A miraculous miracle that is worth eating

We know that Cassian Andor is doomed. 2016 Rogue one It is clear that he will encounter untimely death in a massive explosion. This feeling of inevitable destruction lingers against the background of the first season of Andor. The Prequel series, which follows his trip from a low rental criminal to a rebel spy. But his fate is even more lurking in Andor Second (and last) season, where the cost of fighting the seemingly almighty empire is chopped in his soul.

“The riots were built on hope,” was an emblematic line of Rogue oneFirst spoken by Andor and then repeated triumphantly from the leading role of this movie, Jin Erso. In Streaming series“Second season we see how this idea is formed and inspires many people. The rebellions are not just about massive space battles, but Death Star Trench runs. They do not rely on An untrained child who jumps into a spacecraft and marks a great victory Thanks to strength and fate. The rebels start with small solutions from normal people, and through collective actions they become something powerful enough to overthrow empires. Read what you will.

Andor It always seemed like a strange series for Disney, which spent the last decade until the Star Wars franchise milking for everything worth it. Created by Tony Gilroy, Bourne’s identity a screenwriter who is reported to save Rogue one At the last moment, Andor There are no light swords and minimal references to power. While filling in the gaps for the plot that leads to New hopeThe series also feels refreshing without the suffocating mythology that has tortured shows as Mandalian and Ace (and Boba fatand Obi-Wan Kenobi). Andor It takes time to build your characters and put up complex ideas instead of rushing between pieces of action. This is Star Wars for adults, something I never thought we would see about a franchise so devoted to the children.

In the first season, we are familiar with Andor while he was looking for his sister, who disappeared years ago. After being targeted by two local police officers, he eventually kills them and is forced to hide in his Ferix Planet. There he meets his friend Bix (Adria Arjon), who works for Lutten Rael, a mysterious man who has devoted his life to the overthrow of the empire. It does not take long to see the potential in Andor and begins to court him for his rebel cause.

Minor spoilers ahead for Andor Second Season.

Held for several years (and reported to the battle of Javin, where the star of death was destroyed in New hope), season two follows Andor and Bix, as they deepen in the rebellion. Bix is ​​still recovering from the events of the first season where it was closed and tortured. And Andor divides his time, takes care of Bix and goes to spy missions to help rebels on other planets.

I will not say too much about what happens specifically during the season, but in general it builds on everything that made Gilroy’s first stabbing as a refreshing entry into an interstellar wars. We see the heartless machinations of the empire affect real people and how it can push the whole population to fight against tyranny. Small moments, such as the Bellhop Hotel, revealing his true thoughts of Andor’s empire, can lead to deeper riot acts.

Star Wars have always been about the battle between good and evil. But Andor It breaks what it means to ordinary people, not for hyper -religious cosmic wizards with laser swords. An average citizen can be killed on the spot if they decide to speak against the empire. Or, given self -preservation, they could hold their heads or even voluntarily be a tooth in the fascist machine. Not everyone can be Khan Solo (although Andor himself is a little close). But when they live under an authoritarian mode, it is time for everyone to draw a line. Sustainable or lose your soul.

Andor He also spends plenty of time for Senator Mont Motma (Geneviev O’Reilly) before he eventually becomes a rebel leader. We see her deal with the difficulty of funding Lutten’s rebel activities, especially when they lead to explosive results. But after Empire class thousand civilians On the planet Gorman an event that is mentioned in the latest books of Star Wars, Motma and other rebel leaders conclude that the violent rebellion is the only way to fight the fascist empire.

“The Empire chokes on us so slowly that we are beginning to not notice. The time has come to force their hand,” Luten says Senator Motma in Andor Season first. When she notes that people will suffer, he replies: “This is the plan. You are not angry with me. I just say aloud what you already know. There will be no rules ahead. If you are not ready to risk your conscience, then surrender and end with it.”

Although this is Andor Last season, I have the feeling that this series will live in the mind of the viewer far longer than whatever happens to hell Boba Fett’s bookS It forces you to think about how the empire directly affects everyone, from civilians to distant planets to bureaucratic goods that dedicate their lives to fascism. In many ways, this is a practical plan for rebellion. And let’s not put too much on Disney’s TV show, but it feels like something we can use right now.

Update, May 14: This review has been slightly updated from its original date of publication on April 21 and published to match Andor Season Two Finals.