Star Wars: Andor (2022) - released episode spoilers allowed

[Steffromuk 385]

It is in my opinion, the best thing Star Wars that's ever been made after the original trilogy.
It's not saying this show is amazing but it is a good show. And yes, finally the empire is getting some flesh and brain.
I'm so enjoying the slow burn approach!

I agree with you @Arpy about the music being pretty anonymous. But it's perfectly doing its job in the show. And the lack of epic and romantic themes doesn't really bother me. Maybe because Disney succeeded so well in destroying the franchise that, apart for the classic trilogy and the prelogy scores (the only good thing in that second cycle IMO), I don't really enjoy Sir Williams and the other composers' works for what followed.

[Jay 37,287]

‘Andor’ Season 2 Begins Filming November 21st in London

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

Episode 10 was the best episode up to this point.

Personally, this was the first episode which I loved completely. It was so well done.

 

Serkis broke my heart a little (although I do want to know what happened to his character) and Skarsgard's speech this episode was very powerful.

 

I'm excited now to see where the last 2 episode take the series.

[MaxTheHouseelf 324]

On 04/11/2022 at 3:05 AM, Steffromuk said:

It is in my opinion, the best thing Star Wars that's ever been made after the original trilogy.
It's not saying this show is amazing but it is a good show. And yes, finally the empire is getting some flesh and brain.
I'm so enjoying the slow burn approach!

I agree with you @Arpy about the music being pretty anonymous. But it's perfectly doing its job in the show. And the lack of epic and romantic themes doesn't really bother me. Maybe because Disney succeeded so well in destroying the franchise that, apart for the classic trilogy and the prelogy scores (the only good thing in that second cycle IMO), I don't really enjoy Sir Williams and the other composers' works for what followed.

 

Totally agree, it's the best of the spin-off series by far and I enjoy it very much. I just wish the music had a few distinguishable melodic themes (or just motifs) for Cassian / Bix / Mon Mothma etc. that would stand out a little bit more. Otherwise I like the electronic, texture approach (although on it's own its forgettable). It fits well into this dark industrial setting. Romantic melodies like in A New Hope wouldn't work that well for this tone they're going for IMO.

[Gabriel Bezerra 300]

3 hours ago, MaxTheHouseelf said:

I just wish the music had a few distinguishable melodic themes (or just motifs) for Cassian / Bix / Mon Mothma etc. that would stand out a little bit more.

Listening to the albums, there seem to be melodic motifs for them, but they are indistinguishable as you said, Cassian's eighth note theme that opens every episode is the only one I can for sure identify every time it plays, though I think I heard the one in the Kleya track in today's episode... :shrug:

 

Truly phenomenal episode, it was probably for symmetry with Skarsgard's speech, "leading but never seeing the outcome", but I really want to believe Serkis jumped later, 'cause if he stays there, he is as good as dead after a long torture.

[saulocf 79]

6 hours ago, Gabriel Bezerra said:

Truly phenomenal episode, it was probably for symmetry with Skarsgard's speech, "leading but never seeing the outcome", but I really want to believe Serkis jumped later, 'cause if he stays there, he is as good as dead after a long torture.

Either this or his DNA will be used to create the Snoke clones haha

[GerateWohl 4,335]

The last episode contained some scenes that would have needed some really great musical moments. But... musically this was a desaster. 

Still good episode. There even appeared some aliens.

[DarthDementous 1,059]

Another excellent episode, and yeah wow, that whole sequence with Luthen was chilling. What he said is very much open to interpretation but I feel like it's giving a bit more fuel to the fire that he's an ex-Jedi.

 

Quote

Calm. Kindness. Kinship. Love. I've given up all chance at inner peace. I've made my mind a sunless space. I share my dreams with ghosts. I wake up every day to an equation I wrote 15 years ago from which there's only one conclusion, I'm damned for what I do. My anger, my ego, my unwillingness to yield, my eagerness to fight, they've set me on a path from which there is no escape. I yearned to be a savior against injustice without contemplating the cost and by the time I looked down there was no longer any ground beneath my feet. What is my sacrifice? I'm condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else's future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I'll never see. And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude. So what do I sacrifice? Everything!

