Andor first impressions: Star Wars inches toward the best of modern adult TV

At its worst, Star Wars: Andor is a sanded-off PG-13 version of some of the best TV dramas of the past decade. It's easy to see traces of The Wire, Lost, and Breaking Bad in this story of Star Wars-adjacent scum and villainy. However, as you might suspect, such nuanced TV inspirations can only go so far in a franchise that regularly features chirping droids and action figure tie-ins.

At its best, though, Andor plays out like no other Star Wars film or TV entry to date, and it bodes well for the series' post-Skywalker future. Andor flexes its adult-ish aspirations to better resemble the gritty content that has made series sidebars like comics, novels, and video games beloved. While its momentum takes a little too long to kick in, enough quality coalesces by the end of the series' first 100 minutes to make it a worthy recommendation for fans of compelling sci-fi television, let alone Star Wars loyalists.

At Disney+, an initial release of three episodes says a lot

Trouble seems to find Cassian Andor a lot in his series.

Credit: Lucasfilm

This series "follows" the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story the only way Lucasfilm really could: by building a prequel out of its likable anti-hero, Cassian Andor. (Spoiler alert: If this series had been a direct timeline sequel to that film, it would, uh, include far fewer characters.) Since his name's in the title, Andor features as the star, and the events rewind to both his biggest adult and childhood adventures.

Disney+ typically debuts new TV episodes on a once-a-week basis, and while a few series exceptions have launched with a bonus episode (most notably Marvel's WandaVision), Andor is the first to approach a "binge" on launch week. Wednesday's three-episode debut feels like a major admission from Lucasfilm: 'Hey fans, pretty please watch all three episodes before rushing to judgment.'

You won't see a lot of droid antics on Andor, but new droid B2EMO has a few key moments.

Credit: Lucasilm

I am thankful that I did. Andor needs this much time to get its bearings, mostly because its opening episodes plow ahead with an entirely new cast of characters surrounding the familiar face of lead actor Diego Luna. Trailers have suggested that we'll eventually see characters from Rogue One, Star Wars: Rebels, and other entries, but first, we have to watch Andor embrace his destiny.

At least one portion of the series thus far has Lost its way

Bix (Adria Arjona) has a long and fraught relationship with Andor to contend with in this new series.

Credit: Lucasfilm

If your preferred Star Wars adventures feature shady deals in alleyways, dubious-sounding no-questions-asked favors, and cold-blooded killings, Andor wastes no time baring its dark heart. Andor begins the first episode on a fact-finding mission, and while he has clearly been on his search for a while, this TV series opens with his quest going awry. Within minutes, Andor returns to Ferrix, his veritable home base where he typically picks up and sells scrap to get by. It's time to run one last deal, he tells his few accomplices, and they need to tighten their alibis about it, just in case.

And he would've gotten away with his scheme, too, if it weren't for a meddling middle manager inside an Imperial operations outpost. Deputy Inspector Karn (Kyle Soller) is the series' first standout new character, as he bristles with impotent rage while trying to make a name for himself inside an otherwise bureaucratically restrained Empire. Karn alternates between obnoxious smugness and chest-puffing BS as appropriate, and his resulting unlikability is magnetic to watch as he bears down on Andor's escape plan. His place in the story is probably as close as the Star Wars universe will ever get to resembling the broken law enforcement ecosystem of some of modern TV's biggest hits.

Karn (Kyle Soller) is currently my favorite character on Andor.

Credit: Lucasfilm

The rest of the series' earliest cast doesn't fare as well, mostly because Andor is too busy filling out the homes and industrial scrapyards of Ferrix to let us get to know the characters in question. The series also is determined to tell a parallel story of Andor's youth, which he spent living among a band of other young survivors with meager robes and melee weapons. Both sides of this coin remind me of Lost, as far as trying to not only tie together as many characters as possible in a fraught tale but also chain together a confusing wilderness and the bewildering discovery within it. Yet, Andor doesn't connect the dots between these halves during the runtime of the first three episodes.

That younger story eventually overlaps with a major piece of Andor-specific lore, and this third-episode payoff makes me more optimistic about this dual-timeline gimmick. But up until that point, this portion of the series drags with little character-building detail or surprising drama, so I wonder if the series I've seen thus far could have been cut by 10 minutes without anyone noticing.

Even green screen shortcuts can’t bring down a fantastic third episode

A peek at young Andor.

Credit: Lucasfilm

After the first episode sets the tone, and the second episode expands the lore, Andor's third episode clinches everything that came before it with equal parts action and filled-in story beats. By this time, the supporting cast that Andor has been contending with shows up for a major showdown—and each person in his orbit either proves their loyalty or falters in a fascinating fashion.

Andor's third episode is also the exception to the series' green-screen aesthetic. This improvement is best evidenced by a showdown in a visually arresting room full of chains, pulleys, and explosions. Otherwise, production corners are cut regularly throughout the series' opening episodes, and it's hard to miss. Many times, tight town passages reuse market vendor stands and other detritus, often enough to elicit deja vu, while one distant vista catches young Andor's eye—for long enough to reveal that it's a hand-drawn background taped beyond a cliff's edge.

Thankfully, Luna continues to prove himself an asset to the Star Wars series, and his voiceless effort to sell his character's vulnerable-yet-dedicated edge is a series highlight. Andor often opts for a staredown—either directly into an ally's eyes or up into the terrifying void of rain-filled nighttime—to express his character's anxiety or fear, instead of drowning viewers in exposition, and other characters follow suit. In particular, Maarva (Fiona Shaw), the series' apparent sage and beating heart, eventually proves to have more of a stake in our hero than she initially lets on. (Coincidentally, her importance to the story only emerges by episode three.)

Fiona Shaw as Maarva needs a few episodes to establish herself as the series' potentially most interesting character.

Credit: Lucasfilm

Compared to the ultimately zero-stakes stuff of Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor at least has a new and intriguing story to tell. Its plot thus far recognizes considerable meat left on the bones of Rogue One, and its titular hero is surrounded by people who tease out his greater connections to the central Jedi conflict of the series. For that alone, I will continue watching the show, even if I worry that this initial release hints to further boredom and botched momentum in future episodes.

The first three episodes of Star Wars: Andor are live on Disney+, with further episodes debuting once a week until the season's conclusion.

Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.