Andor

'Andor,' the new Disney+ 'Star Wars' series and a prequel to the film 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,' stars Diego Luna as rebel spy Cassian Andor.

[Rogue One: A Star Wars Story](https://www.vulture.com/2016/12/movie-review-rogue-one.html) (the film that introduced Cassian and of which Andor is a prequel), frames it in a variety of ways. In Luna’s accomplished hands, he’s pricklier and more nuanced than that, and Andor gives the character space to expand who he can be while peering into his past, sketching out his present, and laying down a path for how he becomes the cunning spy of Rogue One. In centering that element of the Empire and those motivated to work for and against it, Andor opens a wealth of narrative possibilities for the world imagined in Rogue One and delivers them with intentional world-building, compelling character relationships, and gorgeous cinematography that proves that Those who have seen Rogue One know how part of this story ends, and Andor doesn’t rely on us forgetting that; it acknowledges Cassian’s fate with a line so blatant that it can’t even qualify as an Easter egg. But Andor is better for that bluntness — and for the unapologetic way it rejects the nostalgic ennui that has for so long defined this franchise. Andor drags attention back to a simple but effective notion of power in all of its forms (occupation and colonialism, the illusion of democracy and the capitulation to private industry), then weaves a web of characters who inject shades of gray into these binaries. The verdant jungle planet of Kenari, flashbacks to which show Cassian’s Monos-like childhood, is oppositional to the Empire’s sterile Imperial Security Bureau headquarters, which is all gleaming glass and shades of white. Where’s the singularity when The Mandalorian betrays its own individual potential by bringing in a [CGI Luke](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-mandalorian-season-2-finale-star-wars-skywalker-saga.html)? Where’s the heft when Boba Fett’s power struggle with a criminal gang [feels so weightless](https://www.vulture.com/article/book-of-boba-fett-mandalorian-overlap.html)? [Obi-Wan Kenobi](https://www.vulture.com/tv/obi-wan-kenobi/), [The Book of Boba Fett](https://www.vulture.com/tv/the-book-of-boba-fett/)) and, like the film series that inspired them, an over-reliance on the Skywalker name ( [The Mandalorian](https://www.vulture.com/tv/the-mandalorian/)). Star Wars hasn’t felt dangerous in a long time, but when Andor focuses on that face and all that it suggests? He slips into that expression more than once in the first four episodes of Andor, and series creator and showrunner Tony Gilroy, who co-wrote

Lucasfilm/TV-14/12 episodes · Created by Tony Gilroy · Starring Diego Luna, Genevieve O'Reilly, Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller and ...

It is perhaps the platonic ideal of a Disney+ Star Wars television show, even if much of it (thus far) repeats previously dictated material. If you watch a new Star Wars show because it’s a Star Wars show, there’s much to appreciate about Andor, even as it takes four episodes to tell two episodes of storytelling. There is a skewed irony in that Andor is probably the best Disney+ Star Wars show thus far while also feeling like the least essential and least must-watch among those for whom the mere idea of new Star Wars content isn’t an automatic selling point. This is all not entirely fair to the show, which was a case of Tony Gilroy using the protective shield of an IP to craft something within his wheelhouse. This presumably positions him as a man on the run and contrasts this earlier incarnation with the guy we meet That said, those first three episodes are padded and redundant, to the point where (like the Rings of Power) one could skip straight to the second episode without missing much plot and character context.

The franchise's latest series on Disney+ sticks to the story but flushes a lot of the usual trappings out the airlock.

“Andor” has a small, decrepit, R2-D2-like figure named B2EMO, voiced by Dave Chapman and sort of a cross between a toolbox and a shop vac. It’s typical of “Star Wars” projects that the best performances tend to be given by robots. The defining feature of “Andor” is how it takes a “Star Wars” story and, without getting conceptual, transposes it in visual and tonal terms. That’s the primary narrative thrust of the early season, as a covert rebel leader played by Stellan Skarsgard tracks down Cassian and enlists him in a dangerous mission against the corporation that ravaged his home planet. The scene in which Skarsgard’s character recruits Cassian while they’re pursued by corporate goons takes up much of the fourth episode, and it’s an exciting, well-executed action set piece. Fiona Shaw stands out in a supporting role as Cassian’s rough-and-tumble mentor, and Adria Arjona is fun to watch as his sparring partner and probable love interest. Giving him a back story in “Andor” is embroidering on an embroidery. There’s no reason that such a character couldn’t be turned into something more interesting for the series, but through the early going, “Andor” doesn’t pull it off. Cassian’s antisocial tendencies, and his resourcefulness, are given a foundation in a childhood on a planet whose Indigenous people are exploited by an Empire-sanctioned mining company. (Advancing the narrative is still the province of films.) In this case it’s an even smaller piece than usual. When he joins her in a haze of self-sacrificial glory, his epiphany feels completely unearned. Following the general pattern of serialized franchise extensions, “Andor” goes back in time, fleshing out and coloring in a small, retrospective piece of the overall story.

