'Andor' Will Make Fans Reevaluate What We Believe About 'Star Wars'
While everyone is rightfully hyped about the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series, one should not forget that this year we will also be getting Andor, the story of the Rebel spy Cassian Andor during the rise of the Empire. The unofficial prequel to the movie Rogue One would see the return of Diego Luna as Cassian Andor as well as writer Tony Gilroy as the show's showrunner. The series is set to premiere some time after Kenobi is done. With this in mind, Vanity Fair has posted a new article detailing several new bits of information about the show.
One of the things that stood out in the article is Tony Gilroy saying that he wanted to make people reevaluate what they know about Star Wars in this series. Andor would be a good contender for this. Not only would the series tell a story we already know, but it would be in a way we did not expect. For a long time, we considered the Rebel Alliance to be a squeaky clean organization that fought for truth and justice. Instead, Rogue One and Rebels animated series had given us a glimpse of a rebellion divided between those who wanted to take extreme measures in going against the Empire directly, while others wanted to take a more measured approach to minimize collateral damage.
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Very little was known about Cassian Andor outside a few visual dictionary entries. Thus, the character is still very open to interpretation. It would be interesting to see his development during the rise of the Empire, the losses he had to suffer under the hands of the Empire, and what makes this person a revolutionary. Gilroy mentioned that Andor started out as the furthest thing from a revolutionary. What made him decide to join the cause? That is an interesting story to tell and a compelling character arc to go through. Many people throughout Star Wars have stories of how the Empire destroyed their lives. It would be sad yet insightful to see Andor’s own story of being oppressed by the Imperial regime.
Gilroy pointed out that he aims to get the general audience interested in the Andor series. Most die-hard Star Wars fans already plan on seeing this series no matter what. It is what compels a wider audience that is important. The Star Wars audience needs to grow as the franchise continues to grow as well. This means Gilroy and the creative team behind Andor have the challenge of introducing another obscure character to the mainstream. A well-known figure among fans, Mon Mothma only had one line in Return of the Jedi. The show would have to build up her career in the Imperial Senate as she maneuvers through this autocracy that Palpatine has formed from the dead bones of the Republic.
Andor is shaping up to be quite an interesting addition to the Star Wars universe. It is built up to be one of the darker stories told in this time period dubbed "The Dark Times." Star Wars also has not done a real spy thriller with a more morally nuanced character, and this deviation from the usual would be interesting to see. Could we see Andor take out seemingly innocent individuals in the name of the greater good Would he have to stab allies in the back and even leave others behind if it meant completing the mission? We might see the Rebellion itself sacrifice civilians because they are “Imperial citizens” if it meant sending a message to the Empire and its soldiers. These are what we could see in a more nuanced and mature take on the Rebel Alliance against an Empire that is willing to go to the extreme to stay in power.
Fire against fire, one could say.
In a franchise built on clearly defined heroes and villains, it would be interesting to see the gray and the in-between— those who are on the side of good but might do things that seem bad. While it may seem like a risk at the time this could be the evolution that Star Wars needs in order to move the franchise forward and that could only be good for the galaxy far, far away.
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Source(s): Vanity Fair