The Lens:
I wonder if George Lucas had any idea the unprecedented and unmatched franchise he was about to build when he created Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. If I remember correctly, he had a vision beyond the 1sttrilogy. But, how far did that vison go?
According to a variety of Internet sites, there are a total of 12 Star Wars movies, and 23 Star Wars series. That is just incredible. As I said in “Blasters,” the original movie itself was groundbreaking. After seeing it, you just wanted more. And more is what we got.
The three stand out movies for me are the first two, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, and Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strike Back, and . . . Rogue One. For me, Rogue One captured the excitement, drama, action, depth of characters of the first two movies. It is not a happy story, but it is a great story.
So, I was really excited when the Andor series was announced. It is a prequel of sorts to Rogue One with the backstory of Cassian Andor, one of the main rebel characters in Rogue One. Again, not a happy story, but a really good one.
Season 1 was fabulous. I have just started watching Season 2. So far, very, very good. But I wouldn’t say on the same level as Season 1. I would compare this to how I felt about Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. I loved Return of the Jedi, but it just didn’t quite hit the same high as the first two.
Season 2 of Andor gets high ratings. And, as I said, it is really good. There have been a couple of subplots, though, that seem to have been added more for the sake of entertainment – to create suspense without meaningfully adding to the plot. Suspense for suspense’s sake, not for the plot’s sake.
Kind of a nit of a ding on an otherwise extraordinary series. I guess that is one of the problems with hideously high expectations. They are always tough to live up to.
The Refraction:
Season 2 of Andor took on a bit of a new meaning for me. If you have scanned this website, you know I am feeling unsettled about the current state of our country, our lack of care and concern for our fellow human beings.
While Andor takes place after the Rebellion is already established, I still find fascinating the many different characters from varied walks of life who are part of the Rebellion, their commitment to the cause, the risks they take, the fear and anger they feel. And, of course, the courage they all exhibit in the face of great personal danger and despite the terror they feel.
In the US today, we could be in the beginnings of our own rebellion. What hasn’t happened yet, though, is a coalition, an organized response to the horror many of us feel. In Andor, we don’t see how the Rebellion grew into this vast network. But, what we do see is what it takes to rebel.
It takes grit and determination. Most of all, though, it takes the tabling of fear. It would be easy to rebel if there were no consequences to pay.
Senator Lisa Murkowski alluded to this fear and the necessary but difficult task of acting even though fear looms. She said:
“We are all afraid. It’s quite a statement. We’re in a time and place where — I don’t know, I certainly have not — I have not been here before. And I’ll tell you, I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice because retaliation is real. And that’s not right. But that’s what you’ve asked me to do and so I’m going to use my voice to the best of my ability.” (https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/17/lisa-murkowski-trump-retaliation-00295852)
I said there are some scenes in Andor I felt were added just for entertainment/suspense’s sake. But, the more I think about it, the more they make sense to me.
Rebellions are hard. They are messy. Things never go as hoped all of the time. Mistakes are made. There are unexpected and uncontrollable occurrences that set us back. Even with all that can go wrong, people still rebel because the alternative – letting inhumanness and/or evil prevail – is intolerable.
When it comes to Andor, I am likely ascribing meaning where no meaning is intended, that there is no more to these scenes than added entertainment/suspense. Yet, they have given me an added perspective to what it means to be a true rebel. Could I be a rebel, I ask myself. The question is still unanswered.