It takes a while to build up steam, but Andor eventually gives an insight into the everyday reality of life in the Star Wars galaxy, writes Stephen Kelly.

However, it is the fourth episode where Andor starts to live up to the promise made by its arresting trailers and marketing (it is presumably why Disney gave critics four episodes instead of the first three). Similarly, it is a tricky task to judge a 12-part series like Andor based on a quartet of uneven episodes. It is, by far, the best Star Wars has looked on TV, albeit with the caveat that it is still no match for the lavishness of a Star Wars movie. It is here that we get to the meat of Andor: political intrigue, spycraft and daring Rebel missions. It is a series that starts well, meanders into tedium, gradually improves, and then finishes with an episode that suggests an immense amount of promise. It is perhaps a creative choice, an attempt to give the world a sense of richness and lived-in authenticity, but it mostly ends up making its first couple of episodes feel narratively confused and alienating. Along the way we're introduced to various companions and acquaintances, including his unremarkable scrap dealer friend Bix (Adria Arjona), who is trying to arrange a deal with a buyer, and his mentor Maarva, played by the indomitable Fiona Shaw. It's an intriguing idea, although based on the four episodes made available to critics, Andor is a curiously uneven work: meandering and ponderous in its plotting, striking in its production design and on-location shooting, and ultimately as underwhelming as it is promising. Whereas Obi-Wan Kenobi was plagued by a look that felt too lifeless and limited for the cinematic story it was trying to tell, the practical sets of Andor (if reports are to be believed, the set of Ferrix was essentially a fully functioning town) ground the story in the dirt and grime of the galaxy. It is an opening that announces Andor as something a bit grittier, a bit grimmer and more mature than other Star Wars TV projects. [Rogue One](https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20161213-film-review-rogue-one-is-star-wars-for-good-and-bad), a prequel itself, opens with a sequence that is dark and stylish. Creator Tony Gilroy – best known for his work in adapting the Bourne Trilogy, and for overseeing vital, film-saving reshoots on Rogue One – has said that he wanted Andor to be about "real people", rather than Skywalker royalty.

Diego Luna returns to the role of Cassian Andor for the latest Star Wars Disney Plus series.

[Diego Luna](https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/15002145.this-is-what-made-star-wars-actor-diego-luna-get-emotional-on-twitter/) as Cassian Andor [Disney Plus: Films and TV shows coming to platform in September and October](https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/21163384.disney-plus-films-tv-shows-coming-platform-september-october/) [Disney's](https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/21163384.disney-plus-films-tv-shows-coming-platform-september-october/) latest Star Wars series Andor will be dropping on [Disney Plus](https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/21163384.disney-plus-films-tv-shows-coming-platform-september-october/) on Wednesday (September 21) with [Diego Luna](https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/15002145.this-is-what-made-star-wars-actor-diego-luna-get-emotional-on-twitter/) returning to play the titular character. [Disney Plus](https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/21163384.disney-plus-films-tv-shows-coming-platform-september-october/) in the UK at 8am on Wednesday, September 21. Alex Ferns as Sgt. [Luna](https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/15002145.this-is-what-made-star-wars-actor-diego-luna-get-emotional-on-twitter/)) came to be heavily involved in the Rebellion against the Empire.

Diego Luna returns as Cassian Andor in the highly anticipated Rogue One spin-off series Andor, and here's how you can watch the new show.

The film's world-building made for a unique contribution to the Star Wars universe of the ragtag team of revolutionaries who rebelled against the Empire right down to the impactful end that leads to Star Wars: A New Hope. Overall, Star Wars Rebels is definitely worth watching for another impressive cast of characters who come together to fight against the Empire. Even Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) made an appearance in this series given the wide period of time that the rebellion takes place. With the mutual goal of acquiring the Death Star's schematics to stop it, Cassian teams up with Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), the rescued daughter of Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), a research scientist who was forced to complete the Death Star. The series' classic elements of course align with the integration of Luke and Leia Skywalker as children and the anticipated return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker. With the Star Wars universe evolving and growing larger with its interconnected stories, there are some vital films and shows that can better prepare the audience in the lead-up to watching Andor. [Andor](https://collider.com/star-wars-andor-trailer-release-date-cast-plot-everything-we-know/) will take the Star Wars audience back to another corner of the galaxy far, far away that isn't directly focused on the Skywalkers or The Mandalorian. The overarching plot is shown with Luthen being the instigator of forming a possible team of rebels after interacting with Cassian and Whitaker's Saw Gerrera. The full episode release schedule is as follows: The teaser trailer was first released on May 26, 2022, and the initial release date of August 31 was revealed. The series will then follow the usual weekly release pattern of a new episode streaming every Wednesday, at 12 AM Pacific Time. Described as a spy thriller series, Andor is set five years before the events of Rogue One where the beginnings of the Rebel Alliance were only forming.