'I've given up all chance at inner peace', 'I yearned to be a savior against injustice' that's kind of the Jedi's whole shtick. 'I share my dreams with ghosts' could be referring to the scores of Jedi that were killed in the purge. 'I wake up every day to an equation I wrote 15 years ago from which there's only one conclusion', 15 years ago is pretty much exactly when Order 66 happened.

Of course all this could just refer to the rise of the Empire full-stop since that's also when that event occurred, with the ghosts just being scores of dead Rebels instead, but I also feel like the only people who knew exactly what was going on were the Jedi and the rest of the public beyond a select few didn't really grasp the magnitude of what was happening until later

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Good stuff.

[Positivatee 327]

I'm not sure that an ex-Jedi would stay on Coruscant and maintain a public image with his own face. Even with the wig and personality changes, the risk of some ex-Republic officer remembering him, or Inquisitor sensing him, is too great. 

 

Maybe he got a face change can suppress his Jedi powers?  I dunno, I would like to see this show ignore the Jedi and other mystic arts, in favor of the purely human story. 

 

On the other hand, if Luthen were simply an ex-Republic officer who defected to the Rebels, it would make him even harder to hide in the open. 

 

Unless the best place to hide IS in the open, in the early years of the Rebellion. 

[Steffromuk 385]

Please, let there be no Jedi or light saber in this show. This is one of the main reasons I'm enjoying it.

[Datameister 2,037]

This show has really taken me by surprise. Never would have expected to be so enthralled based on the title—I had no particular desire to learn more about Cassian's story. Glad I still gave it a chance.

 

I think this and Mando S1 are my favorite onscreen stories to come out of Disney Star Wars. Mando was like we were getting back to the heart of what I loved about the Star Wars universe, and Andor is like we're truly adding some new things to love in the Star Wars universe.

 

We were particularly gutted by Kino's "can't swim" reveal. Adds so much to his reluctance leading up to the breakout—and it adds even more to his eventual participation.

[Positivatee 327]

When Cassian was brought to this facility, didn't we see one or two more prison facilities in the distance, a few km away from this one? 

 

Just wondering why, when the dam was shut down, wasn't a local squad of troopers or TIEs sent to investigate. Yet everyone important has plot armor to make it to shore. 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

8 minutes ago, Positivatee said:

Just wondering why, when the dam was shut down, wasn't a local squad of troopers or TIEs sent to investigate. Yet everyone important has plot armor to make it to shore. 

 

There's so many ways to explain this away, as with any plot contrivance.  They've sort of already set up that with the new bill that's tightening security across the Empire, the Imperial resources are stretched thin (like how there weren't enough guards in the prison).

[mstrox 6,647]

I’d love for Andor to be the first piece of Star Wars storytelling that is completely Force-free.  At the same time, I have loved every bit of Andor, so I’m happy to go on whatever journey Gilroy et. al. take us on.

[Bespin 8,479]

Force-free? 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

10 minutes ago, mstrox said:

I’d love for Andor to be the first piece of Star Wars storytelling that is completely Force-free.  At the same time, I have loved every bit of Andor, so I’m happy to go on whatever journey Gilroy et. al. take us on.

 

What if it was something closer to Chirrut in Rogue One?  A character or group that has great faith in the Force but are not technically Force wielders themselves?

[Jay 37,287]

I haven't seen this show yet but plan to check it out this weekend

 

I think I'll watch each "block" as mini-movies

[mstrox 6,647]

 

2 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

 

What if it was something closer to Chirrut in Rogue One?  A character or group that has great faith in the Force but are not technically Force wielders themselves?

That’d be fine by my metric!  In fact, Rogue One was alllmost Force-free except for the Vader slaughter at the end

[Faleel 5,339]

It would be impossible for anything to be Force-free considering what the Force is.

[Gabriel Bezerra 300]

10 minutes ago, Jay said:

I think I'll watch each "block" as mini-movies

It's the definitive way to (re)watch it in my opinion. Though I'm enjoying having 7 days to digest each episode, I wait 'till all three are released and rewatch them together, works wonders. Episode 7 is the odd one out, it works with 4-6 and 8-10...

[Jay 37,287]

Just now, Gabriel Bezerra said:

Episode 7 is the odd one out, it works with 4-6 and 8-10...

