Andor Review: Rogue One: Star Wars Story Prequel on Disney Plus

The origins of Rebel Alliance intelligence officer Cassian Andor and what drew him to the good fight takes center stage in Disney+’s latest live action war of stars Series that is a slow-burning spy story worth holding on to.

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Premieres this Wednesday with the first three episodes of 12 (I’ve seen the first four), Andor – apart from a few flashbacks to a formative incident from the title character’s childhood – takes place five years before the events of the heist drama Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. (Season 1 will span one year, while Season 2 will cover the remaining four.)

Cassian (again played by Villain One‘s Diego Luna), who is lurking around the red light district on the planet Morlana One, where he is secretly inquiring about someone who has disappeared from his life. after a most In an unfortunate series of events, Cassian flees with Deputy Inspector Syril Karn (Poldark‘s Kyle Soller) of the Imperial Corpos hot on his heels. With the action moving to Ferrix, we meet Maarva Andor (kill Eve‘s Fiona Shaw), Cass’ adoptive mother; Bix Caleen (Emerald City‘s Adria Arjona), a junkyard mechanic who has a complicated past with Cass; and B2EMO (voiced by Dave Chapman aka BB-8), a uniquely charming droid who has been by Maarva’s side for years.

Maarva with B2EMO

Cassian’s extremely precarious situation prompts him to ask a favor from Bix, who has been blown away by her business exploits with the well-connected Luthen Rael (Chernobyl‘s Stellan Skarsgard). Other cast members include Genevieve O’Reilly (whom she reprises Villain One/Vengeance of the Sith role of Mon Mothma), Denise Gough (Under the banner of heaven), Faye Marsay (Deep water) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The bear), while Forest Whitaker will repeat his own Villain One Role by Saw Gerrera.

what does Andor stand out from most war of stars TV series that came before it is that they are not here to answer a burning question steeped in mythologies from any trilogy of films – e.g. B. “How did Boba Fett escape the Sarlaac Pit?” “What’s Obi-Wan Kenobi up to between Episodes III and IV?” Instead, it takes its time to build its own world and mid-stakes situation, and controls his imperfect heroes towards an unplanned fate.

Luther and Cassian

Measured by measured reader response to TVLine Andor Coverage to date, perhaps you don’t consider yourself the story that is being told here. Yes, it’s a bit slow in the beginning – the decision to start with the first three episodes, each only running 35-40 minutes, was a wise decision – but by the end of Episode 3 (and Absolutely at the end of Episode 4), you’ll be very excited to see what happens next. Villain One Co-writer Tony Gilroy serves as showrunner and author Andor’s first three episodes (as well as episodes 11 and 12), and you can sense the same intelligent, caper-based tone he brought to the big screen in Cass’ introduction.

In the discussion what makes the difference Andor out The Mandalorian, Boba Fett’s book and Obi Wan Kenobiwe got to also talk about it see. As TVLine reports, Andor did Not Use The Volume, the super HD digital wallpapers that provide backdrops for Disney+’s predecessors war of stars series, and the difference is not only refreshing but frankly mind-blowing. The streets and alleys of Morlana One and Ferrix feel gritty and tactile. Backgrounds have actual depth. Valleys are lush. Earth paths are not a perfect putting green. The result is a truly cinematic look Mando et al certainly believe they are mimicking, but not to this extent.

The hapless DI Karn has questions

The cast surrounding Luna is solid. Shaw conveys the depth of Maarva and Cass’ top-secret bond with every look/exchange, Arjona is a delight as the spirited Bix, O’Reilly was clearly delighted at the chance to find out what makes Mon Mothma tick, and Skarsgård gets one diversity Sheet music to play as the enigmatic Luthen. Soller, playing the overly ambitious (but underappreciated) Imperial lawman chasing Cass, arguably serves as scant comic relief, as does B2EMO’s somehow sad disposition/line readings.

THE CLOSING LINE OF TVLINE: That is the war of stars series you are looking for. Don’t sleep on it.