Star Wars fans are excited to see Diego Luna return as Cassian Andor in a new Disney Plus series, and we now know exactly when the episodes are released.

[subscribe now](http://radiotimes.com/magazine-subscription?utm_term=evergreen-article) and get the next 12 issues for only £1. [sign up to Disney Plus now for £79.90 for a year or £7.99 a month](https://disneyplus.bn5x.net/c/1236178/564546/9358?subId1=radiotimes-607408&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fen-gb). - Andor episode 10 - Wednesday 9th November 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 9 - Wednesday 2nd November 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 8 - Wednesday 26th October 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 7 - Wednesday 19th October 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 6 - Wednesday 12th October 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 5 - Wednesday 5th October 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 4 - Wednesday 28th September 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 3 - Wednesday 21st September 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 2 - Wednesday 21st September 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 1 - Wednesday 21st September 2022 at 8am BST

How to watch and stream Star Wars Andor full episodes on Disney+, plus trailer, cast, release date and episode information.

[six months of Disney+ free](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=127X991730&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.o2.co.uk%2Fextras%2Fdisney-plus&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitalspy.com%2Ftv%2Fustv%2Fa41227002%2Fwatch-andor-star-wars-disney-plus%2F) for upgrading and new customers. Andor is available on Disney+ and has 12 episodes in total, with the first three becoming available on Wednesday, September 21. [Ahsoka](https://www.digitalspy.com/ahsoka/), [Skeleton Crew](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a40119483/jude-law-star-wars-skeleton-crew/), [The Acolyte](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a41101630/star-wars-acolyte-jodie-turner-smith/), [Lando](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a34959715/lando-release-date-disney-plus/) and [The Mandalorian](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a34939443/the-mandalorian-season-3-release-date-disney-plus/) season 3, which is set for release in February 2023. [Stellan Skarsgård](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a38375214/avengers-stellan-skarsgard-defends-superhero-movies/) as Luthen Rael, [Adria Arjona](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a36220670/morbius-adria-arjona-father-of-the-bride-remake/) as Bix Caleen, [Denise Gough](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a40687872/watch-under-the-banner-of-heaven-andrew-garfield-series-disney-plus/) as Dendra Merro, [Fiona Shaw](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a39296734/killing-eve-season-4-filming-accident-fiona-shaw/) as Maarva, and [Forest Whitaker](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a34300732/forest-whitaker-godfather-of-harlem-uk-air-date/) reprises his role as Saw Gerrera who was also in Rogue One and the animated series Rebels. [Andor's Diego Luna promises "familiar faces" in Disney+ Star Wars spinoff show](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a37766236/star-wars-andor-diego-luna-characters-spinoff/) [Diego Luna](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a40643458/star-wars-andor-diego-luna-explains-return/) reprises the title role of Cassian Andor, who we first saw in Rogue One, [Genevieve O'Reilly](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a41072463/star-wars-andor-develops-mon-mothma/) also returns to the franchise as Mon Mothma, who also appeared in Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One. [Disney+](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=127X991730&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fen-gb%2Fwelcome%2F&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitalspy.com%2Ftv%2Fustv%2Fa41227002%2Fwatch-andor-star-wars-disney-plus%2F) with new episodes releasing weekly. [The Mandalorian](https://www.digitalspy.com/mandalorian/), [The Book of Boba Fett](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a39010776/book-of-boba-fett-season-2-release-date-disney-plus/) and [Obi-Wan Kenobi](https://www.digitalspy.com/obi-wan-kenobi/), Andor focuses on Cassian Andor, a thief who becomes a rebel spy and sets off on a path of becoming a revolutionary and rebel hero. [Andor](https://www.digitalspy.com/andor/) is the latest live-action TV series in the [Star Wars](https://www.digitalspy.com/star-wars/) galaxy, and it's available now exclusively on Disney+. [Disney+](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=127X991730&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fen-gb%2Fwelcome%2F&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitalspy.com%2Ftv%2Fustv%2Fa41227002%2Fwatch-andor-star-wars-disney-plus%2F) subscriber you can sign up to the streaming service for £7.99 a month, or £79.90 for a full year, which works out at getting 12 months for the price of 10. Set five years before the events of the 2016 Star Wars film Rogue One, Andor will show how the Rebel Alliance was formed and how people and planets became involved in the fight against the Galactic Empire.

The first scene of Andor presents something of a mission statement: Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), the titular soon-to-be freedom fighter, enters a brothel on ...