 

 

On 31/10/2022 at 11:39 AM, Jay said:

Arc 1 - episodes 1-3 - written by Tony Gilroy, directed by Toby Haynes

Arc 2 - episodes 4-6 - written by Dan Gilroy, directed by Susanna White

Arc 3 - episode 7 - written by Stephen Schiff, directed by Benjamin Caron

Arc 4 - episodes 8-10 - written by Beau Willimon, directed by Tony Haynes

Arc 5 - episode2 11-12 - written by Tony Gilroy, directed by Benjamin Caron

 

[DarthDementous 1,059]

6 hours ago, Positivatee said:

When Cassian was brought to this facility, didn't we see one or two more prison facilities in the distance, a few km away from this one? 

 

Just wondering why, when the dam was shut down, wasn't a local squad of troopers or TIEs sent to investigate. Yet everyone important has plot armor to make it to shore. 

I imagine the TIEs were en route hence why speed was of the essence. At the end of the episode we see searchlights and that not everyone did make it to shore, only Andor and Melshi confirmed

 

I think by the time main power was shut down communication would’ve been quite difficult as well, especially with most of the guards hiding. They could only move around freely once all the prisoners had jumped 

[mstrox 6,647]

Well, once most of the prisoners had jumped

[Gabriel Bezerra 300]

Did a little scene rescore with Your Father Would be Proud

Spoiler

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AhK3Gqngl-usg41E50-fXuq0DGCj-A?e=YP6VwO

I know it's probaly trading 6 to half a dozen for some people here, but I thought it worked.

 

 

 

[Steffromuk 385]

Thanks for demonstrating (at least to me) that they made the right choice going for Nicholas Britell or under mixing the music.
Not that this theme is bad, but this is everything I can't stand anymore in these Disney productions. When they over score and try to tell the audience what they should feel.

I'm glad they realized they had no need to over dramatize the situation and left the action and acting carry that emotion. It's much more impactful that way if you ask me.
 

[greenturnedblue 372]

I dont mind when the music conveys a specific emotion, as opposed to IX when D-0 literally would tell the audience how to feel

[Tallguy 3,370]

I'm not sure who got to have a better performance, Kino or Luthen.

 

As a Star Wars fan when Luthen said "fifteen years" I got chills. To try and imagine that reality in a way that we've never seen before.

 

I haven't seen anyone writing about Mothma. OMG. Her whole family situation that seemed so needlessly dreary and punishing. And it all pays off!

 

I don't assume much with this show anymore, but I'm hoping that Bail Organa will be in season 2. They've done "Star Wars free Star Wars" for this season and shown it can be done and is amazing. But I don't see how you get to Rogue One and Star Wars with Mothma and without Organa.

 

It will be interesting to see if next season sets up the "Alliance" that we see in Rogue One.

 

I said earlier in the thread that I didn't think that I would watch this twice. I absolutely will be watching this again.

[Gabriel Bezerra 300]

54 minutes ago, Tallguy said:

I don't assume much with this show anymore, but I'm hoping that Bail Organa will be in season 2. They've done "Star Wars free Star Wars" for this season and shown it can be done and is amazing. But I don't see how you get to Rogue One and Star Wars with Mothma and without Organa.

 

It will be interesting to see if next season sets up the "Alliance" that we see in Rogue One.

 

I said earlier in the thread that I didn't think that I would watch this twice. I absolutely will be watching this again.

Not only he but also the Rebels crew, as Mothma's call to action was in their ship, and Ahsoka was Fulcrum before Andor. It's already confirmed Season 2 will go to Yavin 4, so it will be quite impossible not to bump into some other canon stories and characters, mentioning a few things at least. Though at this point, I don't doubt they find a way to do it.

[Stark 310]

Everything about this show is executed perfectly. It’s a joy to sit back and watch such a concentration of quality. I knew Tony Gilroy would make something special but I had no idea he would create some of his best work!

[Tallguy 3,370]

On 05/07/2022 at 7:15 PM, Tallguy said:

Of all the upcoming Star Wars titles this is the one I'm most excited about.

 

Not to brag... I'm just so happy that it seems to have paid off!

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I have been fully vindicated as well!  For the first few pages of this thread I'm basically the only one who was optimistic about this!

 

On 02/01/2020 at 6:37 PM, Disco Stu said:

I’m still predicting this turns out good.

