Online Series: Star Wars Andor on D+

[Mount Suribachi]

Lots of easter eggs and lore in this episode. Love the fact that there's a couple of references to the Old Republic games/books, something that Disney stupidly said was no longer canon when they first took over



Also, I suspect that there may be some interesting, uh, "fan fiction" around Dedra. Empire me harder mommy.

 

[Very Stable Genius]

Man, give me Imperial Bureaucracy and Corusant politics over Jedi and The Force any day. It actually feels like a real show instead of a live-action cartoon.

 

[Hasbro]

I wonder if the writers delved into history for inspiration here. During his revolutionary days Stalin was involved in a bank heist (which he liked to talk up).

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

We don't know Andor's full backstory yet, but I do feel inclined to point out that we don't see his parents (or really any adults that I can recall) in those flashback episodes. Just a colony full of kids and teenagers roughing it out in the wilderness. Something obviously happened to all the adults on his planet. It's pretty conceivable that whatever happened to them could link up with his line in Rogue One.

Looks like they got out of it by making him a liar (the you were in as a cook and didn't fight that war thing). He also says he joined the war straight out of prison, but when locked up in Rogue One, he says it's a first for him. I don't know how much of it is calculated or will be exploited, but an unreliable main character can be an interesting narrative device. He's certainly a more interesting and complex character than Mando or what they made Bobba Fett to be.

 

[HanSolo]

Man, give me Imperial Bureaucracy and Corusant politics over Jedi and The Force any day. It actually feels like a real show instead of a live-action cartoon.

Done right, it can be compelling. The prequels didn't do it right.

Anyway. Not sure the Maester Qyburn actor's name without looking him up but he was great as an ISB head.

 

[MadDevil]

Done right, it can be compelling. The prequels didn't do it right.

Anyway. Not sure the Maester Qyburn actor's name without looking him up but he was great as an ISB head.

Anton Lesser. I only know because he's on Endeavor, another show I watch. Funny enough that show also stars the guy who played Illyrio in GOT.

 

[Jumptheshark]

I like it so far

 

[Jumptheshark]

Man, give me Imperial Bureaucracy and Corusant politics over Jedi and The Force any day. It actually feels like a real show instead of a live-action cartoon.

Like the fact the bad guys are paying attention to stuff like "where building materials are going".

 

[Tawnos]

To this point, I think it's a well put-together show and well-written... but I don't really find myself liking it very much. That's ok, I don't need to be into every single property they put out in the SW Universe.

BoBF was not well put-together and not especially well-written, but it was more enjoyable anyway.

 

[Hivemind]

Like the fact the bad guys are paying attention to stuff like "where building materials are going".

That was also an Easter Egg. It was going to where the Death Star was built.

 

[TNT87]

I've been extremely bored so far. I liked episode 3 but went back to be disappointed for the fourth episode.

 

[Hivemind]

First scene of newest episode:

Oh god, Coruscant is filled with Jewish/Italian mothers

 

[Hivemind]

There's a handful of high-profile shows on TV/streaming right now, but I think this is my favorite. It's just so masterfully done, and so precisely what I wanted from the Star Wars universe. Seeing the Imperial bureaucratic culture, with its ambition and arrogance, up close. Watching first-hand as its cut-throat nature both generates some of the sharpest individuals, but also blunts their ability to take the type of action that would have thwarted the rebellion. Seeing the differing motivations and pseudo-factions among the Rebel Alliance. The space communist idealists, the disaffected, the political schemers, and the cast-offs all bound together not by a common vision of what's to come, but by a united hatred of what is currently there. The uncomfortable alliances formed, and the tenuous trust that is slowly built between them. This is masterfully crafted, and I'm very much enjoying it's deliberate pace.

That being said, I do kind of wish I wasn't watching it as it releases. I love slow burns, but most of the slow burns I've watched in recent years have come in a bingeable format. You get all the tension and world-building, but also you don't have to wait weeks at a time for payoff. Shows like GoT/HotD or (the first season of) Westworld allow that weekly delay to be filled with speculation and theory-crafting, and it's honestly part of their charm. But this isn't that type of show, there's not a million dangling elements all at once that the viewer is trying to weave together. Nor is this a mystery, like True Detective or The Night Of. The last time I've been week-to-week on something like this would probably be the last couple seasons of Breaking Bad.

 

[Osprey]

It's my favorite current series, as well. It's a slow burn, but the best kind, IMO. No minute feels like filler or part of an unnecessary subplot to drag out the story. Each scene builds upon the tension from the previous one. It's very much like a WWII or Cold War spy thriller, with more suspense than action. It's apparently not everyone's cup of tea, but I welcome it. It's different than the other SW series and perfectly fits the premise.

Someone said that the season was written in 3-episode arcs and I'm seeing a pattern in that the first episode establishes the tension, the second builds it and the third releases it so that the cycle can repeat. To add to what you said, though, perhaps it would've been better to continue releasing the episodes 3 at a time. Then, we could've watched a whole arc at once, as if it's a movie, and not have to wait 2 weeks for the payoff. That could've been more satisfying, especially for those who have issues with the pacing.

 

[MadDevil]

It's my favorite, as well. It's a slow burn, but the best kind, IMO. No minute feels like filler or part of an unnecessary subplot to drag out the story. Each scene builds upon the tension from the previous. It's very much like a WWII or Cold War spy thriller: more suspense than action (because, after all, a spy that engages the enemy isn't much of a spy). It's apparently not everyone's cup of tea, but I welcome it.