A lot of the first two episodes is Cassian going from person to person and having his character traits explained to him (and us) without ever really giving us a taste of the roguish mischief beneath his quiet stoicism. I’ll be curious to see if they fill that in and if there was anything big I missed once the episodes officially drop. We’re definitely in a Scottish quadrant of the galaxy, here, with Karn’s second-in-command and Timm, that dumbass, both sporting Celtic brogues. What I’m saying is, I breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Stellan. Interspersed with the adventures of Grownup Cassian, we also get some brief flashbacks to his early childhood on Kaneri. Disney+ was wise to release the first three instalments of Andor all together, because it takes its time to introduce and complete a couple of mini-arcs that make, eventually, for a very good cliffhanger—but also quite the slog getting there. Luna is indispensable as the lead, but the character so far still remains undefined and not in a “rough around the edges” kind of way. And for all its significant, predictable flaws, there’s still plenty of time for it to stamp its mark on the franchise. There’s definitely tension between Cassian and his adoptive mother in the present timeline, but, sister search aside, Cassian doesn’t wield his wound from being taken from Kenari at Maarva, who knows she failed that little boy all those years ago, no matter how unintentional. First is the corporate security’s pursuit of Cassian, led by Bad Cop Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), who peppers in enough camp and silliness amidst his malice to make for a great mid-tier villain. Mark the day, people: We got a cold-blooded murder in Star Wars and, far more astoundingly, a single shot from a blaster that hit its target. [Andor](https://www.avclub.com/tv/reviews/andor-2022) presents something of a mission statement: Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), the titular soon-to-be freedom fighter, enters a brothel on Morlana One, a rainy planet overseen by a corporate security force, and is immediately harassed by Cockney-speaking cops.

Andor, which has been released on Disney+, stars Diego Luna in the lead role, alongside Star Wars legend Genevieve O'Reilly, Hollywood actor Stellan ...

It was a genuine gift of a role." Soller said: "Our characters weren't really relying on green screen... I think it can keep expanding because we have many stories to tell." "We are here to tell you this story that you can watch from beginning to end. "And I shouldn't have to be a big thing, but it is a big thing, there's not many throughout the Star Wars universe, so I feel really privileged to be doing that." "We can be big and adventure, we can have very big scope of science-fiction that you expect from Star Wars with action and battles - but then go very intimate and spend quite a long time in the house of a character finding out how he experiences everyday life, and then go into a very dark tone and be very political and spy-ish and go back to the action."

It's all laser guns and hoverbikes in this gritty, kinetic spy thriller which gives us the backstory to one of Rogue One's heroes.

Such theorising can’t sustain a Star Wars show on its own, which is why it’s such a relief when Andor whips out the laser guns and hoverbikes in episode three. But the underling is Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), who sees the case as his chance to ascend to the rank he believes he deserves. Andor’s earthy wisdom extends to more general observations, too, such as the explicit identification of rampant commercialism as a key component of the malign force that is about to reach tipping point. [Obi-Wan Kenobi](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/series/obi-wan-kenobi--episode-by-episode), has been replaced with something gnarlier. As Andor begins, it’s five years earlier and Cassian – still played by Luna – is merely a thief who likes to liberate Galactic Empire spaceship parts. When word of mouth spreads about a new streaming show, viewers tend to tell each other not how many episodes are in the season, but how many you have to watch before the thing gets good.

Andor is live on Disney Plus today with the first three episodes available to watch, and this being the fourth live action Disney Plus series as more and ...

Given that Rogue One was my favorite of the new Star Wars blockbusters, I’m certainly looking forward to checking this out later today. We already know a whole bunch of series that are coming, but Andor’s success, or I suppose theoretical failure, could alter their plans. I know many will look for audience scores, but it’s so early (only 36 total people have scored it on Rotten Tomatoes) that I’m going to wait and see what that number settles at over time. So, as you can see I’m including the animated series in there, and those have been generally well-received. Here’s how it stacks up compared to the other Disney Plus series we’ve seen out of the Star Wars universe so far: - The Mandalorian Season 1 – 93%

The first three episodes of Andor were dropped all at the same time on Disney+ and you can see why. These first three stories are only “episodes” from a ...

This is also true, to varying degrees, of [The Book of Boba Fett](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/star-wars-the-book-of-boba-fett-ending-cad-bane-spoilers/) and [Obi-Wan Kenobi](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars-obi-wan-kenobi-makes-a-new-hope-better/), both which are chock-full of fan service in a way that Andor isn’t. And in a world where people are named “Skywalker” and “Darth Maul,” having a story this grounded is a huge risk. The slow-burn of Andor’s first three episodes rewards the audience with a thrilling escape sequence, which is under-cut with the final flashback. The vast majority of characters in Star Wars are archetypes, which in a sense, makes them the opposite of what literary characters are in novels. He’s a frightening character obsessed with what he perceives to be his higher calling, when really, in the grand scheme of Star Wars, he’s basically the Empire’s version of a gas station shift leader. In the first three episodes of Andor, Luna plays the titular character with a variety of shades. But by the time Cassian and Luthen are riding a speeder bike and blasting their way to safety, you hardly care. [Rogue One: A Star Wars Story](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/how-diversity-makes-rogue-one-a-better-star-wars-movie/) back in 2016, the feeling of seeing him on screen again in 2022 in [Star Wars: Andor](https://www.denofgeek.com/andor/) can’t be described as nostalgia. Even though its setting is spun-out from complex Star Wars lore, Andor feels like the most anti-nostalgia Star Wars project ever made, and as a result, the most refreshing story from this galaxy in years. Cassian isn’t thrust into a bigger story because the story forces him to, instead, his character is the story. One of them is accidentally killed in the fight, and in order to cover his tracks, Cassian executes the other guy. The present-tense day is primarily confined to two planets: Ferrix and Morlana One, both part of a “corporate sector” of the galaxy guarded by a private security force called Preox-Morlana.

