be truer here. Tony Gilroy, Beau Willimon, Dan Gilroy and Tom Bissell split writing duties this season, and they each deftly navigate rich character introspection and growth against larger-scale action set pieces. Directors Ariel Kleiman, Janus Metz and Alonso Ruizplacios also deserve praise for the ways in which they confidently weave political intrigue and good old-fashioned caper fun into a galactic setting.
Costumer designer Michael Wilkinson and production designer Luke Hull carve visual splendour into the show, tailoring distinct looks for each character and setting — Mon Mothma's wardrobe alone deserves to be in a gallery — that add an immediate tactility to this galaxy far, far away.
Of course, more than anything, this season of Andor stands as the most inspiring and thematically relevant Star Wars has ever been. George Lucas has never been shy about the political allegories in the original trilogy, and the prequel trilogy continued pulling on that thread in the 2000s. However, since Disney's acquisition, the franchise has somewhat lost its way in this regard, prioritizing nostalgia and fan service (and often at the expense of good storytelling).
Season 2 offers a distinct — and, it must be said, timely — exploration of the difference between rebellion and revolution, and, underneath it all, the human cost of fighting for freedom (of choice, of existence, of life). The Empire's fascist regime, tactics and sentiments reverberate, arguably more now than ever, across America's current presidential administration (and by extension, echo across the border to our own political affairs in Canada).
It'd be remiss — indeed, ignorant — not to draw connections between what Cassian and the Rebel Alliance are fighting against and what's happening in our reality, as well as the pivotal work that needs to be done in order to not have our world go down such a dark path.
Andor asserts the need for a new hope in a better future. The series conjures some faith that Disney might finally learn something from this series' success and, hopefully, steer the franchise back in the right direction. More importantly though, Andor highlights the clear conviction that standing up for what's right is never the wrong choice.