Someone said that the season was written in 3-episode arcs and I'm definitely seeing a pattern so far in which two episodes slowly build tension, the third releases it and then it starts over again. To expand on Hivemind's thoughts, perhaps it would've been better to keep releasing the episodes 3 at a time. Then, we could watch a whole arc at once, as if it's a movie, and not have to wait 2 weeks for the release. That could be more satisfying, especially for those struggling with the pacing.

The pacing doesn't bother me, but I'm also used to this kind of format because Clone Wars used to do the same 3 episode arc thing. I think it was Campea who said the first season is basically broken up into 4 parts, with 3 episodes in each part. And supposedly season 2 is going to cover several years, possibly with the same kind of 3 episode arc structure.

This and HOTD are the two shows that I look forward to every week. Which is amazing considering how much faith I'd kind of lost in both franchises. Don't get me wrong, I mostly enjoyed Boba Fett and Obi-Wan, but I was still kind of disappointed by them and honestly would not have thought Andor would be the show that would get me back excited about Star Wars again (lord knows the movie side is a complete shitshow).

 

[Hasbro]

The pacing doesn't bother me, but I'm also used to this kind of format because Clone Wars used to do the same 3 episode arc thing. I think it was Campea who said the first season is basically broken up into 4 parts, with 3 episodes in each part. And supposedly season 2 is going to cover several years, possibly with the same kind of 3 episode arc structure.

This and HOTD are the two shows that I look forward to every week. Which is amazing considering how much faith I'd kind of lost in both franchises. Don't get me wrong, I mostly enjoyed Boba Fett and Obi-Wan, but I was still kind of disappointed by them and honestly would not have thought Andor would be the show that would get me back excited about Star Wars again (lord knows the movie side is a complete shitshow).

More "adult" story telling in both senses of the word. Who would have imagined an episode without a single battle would get rave reviews?

Also adds some depth to why the Empire are the baddies. For some reason they've strayed away from the Empire being human supremist in anyway aside from staffing.

 

[Hivemind]

More "adult" story telling in both senses of the word. Who would have imagined an episode without a single battle would get rave reviews?

Also adds some depth to why the Empire are the baddies. For some reason they've strayed away from the Empire being human supremist in anyway aside from staffing.

I think the supremacist angle of the Empire can pretty safely be done in a "show, don't tell" fashion (just as it was in the original trilogy). It goes hand-in-hand with the fascist iconography and coding for the Empire/First Order, as serves implicitly as part of their motivation. I'm pleased Andor (and most of Star Wars in general) doesn't feel the need to beat their audience in the face with that point. We get it without having it be explicitly spelled out.

(Although it does conflict with the more Sith-oriented elements of the Empire, particularly the use of aliens as Inquisitors by various other Star Wars IPs dating back to Rebels)

 

[Hockeyfrilla]

Love the show!

 

[The Shadow]

I will give this a re-watch once the season is all done - Just not a fan of the last 2 episodes so far but will give it another chance

The Star Wars franchise has lost all of its prestige and excitement. It wasn't that long ago that I was buying my tickets online for Cineplex in great anticipation for episodes 7-9. I wanted it to be something special but it just wasn't. I can't even re-watch episodes 7-9 - once was more than enough.

 

[Jumptheshark]

That was also an Easter Egg. It was going to where the Death Star was built.

I realize that

 

[Hasbro]

I think the supremacist angle of the Empire can pretty safely be done in a "show, don't tell" fashion (just as it was in the original trilogy). It goes hand-in-hand with the fascist iconography and coding for the Empire/First Order, as serves implicitly as part of their motivation. I'm pleased Andor (and most of Star Wars in general) doesn't feel the need to beat their audience in the face with that point. We get it without having it be explicitly spelled out.

(Although it does conflict with the more Sith-oriented elements of the Empire, particularly the use of aliens as Inquisitors by various other Star Wars IPs dating back to Rebels)

Of course most supremacists will tell and quite loudly. We are robbed of scenes like this:


Anyway I don’t think Palpatine cares. Since he thrives on hatred speciesism is just a means to that end.

 

[Jussi]

So people have spotted both a Jedi and a Sith Holocron at Luthen's gallery.

 

[MadDevil]

So people have spotted both a Jedi and a Sith Holocron at Luthen's gallery.

The Sankara Stones from Indiana Jones are also on a shelf back there, I think next to the holocrons, which are huge by the way. I always thought they were smaller, unless those are oversized replicas or something.

 

[Mount Suribachi]

Loved the scene with the TIE fighter hot-dogging it at low level. Probably just a bored pilot trying to relieve the tedium of being posted in a back water, yet so menacing and scary for those on the ground.

 

[Hivemind]

The Sankara Stones from Indiana Jones are also on a shelf back there, I think next to the holocrons, which are huge by the way. I always thought they were smaller, unless those are oversized replicas or something.

His shop is full of Easter eggs. Almost every item in there is a reference to something from Star Wars or Indiana Jones.

Other Star Wars creators - pay attention. This is how you do Easter Eggs. It's not blatant cameos you shove in our face, creating a back story for every single line of dialogue, or forcing every character in the galaxy into the same plot line. It's items in the background and passing lines of dialogue that don't detract from the overall experience.