Andor 12+. Streaming On: Watch Andor on Disney+. Season: 1. Actors: Diego Luna, Fiona Shaw, Stellan Skarsgard, Denise ...

Still, 'Andor' has a lot going for it and feels much more grounded and gritty than anything in the television output from 'Star Wars' in quite some time. Much of the action we saw in the first four episodes was grungy and grimy. Going out with three episodes in the first week is a good sign that both Gilroy and Disney know that it'll take time for the story to ramp up and better to get ahead of accusations of wheel-spinning now rather than wait for people to switch off. Indeed, 'Andor' already strikes as one of those shows that could probably benefit from an all-at-once release rather than week-to-week, as the complex cast of characters and ideas may very well lose some people as time wears on. Karn gets it into his head that the death of these two off-duty cops is the fomenting of rebellion and, sure enough, rounds up a posse of equally hapless dipshits to run it down. Pissed off and in no mood for any of it, the whole encounter takes a violent turn and Andor is on the run from law enforcement.

New Star Wars series gives back story to Diego Luna's Cassian Andor from 'Rogue One.'

I fall in love with "A New Hope" and "Empire Strikes Back" then have to deal with Ewoks taking down the Empire and the Prequels. I get the fabulous "The Mandalorian" but then have to put up with "The Book of Boba Fett." I hope "Andor" continues to build on its themes about what it takes to make both a rebel fighter and a rebellion, and to give us something meatier than what the Star Wars franchise has mostly been serving up. The series could have started right here and it would have been stronger, and I don't feel anything would have been lost. People often try to convince me to stick with a show because it is a "slow burn" or it is just "taking its time." It is about people on the ground or at the bottom feeling the weight of the Empire pressing down more and more on their daily lives.

The Empire arrives on Ferrix in search of Cassian, forcing him to make a last-minute decision to leave everything behind to follow Luthen.

It is a clear testament to what the franchise can do if it gives the keys to the kingdom to storytellers committed to telling good stories and not just the stories they think audiences want to see. But they don’t have a lot of time to get into why Luthen knows who he is, and with the Corpers surrounding the warehouse, Cassian has to make the quick decision to go with Luthen and join what we know to be the early days of the Rebellion. The way these two moments in his life are paralleled seems to pinpoint two moments that harkened periods of loss of place and self for Cassian. In the haste to get to Cassian, Bix finds herself captured by a handful of power-hungry corpers who knocked her out, chained her up, and killed Timm while he was trying to save her. At neither of these junctures in Cassian’s life did he have a choice—staying would have resulted in his death and, even though he agreed to leave with Luthen, he wasn’t left with much of a choice. Is it the gravity of the situation? But before they are able to escape the warehouse, Cassian and Luthen get caught up in a jaw-dropping battle with the Corpers that sees the entire pulley system in the rafters of the warehouse come crashing down like a horror movie. Strong auditory storytelling like this is an art form that has largely been lost in modern filmmaking, but the way Gilroy employs it in juxtaposition to the near-silence of the first five minutes is spectacular storytelling. When the couple tries to explain to him that the Empire will be arriving on Kenari soon, they realize he doesn’t speak Basic, and—instead of finding some way to get him off the ship—Maarva decides the best course of action is to sedate Kassa and take him with them. Back on Ferrix, the Corpers arrive at Maarva’s door with an arrest warrant for Cassian, who is on the other side of town waiting to meet Luthen in an abandoned warehouse. With their arrival, Bix quickly realizes that someone had to have ratted Cassian out—especially since so few people knew about his childhood—and when Timm says the wrong thing, she realizes it was her own romantic paramour who ratted out the man she clearly cares deeply for. As Kassa discovers his reflection (for perhaps the first time) the story shifts briefly to Ferrix as Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård), before jumping back to the past to usher Maarva (Fiona Shaw) and Clem Andor (Gary Beadle) into Kassa’s life.

The Empire is everywhere, except they're not. Here's how the Preox-Morlana Corporate Zone fits into the Star Wars galaxy. Lucasfilm. Ryan Britt. 1 hour ago.