 

[Manakin Skywalker 4,891]

22 hours ago, Steffromuk said:

When they over score and try to tell the audience what they should feel.

 

You literally just defined what film music is at its core. To be even more specific, what Star Wars music is at its core. What it was always meant to be at its core.

 

Why even bother having music at all then?

[Tallguy 3,370]

8 minutes ago, Manakin Skywalker said:

 

You literally just defined what film music is at its core. To be even more specific, what Star Wars music is at its core. What it was always meant to be at its core.

 

Why even bother having music at all then?

 

Well this latest episode in particular, the music is doing gangbusters. It's not classic Star Wars but it's definitely getting the job done. I'm looking forward to the scores of these final episodes.

[Andy 4,083]

I still don't love this.  I respect it.  There are things I admire in it.  But I'm really not wired for this sort of entertainment.  Please don't hate me.  It feels weird to be in the Star Wars minority, but here I am.

[Steffromuk 385]

39 minutes ago, Manakin Skywalker said:

 

You literally just defined what film music is at its core. To be even more specific, what Star Wars music is at its core. What it was always meant to be at its core.

 

Why even bother having music at all then?

Let's be clear, I'm also a fan of that type of epic and over dramatic music (JW is up there in my top 3, right next to Jerry goldsmith).

What I meant is some scenes and actions are sometimes directed and edited in a way that doesn't require  the score to add another layer of intensity. It would result in a lack of subtlety. I would compare this with someone overacting. it defeats the purpose.

And this show definitely works better with a subdued score in my opinion.

[Manakin Skywalker 4,891]

21 hours ago, Steffromuk said:

What I meant is some scenes and actions are sometimes directed and edited in a way that doesn't require  the score to add another layer of intensity. It would result in a lack of subtlety. I would compare this with someone overacting. it defeats the purpose.

 

That makes more sense.

[mstrox 6,647]

14 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

I have been fully vindicated as well!  For the first few pages of this thread I'm basically the only one who was optimistic about this!

 

 

[1977 1,743]

12 hours ago, Steffromuk said:

What I meant is some scenes and actions are sometimes directed and edited in a way that doesn't require the score to add another layer of intensity. It would result in a lack of subtlety.

 

Isn't that what spotting is for? To decide which scenes need or can benefit from music and which don't?

[Tallguy 3,370]

2 hours ago, JTWfan77 said:

 

Isn't that what spotting is for? To decide which scenes need or can benefit from music and which don't?

 

But also what KIND of music.

[Jay 37,287]

Andor 1x01 Kassa

Andor 1x02 That Would Be Me

Andor 1x03 Reckoning

 

Welp, Disney was definitely smart to release these first 3 episodes all at once!  I pressed start having no clue how long any of them were or anything, and was kind of surprised when credits started rolling at the end of the first one because hardly anything had really happened yet!  Its such a convention of TV to have some kind of big exciting incident in the first episode to get you hooked, and this show couldn't be bothered with that!  Instead, its these 3 episodes, as a whole, that really serve the function of the typical pilot episode (not much happens in episode 2 either).

It would have been a real struggle if I was looking forward to this show and had to wait a week in between each of these initial episodes; watching them all in quick succession made it feel more like a extended-length pilot, which is probably how anybody should view it (and probably why Disney chose to release these 3 all at once).  There's only 100 minutes of content here, could easily be considered a double-length premiere episode...

 

I came to like all the characters introduced throughout this arc; Fiona Shaw is always good, and she really fit right into the Star Wars world perfectly.  Andor's mechanic friend was hot and I hope we see more of her again; it was tragic she had to lose her boyfriend like she did.  I really liked the Imperial guys on Andor's trail - not only the young fresh-faced one trying to move up in rank, but the older guy who was trying to help him out and rally the troops for him.  Shows are always more compelling to watch when the bad guys are well-acted and well-written too.

 

Andor's robot was pretty cool too (I keep being impressed with how they find ways to make robots fresh and interesting across all these new entries in the franchise).  Stellan Skarsgård seems like an interesting character too - I liked that he held his own in the action sequence, and I look forward to learning more about him.  In general the third episode's action / escape sequence was pretty well done - I liked when they tied the shuttle to something heavy and it crashed into the tower, all the crashing gears and cogs and whatever in the warehouse, and the way Andor and Stellan escaped using the decoy speeder.

