“Star Wars” has always held a touch of a political statement within its narrative fabric. From “A New Hope” to “Skeleton Crew,” the franchise understands the importance of the little guy standing up to the evil, empiric force, but perhaps no installment recognizes this better than “Andor.” Set amidst the formation of the resistance that takes place between “Revenge of the Sith” and “A New Hope,” this spin-off of “Rogue One” has used its episodic function to dive deeper into the mentality and experience of characters on the fringes of the galactic society, providing an allegory for our own troubled times.
“Right now the world is defined by a struggle for power, and this series talks about exactly that,” said the show’s star, Diego Luna, in a recent interview with Vanity Fair.
At the same time, what Luna finds most endearing about the project is its timelessness. As history tells us, powerful forces take rise all the time, often to the detriment of society at large. This is what makes “Andor” relatable and why it has proven a needed salve during this current uncertain period.
“This series would have been important 10 years ago and will be important 10 years from now, because it is a reflection on how communities can take control and fight for their destiny,” Luna told Vanity Fair. “It reflects on the responsibilities of being a citizen, which have long existed, are important now, and will continue to be in the future.”
What’s most important in this portrayal of revolutionary action, however, is not the outright tenacity Luna’s character Cassian Andor exhibits, but rather the more subtle transformation that takes place as he comes to register the great injustices experienced across multiple star systems. Though the world the story exists in may be fantasy, Luna believes it reflects a much deeper truth related to our inherent need to do good and make change for the better.
“The characters in ‘Andor,’ just like real human beings, often exist in gray areas. We portray real people, people without hope. They’re all downtrodden, but there’s still this sense that something has to happen,” he said. “We know Cassian will become a hero, but we know there may be more than one path to that conclusion. This is something I’ve said many times before: When we talk about revolution, the message we’re sending out is that any revolution starts with yourself.”
“Andor” Season 2 premieres Friday, April 25 on Disney+ with three new episodes released every subsequent week.
