In recent years, the reception to new Star Wars shows, films, and games have been a mixed bag. Shows such as “Ahsoka”, “The Book of Boba Fett” and the later seasons of “The Mandalorian” were met with decent reception, but criticized for their visuals and reliance on cameos, reused plots, and unoriginal characters. Disney’s Star Wars run as a whole has been met with criticism, with one of the standouts being the “Star Wars: Jedi” games, developed by Respawn Entertainment, the revival of “Star Wars: Battlefront II” after its lootbox controversy, and the 2016 film “Rogue One”- a direct prequel to Episode IV, “A New Hope”. “Rogue One” was praised for its grittier narrative and mix of exciting action, emotional moments, and more spy thriller-style moments.
In May 2022, at Star Wars Celebration, a series following the main character of “Rogue One”, Cassian Andor, was revealed. Reception was mixed. Despite a similar, grittier tone to “Rogue One” being promised, fans were skeptical. The series premiered on Sept. 21, 2022 with its first three-episode arc. While it had a bit of a slow start, most of the show’s skeptics were immediately silenced. The grittier tone that was promised was met with equally strong writing, compelling characters, and a look at imperial politics that Star Wars hasn’t really done before in its visual media. The first season only continued its success streak, with the second and fourth arcs being incredibly strong in their tension, emotion, and action. The first season’s third arc, the prison arc, has been received by fans as not just some of the best Star Wars content of all time, but some of the best television in recent years, with the final episode of the arc, “One Way Out,” being nominated for several awards.
“Andor” season two first premiered on April 22, 2025, with its first three episodes. For season two, Disney has opted to release three episodes, or one complete story arc, a week over four weeks, essentially releasing a movie each week. Each arc takes place one year apart from each other, leading to the year that “Rogue One” takes place. The release schedule has been a bit controversial, though not really detrimental to the show’s success.
The cast of “Andor” is nothing short of incredible. Diego Luna, who plays the titular character Cassian Andor, is phenomenal, and plays both the charismatic and serious sides of Cassian so well, with him doing it even better in season two as he seamlessly switches between the two in highlight moments of the series.
Genevieve O’Reilly continues her role as Mon Mothma, senator of Chandrila, who she’s played for several years since her cut role as Mon Mothma in “Revenge of the Sith.” Mon Mothma sees so much depth in “Andor.” Her personal and business life are expanded on greatly, and her development is clear as she grows into the leader of the rebellion. Genevieve O’Reilly’s performance shines especially in the first three episodes of season two, as everything seems to be crashing around her, with her two lives colliding, and she’s faced with numerous tough decisions and things she has to accept.
Above anyone else, the star of the show is Stellan Skarsgård, who plays Luthen Rael, master spy and organizer of the more covert parts of the early rebellion. His performance is masterful all throughout the show, as he delivers some of the best monologues in television. Whenever Luthen is on screen, his presence takes up most of the scene, immediately causing everyone in the show, and the viewer, to tense up. Luthen shows the much darker side of the rebellion, where Saw Gerrera, leader of the Partisan rebel cell, is a chaotic extreme, Luthen is a cold, calculated extreme, as he’s willing to play dirty, use people, and let people die to fight the empire.
Two characters who first appeared in season one return: Dedra Meero, played by Denise Gough; and Syril Karn played by Kyle Sollera. They aren’t just well-written and performed, but they’re also very grounded. They, like many other characters in “Andor”, are just people, trying to be acknowledged and work their way up in the empire.
While the characters are often “Andor”’s biggest strength, they aren’t the only thing. The visuals of “Andor” are nothing short of beautiful, from the grey, conforming architecture on Coruscant, the vast mountains and castles of Chandrila, to the historically inspired architecture of Ghorman, every set looks awe-inspiring, real, and unique. The show’s visuals are paired with excellent cinematography, which is great at being more personal, intense, or grand, depending on the scene.
The writing of “Andor” is grounded and inspired by real history, which makes for some of the best and most politically inspired Star Wars media ever released. Characters all feel believable, with realistic motivations for what they do, whether it be the hatred of the empire that Cassian has had since the incident on his home planet during childhood, or Syril’s simple desire for acknowledgement from the empire, they all fuel a narrative that takes inspiration from real history and resistance movements. While the more exciting moments of Star Wars, from lightsaber duels to ship dogfights, aren’t inherently a bad thing, Andor’s focus on slower moments of dialogue, scenery, and politics with less-frequent yet deadlier action makes for a more rewarding show where every moment feels compelling.
Speaking of the show’s politics, while Star Wars has always been politically charged, it’s never been as much as “Andor” is. Episodes full of bureaucratic meetings from intelligence officials sound insanely uninteresting, yet the meetings between members of the Imperial Security Bureau are arguably the best part of the show, as they provide a view into the true political evil of the empire, while still tying to the main narrative.
The second and final season of “Andor” isn’t just the best Star Wars in recent years, or under Disney’s ownership, but some of the best entirely. Everything in the show works incredibly well, on its own and together. The show does go to sensitive places sometimes, and if you struggle with such content, it may be best to tread with caution. Despite that, watching both seasons of “Andor” is very highly recommended, and the show’s second season gets a 10/10.