 

The flashbacks to Andor's childhood were interesting too, looking forward to seeing where those go as well

[Disco Stu 15,495]

This is so weird.

 

Disney is going to air Andor's first two episodes (but not the third) on all of its "live TV" channels in America next week.  That's ABC, FX, and Freeform (the channel formerly known as ABC Family).  As Jay references above, the first two episodes aren't really that much of a tease on their own, you really need that exciting third episode climax of the initial arc to pull you into the series IMO.

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/andor-disney-star-wars-abc-hulu-fx-release-1235261390/

[mstrox 6,647]

Yeah, they’re at the mercy of the airtime, but as a result they’re not really doing themselves any favors in hooking people to this show, IMO.  Disney’s in a unique situation to do something like this - owning so many networks and streaming services.  Wonder if it will pay off.

[Tallguy 3,370]

I'm sure they're scrambling. They know they have something amazing but they're at a loss as to how to get people to watch it.

[Jay 37,287]

Andor 1x04 Aldhani

Andor 1x05 The Axe Forgets

Andor 1x06 The Eye

 

Wow!  Is this show a secret master class in world building and character development?  I was so impressed with the way they handled both throughout this stretch of episodes!

 

Stellan Skarsgård as Luthen is so good!  I loved the little moment where he's still on his ship and puts his wig on in front of the mirror, and practices his happy / smiley persona before heading into his store - that was sooo good.  So many writers would not think to include a scene like this, just jump from him being grumpy with Andor to all smiles in the store.  I thought it was really interesting that he isn't directly involved in the main plot of this arc (the money heist) outside of sending Andor to help out, but we still followed him and saw his interaction with Mon Monthma, which was really interesting.  Even if you aren't up on Star Wars media, you get right away that she's a rebel once his associate distracts her driver and she heads into the back.  And I loved the moment at the end of the arc, where he goes into the backroom again to celebrate by himself.  Skarsgård is awesome in this!

 

I also really liked following Mon Mothma home and seeing her interesting homelife.  I guess her husband isn't in on the rebellion which must make things so much more difficult.  It seems like these scenes could have easily been boring, but I was interested the whole time.  Likewise that they stuck with Karn and showed him going home in disgrace, and his really wacky relationship with his mother.  You learn so much about why he is the way he is in these scenes, and I'm really curious how he's going to be brought back into the fold now.

I suspect it will be through the other new Imperial character, the blonde security division one who wants to get to the bottom of what happened in the first 3 episodes.  It seemed like her and her buddy jumped to a bit of a conclusion that there's a bunch of coordinated rebel strikes happening, but I guess we had to get some bad guys to figuring that out somehow.  I'm really curious what she's going to do now that a heist has happened, if she'll be allowed to pursue it.

 

Speaking of the heist, I thought all of it was so good!  The two episodes of setup on the planet with Andor having various interactions with the squad pulling it off.  I thought all their characters were developed really well.  I wasn't surprised that Skeen ended up betraying them after it was done, and was actually surprised by the quickness with which Andor murdered him!  It was too bad that Nemik guy had to die, but I am curious to see what happens with his manifesto thingy.

The heist was just so well done!  A really terrific long action sequence.  The tension mounting and mounting on the ground as the team was split and each had to do different things, not knowing what exactly was up with the villagers after one guy got mis-translated, the excitement as they got inside and were pulling off the heist... and then following TIE pilots heading to their TIE Fighters as they were finishing up, leading into an in-atmosphere TIE chase!  And it was so cool it happened in that cool meteor shower thingy.

 

This show stared out slow as can be but boy, is it hella good now!  Wow!

[mstrox 6,647]

Just wait for the next arc!

[Jay 37,287]

Man I just scrolled back and read what ya'll thought of the first 6 episodes, and barely anyone talked about episode 6 at all!  That episode was so hella good!

 

I think that was one of the best heists I've seen depicted on TV or in a movie in quite some time

[Dr. Rick 1,155]

The heist was good, but the next three episodes are even better!

 

"ON PROGRAM!"

[Jay 37,287]

You mean episodes 8-10?

I'm only watching episode 7 tonight

[Dr. Rick 1,155]

yeah