Warning: This article contains spoilers for Andor season 2, episodes 4-6.45 years ago,The Empire Strikes Back’s director, Irvin Kershner, explained one of the fundamental rules contributing toStar Wars’success – and nowAndorhas broken it.Star Warshas always been about the ongoing battle between good and evil, the light and the dark. There was a clear distinction between the two sides. The Rebels fought the Empire; the Sith were the ancient, villainous enemies of the Jedi. As an audience, it was easy to know who to root for. Why would we ever want to identify with the bad guys?
This isone of many reasonsStar Warsbecame such a success. It had a simple yet powerful message, one that transcended cultural barriers. Yes,Star Warshas always been political – fighting an oppressive regime is inherently political – but the franchise’s politics were easily digestible, an understandable result ofGeorge Lucas’ original target audience being 12-year-old kids. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but as the franchise evolved, its storytelling evolved, too, and now,Andorhas given us the most nuanced and complex depiction of good vs. evil the franchise has ever seen.
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The Empire Strikes Back’s Rebels Have A Clear Sense Of Right & Wrong
The fundamental message ofThe Empire Strikes Backwas the same as in the original 1977Star Warsmovie, later retitledA New Hope. The Rebels were the heroes trying to make the galaxy safer for all. They’d dealt a massive blow to the Empire by destroying the Death Star. There’s no denying that, but there was so much more work to be done, and brave men and women lined up to do it, knowing the dangers that awaited them.
WhenThe Empire Strikes Backwas first released, Irvin Kershner spoke with Alan Arnold forOnce Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of the Making of The Empire Strikes Back. As Kershner noted in his interview,one of the reasonsStar Warsappealed to such a broad audience is that“The order of things is clear.This is right, this is wrong; this is good, this is bad; this is effective, this is not effective, and so on.”
Andorshows us that love isn’t always enough. The Rebellion needed to start somewhere. It needed to start in the shadows.
The earliest depiction ofthe Rebel Allianceplayed a major part in creating that distinction. There’s an absolute sense of right and wrong, a clear message that there are good people in the world, and they aren’t willing to compromise their beliefs and ideals to achieve their goals. That’s the kind of idealized reality we all want to live in. It’s as relevant today as it was in the late 70s and early 80s.
As Kershner pointed out,“Princess Leia’s Rebel forces will not do anything to win. They will not sacrifice lives. They do not descend to the level of the enemy. That’s the difference between the Rebels and the Empire. It’s possible to fight because you love, not just because you hate.”The Rebels in the originalStar Warstrilogy fight for love. That’s what sets them apart from the Empire.Andor, however, shows us that love isn’t always enough. The Rebellion needed to start somewhere. It needed to start in the shadows.
Andor’s Rebels Don’t Know Where To Draw The Line
A well-organized, well-funded, and effective Rebellion like the one portrayed in the originalStar Warsmoviesdoesn’t spring up overnight. It takes determination, grit, fear, anger, grief, and a willingness to bend the rules to become something that can even remotely stand up to the might of an authoritarian machine like the Empire.The story of the Rebellion is a story of revolution, andAndoris the firstStar Warsproduction that truly digs into the sacrifices needed to overthrow a dictatorship.
Yes, George Lucas’ original Rebels sacrificed things, too. Rebel pilots and ground troops gave their lives for the cause. What we get to witness so viscerally inAndor, however, is how the earliest Rebels were also forced to sacrifice their sense of self. They’ve forfeited their morals, relationships, and sanity, all for the promise of a better tomorrow. The Rebels in Leia’s and Mon Mothma’s leadership era could at least sleep peacefully at night, knowing they were doing the right thing. Can we honestly say the same about those inAndor?
The Rebels in Leia’s and Mon Mothma’s leadership era could at least sleep peacefully at night, knowing they were doing the right thing. Can we honestly say the same about those inAndor?
In the early days, the Rebels didn’t know where to draw the line because, quite frankly, there was no line. Not yet. Every single minor win is hard-fought. Danger lurks around every corner. No one can be trusted. How can someone operate with hope and love when the threat of betrayal is everywhere? In this stage of the war, a war that hasn’t even officially begun yet, everything must remain hidden. Hard choices must be made, and this theme is present throughoutAndorseason 2’s second block of episodes.
InAndorseason 2 episodes 4-6, Cassian Andor and Luthen Rael are at odds over Ghorman. Well-versedStar Warsfans know that a massacre is imminent on Ghorman, one so vile it forces Mon Mothma to call out Emperor Palpatine publicly and urge various Rebel cells to form what will become known as the Alliance. As such, the audience is working with more information than Luthen and Cassian. This makes Luthen’s decision even more harrowing.
Cassian heads to Ghorman, discovers that the Ghormans want to fight back against the Empire, and says that helping them do so is not worth it, because he knows the Empire will only retaliate. Luthen doesn’t care. Every pushback against the Empire is a win in his book, even if it escalates the conflict on what was once an inherently peaceful planet. At what point does what’s right for the Rebellion become wrong for everyone else? When does that distinction start to matter?
Both Versions Of The Rebellion Work
While the two versions of the Rebellion we see betweenAndorand the originalStar Warstrilogy are undeniably different, both are equally valid.Leia’s Rebels couldn’t exist without Luthen’s. The changed title for the originalStar Warsmovie,A New Hope, tells us everything we need to know. It is the infusion of hope that changed the Rebel Alliance. They leaned on hope when the cells joined together to fight as one, and the tide turned when brave Rebels, led by Cassian Andor, stole the Death Star plans.
There is no revolution without sacrifice. That much is clear. WhileAndor’s Rebellion efforts are harsher and more underhanded than we’re used to fromStar Wars, there’s no denying that the seeds of Princess Leia’s, Mon Mothma’s, and Bail Organa’s eventual hope-fueled Rebel Alliance are already being planted.
Andorseason 2, episodes 4-6
Andorseason 2, episodes 7-9
Andorseason 2, episodes 10-12
Andor
Cast
Andor is a Star Wars prequel series set before the events of Rogue One, following Cassian Andor as he navigates a world of danger and deception. The series delves into his transformation into a pivotal figure in the struggle against the Galactic Empire.