In the early days of tie-in Star Wars books and comics, it was important that nothing in them directly contradicted the events of the films. In The Empire Strikes Back, Lando even says that his Cloud City mining operation “doesn’t fall into the jurisdiction of the Empire.” The Empire is massive, but it’s not everywhere. [“company town,”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_town) where everything is owned by the same corporate entity. For the Brian Daley books, that was the entire point. Here’s the deal with [Andor’s](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/andor-star-wars-villains-interview) Preox-Morlana Corporate Zone, and how it’s similar to largely forgotten Han Solo comics and novels. Even the Morlana-One brothel is regulated, and Cassian wasn’t supposed to be there because he’s not a Pre-Mor employee. The entire “Corporate Zone” is patrolled by Pre-Mor law enforcement. During its brief rule of the galaxy, [Palpatine](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/star-wars-leak-palpatine-return) ensured every planet was directly under Imperial control — or maybe not? Although the Empire makes the laws these blue-uniformed guys abide by, they are not faux-Stormtroopers. And although the Empire nominally regulates this sector, the Pre-Mor employees are not Imperial officers. The Empire is everywhere, except they’re not.

The new series leans less on lightsaber showdowns and more on the messier interactions between good and evil.

But after so many films and television shows set in the same galaxy far, far away, Andor manages to carve out a new path to understanding that galaxy’s complicated moral stakes. Luna continues to have fantastic screen presence as Cassian, imbuing him with a naivete that is gone by the time Rogue One begins. And the antagonists feel like real-world villains, driven more by ego, workplace politics, and a misguided sense of duty than by a cartoonish pursuit of evil. Still, Andor is not so different from the rest of the franchise that it risks alienating longtime fans. This Star Wars project examines how a person’s needs, fears, and wants can be molded into a taste for revolution—or submission—depending on the (lowercase-f) forces at play. The prequel charts the evolution of Cassian Andor (played by Diego Luna) from an unmoored cynic to the rebel captain viewers met in the 2016 film The violence is grittier, less lightsaber-dependent: The first 10 minutes of the pilot include a character’s accidental death and the cold-blooded murder of another at gunpoint. Unlike the main characters of Disney+’s other Star Wars shows, Cassian is not a stoic loner or an ambitious leader. A show that’s more concerned with portraying life under an oppressive system than with inspiring awe, Andor is an unusually mature entry in the Star Wars franchise. He seemingly [wanted](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THKzwzieF40&ab_channel=PuddingAsgard) to build a sci-fi fairy tale, the kind with dichotomies—good versus evil, right versus wrong, light versus dark—that children could easily grasp. It’s a confident and sophisticated drama that asks for—and rewards—a grown-up kind of patience. The series observes a familiar setting from an unfamiliar ground level: Most characters are trying to save their own skin, not the entire galaxy.

The first episode of 'Andor,' the new Disney+ series that brings back Diego Luna's character from 'Rogue One,' is a different sort of prequel.

The first episode takes place in “BBY 5,” meaning five years before the Battle of Yavin — the Rebel/Empire dust-up that results in the destruction of the Death Star at the end of A New Hope. • Will Andor be the first Star Wars show that winds up feeling too cool to show us weird aliens and stuff? The episode also begins what will presumably be a series of flashbacks to Cassian’s childhood on the planet Kenari, focusing on his relationship with the sister he seems to be searching for early on. There’s plenty of intrigue in this first episode, but the most unexpected, and maybe kind of hilarious, aspect of Gilroy’s grounded/serious take on Star Wars is that it also winds up pretty closely resembling Solo, Rogue One’s sibling Star Wars Story that wasn’t nearly as successful, and basically caused the whole spinoff cottage industry to pivot to TV. Andor also feels like a pivot from the Stagecraft sets, Clone Wars expansion, and pandemic-era minimalism of recent Star Wars TV — a bid to show that the franchise can accommodate more subtlety than Boba Fett riding a rancor. It’s equal parts creative experiment and savvy self-marketing of that experiment: Here are some new corners of the galaxy to explore, on our way to a well-documented destination.

Cassian Andor meets with Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) and must battle Syril Karn's forces to escape Ferrix. Plus, his backstory on Kenari is further ...

You could even argue that this three-episode arc forms its own prequel to the prequel to the prequel, spending a feature-length amount of time on five or ten minutes’ worth of backstory. They wind up leaving the precious box behind, though Cassian does briefly agitate for bringing it along, which will surely be read by Rael as a testament to his grit and determination — also, one assumes, proof that Cassian is the real prize Rael was hoping to score here. But he’s more interested in the how than the what of this device, specifically how Cassian was able to steal it from the Empire. Ferrix may be a comparatively minor planet, but it quietly serves as a test case for the Rebel Alliance following the “how democracy dies” despair of Revenge of the Sith: People can band together and fight off fascist encroachment. But give some credit (maybe even some Republic credits?) to Andor for making Ferrix’s secondhand nature, with its industrial workers and big scraps of metal everywhere, feel evocative in a way that has eluded some other recent additions to the ever-expanding list of Star Wars planets. It’s too much individual rattling for 14 soldiers to silence, an expanded version of the ceremonial bell-tower figure seen in the previous episode.

