Andor season 2

Looking back at my posts over the Disney Star Wars sequels, they feel like a journey back to a more optimistic time and it is safe to say I feel the company has squandered so much potential since then with many disappointing projects which has left the brand in a very bad place. There are however been glimmers of hope with Rogue One, the final season of the Clone Wars series, the first two seasons of The Mandalorian and Andor. The latter capitalised on the characters of Rogue One and offered a thrilling adventure exploring the familiar galaxy in the uneasy calm before the inevitable storm that would follow.

Season two of Andor bridges the gap between the previous season and the start of Rogue One, which then lead straight into George Lucas' original trilogy. Andor is now running missions for Luthen as the rebellion gradually takes shape, Mon Mothma finds her double life starting to close in around her amongst the political elite and the Empire's pawns start to put a grand plan in motion as the season runs across several years over the course of 12 episodes.

Creator, Tony Gilroy, started the second season on an uneven start for many with three episodes that will either drag terribly or serve as excellent character development and world building depending on your viewpoint. I lent towards the former but I can't deny that Gilroy has delivered some of the best Star Wars ever. From episode four onwards, this is a thrilling, engaging and very emotional experience as the story comes to a fold almost perfectly. 

Starring the likes of Diego Luna and Stellan Skarsgård, the cast are all terrific and the visuals are fantastic. A lot of effort clearly went into making this with the use of practical sets and capturing that Star Wars aesthetic, and it leaves a very high bar for any future shows or films. So high in fact, I worry the reshoots and unevenness of Rogue One's first act might cause the film to pale in comparison as result when viewed one after the other. But Gilroy does well to help build-up the film, that he only partially directed, and so there by bringing balance to the force/continuity.

However, there are still some flaws amongst the peaks of Andor and some of this is to do with the time jumps this season. Could we have had another season, or was this show just too expensive for a more mature take on Star Wars? Every time the show jumps forward, I felt the story was moving too fast and could have spent time exploring other aspects, such as Orson Krennic's introduction here or how Saw Gerrera came to be so injured later on. Without spoilers, I would also say too many characters survive here who are absent in Rogue One and that their deaths might have made the ending all the more intense as the rebels then prepare to fight the Empire knowing who was lost along the way. These are all nit-picks but they do not diminish from the overall show.

The first few episodes might have benefitted from a little editing, particularly the wedding scenes, but the rest of the show is peak Star Wars and proves their is still life in this franchise yet. I'd say Andor is so good that this series could easily serve as an introduction to the franchise for newcomers while easily pleasing current fans, which is the perfect outcome and I hope Gilroy sticks around.