Before Disney Plus' new show can figure out who or what is Andor, it has to show us the Dark Side through Syril Karn, the best villain in the Star Wars ...

He’s willing to accept that the people of Cassian’s hometown are all “bluff and bluster,” as his corporate goon tells him, because he misses how it’s solidarity in action. [The Mandalorian](https://www.polygon.com/22193147/when-the-mandalorian-season-3-comes-out) had a good enough twist on Star Wars’ good/evil dichotomy, but [the villain wasn’t what came to define the show](https://www.polygon.com/star-wars/2020/12/18/22188476/the-mandalorian-season-2-e8-finale-skywalker-saga) (even when played by [one Giancarlo Esposito](https://www.polygon.com/star-wars/2019/12/27/21038233/the-mandalorian-darksaber-black-lightsaber-bo-katan-moff-gideon)). Though he’s not dumb, one gets the sense that he’s so insulated in his position that even explaining the flaws of the system wouldn’t get through to him. And [The Rise of Skywalker’s take](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2019/12/18/21024586/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review-spoiler-free) is... That light tailoring to his uniform is all he can do to make the powers that be conform to him, rather than the other way around. [The Book of Boba Fett](https://www.polygon.com/22903093/book-of-boba-fett-halo-ringworld-space-station) was a bit of a mess, offering up [neither a complicated antihero](https://www.polygon.com/22902664/book-of-boba-fett-episode-5-mandalorian-star-wars) nor a [particularly compelling antagonist](https://www.polygon.com/star-wars/22929592/book-of-boba-fett-hero-vs-villain) for our beleaguered hero to square off against. But in the first episodes of Andor, it’s clear Syril believes in the work. Instead, the show is the [nitty gritty](https://www.polygon.com/star-wars/23143231/star-wars-andor-trailer-release-date-celebration-disney-plus) of a galaxy far, far away. He takes the utmost pride in his presentation, modifying his uniform to make himself stand out as the shiniest apple in the bunch. It doesn’t take a leap of imagination to guess what feels so prescient about that storyline now, in a time when there’s a lot of change that needs to happen for the world to feel remotely just. [more granular way](https://www.polygon.com/star-wars/23056104/star-wars-moral-ambiguity-gray-characters) into the battles between light and dark. Syril is the sort of bootlicker who asked for extra credit to his extra credit.

Episode 1 of “Andor” opens with Cassian (Diego Luna) arriving on Morlana One to look for her sister at a bar. He irks a couple of sentry guards, who then follow ...

But it becomes evident that the real reason Rael is pushing Cassian to give some insight about himself (and not the Starpath) is because he is interested in him and his skills. As Cassian leaves with Rael on his ship in the present, Kassa ships out of Kenari with Maarva and Clem in the past. Bix apparently heads towards Cassian and Rael to warn them, and Salman goes to the town to alert everyone. Bix meets Rael, and they proceed to the place where the exchange is scheduled to happen. In the present, Cassian learns from B2EMO that two of his friends, Jezzi and Femmi, paid him a visit to deliver supper and Maarva’s (Fiona Shaw) medicine, while he was off on his mission. Although Bix told Cassian that she hadn’t revealed the fact that he was a Kenari to Timm, the look on Timm’s face essentially proves that he knows that the Pre-Mor is hunting for Cassian. If not, he’s going to inform Bee via the comms, and it will deliver the credits to Maarva on his behalf. After telling B2EMO (lovingly known as Bee) to lie about having information on Cassian, he goes to the town to meet Brasso and update him on the alibi. While Cassian takes a look at the NS-9 Starpath, Kassa and his friends approach the fallen ship. As a young kid, Cassian goes by the name Kassa (Antonio Viña) and is shown to be looking at a ship falling from the sky, along with all his villagers. Although Bix doesn’t want to take the risk, Cassian pesters her until she agrees to call her buyer. Under the pretext of bribing them, Cassian draws the guards in and then beats the hell out of them.

Andor, the highly-anticipated Original series, has arrived on Disney+. The spy thriller stars Diego Luna, reprising the role of Rogue One's Cassian Andor.

[Andor](https://www.disneyplus.com/series/star-wars-andor/3xsQKWG00GL5?cid=DTCI-Synergy-StarWars-Site-Acquisition-StarWars-US-DisneyPlus-NA-EN-BlogArticleEmbed-Generic-NA), the highly-anticipated Original series, has arrived on [Disney+](https://www.disneyplus.com/series/star-wars-andor/3xsQKWG00GL5?cid=DTCI-Synergy-StarWars-Blog-Acquisition-PreSales-US-StarWars-DisneyPlus-EN-BlogPost) with a three-episode premiere. It’s a story that has the most to do with us. “This is the story about the people. Created by Tony Gilroy, the spy thriller stars Diego Luna, reprising the role of [Cassian Andor](https://www.starwars.com/databank/captain-cassian-andor) in a tale set five years prior to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It’s about what we can do, it’s about the power we have.” New episodes will arrive on Disney+ every Wednesday; following a 12-episode first season, Andor will return for Season 2, leading directly into Rogue One. [Star Wars ](https://www.starwars.com/news/swca-2022-20-highlights-from-lucasfilms-studio-showcase) [Celebration Anaheim 2022](https://www.starwars.com/news/swca-2022-20-highlights-from-lucasfilms-studio-showcase).

Cassian Andor's troubles continue as he attempts to make a deal with Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) and escape Morlana One, and we meet his adoptive mother ...

(Props for really doing damage with those arrows.) However, what we learn in the show’s present, about the mining disaster that left the planet “toxic,” is a lot more interesting than the flashback scenes. The moments that make this episode feel most like a chunk of a longer pilot aren’t Bix’s shoe-leather negotiations but the scenelets that introduce Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård). Rael does some purposeful walking, as he travels from ship to Ferrix shuttle in relative silence, with Skarsgård on the receiving end of a (sadly not literal) “hello there” movie-star face-reveal shot. Armed with this new information, Syril Karn gets pumped to apprehend Andor and assembles a hilariously dour 12-man force at the urging of his right-hand man, who enthuses that “corporate tactical forces” like theirs are the Empire’s best defense against “fomenting pockets” of rebellion. At times, this recalls some of the most striking shots from Rogue One (including at least one that’s in For example, we meet Cassian’s previously unseen mother, Maarva (given what we see of his childhood, seemingly an adoptive parent), who waits for him with his sensitive droid B2EMO (Dave Chapman provides the sometimes needy, sometimes reproachful robo-voice).

Disney+ has now dropped the first three episodes of its critically acclaimed new Star Wars show, Andor. Here's what the rest of the release schedule looks ...

[Diego Luna has certainly been impressed](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/star-andor-revives-missing-saga/) with Gilroy’s approach to the prequel’s structure, which is a lot more thoughtful and detailed than previous Star Wars projects, and embraces a more literary vibe with its narrative. [Doctor Who](https://www.denofgeek.com/doctor-who) and [Sherlock](https://www.denofgeek.com/sherlock) director Toby Haynes, the initial three-episode Andor arc reintroduces us to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’s rebel spy Cassian Andor, who died heroically at the end of that movie. A second season of the show is also in development! As [Andor](https://www.denofgeek.com/andor/) is a prequel to that prequel, we meet the character here at an earlier stage in his life when he is still just a shifty thief who will kill mercilessly to cover his tracks, and who doesn’t exactly have his eyes on the revolutionary prize quite yet. [LucasFilm](https://www.denofgeek.com/lucasfilm/)‘s new Star Wars series, Andor, are now officially available! Disney+ has now dropped the first three episodes of its critically acclaimed new Star Wars show, Andor.

What is "Andor"? Who is Cassian Andor? Everything you need to know before watching the new series, premiering Wednesday on Disney+.

[A New Hope](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-star-wars-hails-the-once-and-future-space-western-20151202-story.html)” (1977) and 14 years after Chancellor Palpatine ends the Clone Wars by declaring himself emperor and issuing the order to exterminate all Jedi in “ [Revenge of the Sith](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-revenge-of-the-sith-review-20151202-story.html)” (2005). A character originated by Caroline Blakiston in “Return of the Jedi” (1983), Mothma is a leader and founding member of the Rebel Alliance. Also, the series is set during a time when any surviving [Jedi are in hiding](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-05-26/obi-wan-kenobi-star-wars-disney-plus) because they have been hunted by the Empire. “Andor” will consist of two 12-episode seasons. the destruction of the first Death Star. Like “Rogue One,” “Andor” has been touted as a grounded exploration of how people and their everyday lives are impacted by the Empire. (Dates after the Battle of Yavin are labeled ABY.) For context, this is five years before Princess Leia sends her S.O.S. In addition to following Andor’s journey to becoming a Rebellion spy willing to die for the cause, the series will show how the unified Rebel Alliance came to be. Created by Tony Gilroy, the “Rogue One” screenwriter known for his work on the “Bourne” films, “Andor” is a spy thriller that will show how its titular hero came to be involved with the Rebel Alliance. In the context of broader “Star Wars” events, the first season of “Andor” is set in 5 BBY — Before the Battle of Yavin, a.k.a. Andor mentions having been in the fight against the Empire since he was 6 years old, after having lost everything. ‘Star Wars’ has long been a franchise fixated on the Skywalker men.