Andor
 

Yeah, so...this show is really good. Really good. It's maybe a third a Star Wars show, most of that's incidental.

Tony Gilroy's good at what he does.

Re: Andor
 

This part of The NY Times recent review stuck in my mind for some reason.

“Luna, who shot to stardom in America with “Y Tu Mamá También,” in 2001, is a fine actor, but he’s still unable to bring much besides an air of juvenile grievance to Cassian, who’s just awfully hard to care about. Thin writing is an issue up and down the cast list; people seem less important than the depictions of political intrigue and corporate malfeasance, which are handled well but aren’t that different from any number of other dystopian dramas.”

I've seen 6 episodes so far and I've been enjoying it. When I first heard about it, I thought Andor was the name of a moon or planet. I think I was confusing it with Endor.

Re: Andor
 

I loved every second of this show. My expectations weren't exactly high, but even if they were, I think this show would have exceeded them. It's rich, complex, and plays out more like a dense sci-fi novel than a run-of-the-mill Star Wars show. No show is perfect, but this is head and shoulders above anything Disney+ has put out so far on either the Star Wars or Marvel spaces.

The characters come across as real people, with real problems and asperations, and plenty of gray area as far as their actions and morality is concerned. There are no "Han shot first" meme scenes here or cardboard cutout mustache-twirling villains - the Empire characters are at least as interesting as the ostensible heroes.

To counter the NYT in their quoted review above... what they said is complete bullshit. The writing in this show is stellar; that goes for the dialogue and the plotting, which unfolds nicely over the entire run of the season, more akin to early seasons of Westworld than the plastic Star Wars content produced so far by Disney. I kept waiting for the show to come apart at the seams, but when I was sitting on the edge of my seat during a late season episode, I finally realized it just wasn't going to happen.

Easily the best SW content since Rogue One, putting it in league with that film, A New Hope, and The Empire Strikes Back as my favorite material in the SW universe. Objectively, this is better material than A New Hope, but nostalgia won't allow me rank it as such. ;)

Yoda wasn't lying, this show is really good. Took me about 3 or 4 episodes to get into but after that it gives episodes and scenes I would rate 9/10. Amazing wardrobe and set design; the high-tech, cold, sterile look of the empire, the classy, stylish, rich look of the politicians/elite and the poor rebellion with their droid dogs.

Re: Andor
 

Re: the thing in spoiler tags. Yeah, I think I said "whoa" out loud. Such a cool moment/great idea.

Andor is what Star Wars should have been 20 years ago. I never felt fear, even as a kid, watching the Empire do it’s thing. It was almost comical to be honest. In a blundering bunch of idiots kind of way. But when that TIE fighter screamed on to the screen in episode 5 I nearly died of fright.

Re: Andor
 

Just skimmed through the thread cause I'm halfway through the show, but I agree the show's good. Not sure if it's the fact that it came after the disappointment of The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi, but I'll still take it.

I think it took me about half the series to let go of the idea that anything made in the modern Star Wars universe just has to be a disappointment. Curious to hear your thoughts once you complete the show.

McClane is right in the comment above - the empire is genuinely terrifying in this show. I really enjoyed the deeper dive into inner workings of the bureaucracy and machinations of the command structure etc. Also:

(Thief, don't read tis yet until finished)

I didn't *hate* it, but was disappointed with it. Ewan McGregor gave it his best, and there are some nice performances and characters, but overall, it was underwhelming and just *there*. On the other hand, I've heard other people that quite loved it so your mileage may vary.

Re: Andor
 

For the record, I got 3 episodes in on Obi-Wan and stopped watching.

Re: Andor
 

I finished it, but meh. It had several cool moments but there's just so much around those moments that does nothing for me. But some of the Vader stuff is cool enough to maybe recommend it on that strength of that alone.

The Mandalorian is great. Andor is great. The rest has been extremely forgettable, with the exception being the half-season of the Boba Fett Show (that's what I'm going to call it) that was basically The Mandalorian anyway.

Re: Andor
 

Obi-Wan suffers from "been there, done that". I never finished it because...been there, done that.

Re: Andor
 

One of my issues with all of these shows is that most of them feel like Fandom-wish-lists; as if the writers and directors went through a checklist of things to put on the screen for the "fandom" to go like "Whoaa! there's X or Z!" and that's it. Even The Mandalorian, but I feel that one's executing the formula more efficiently. Maybe that's why I'm enjoying Andor more than the others, because it feels more detached from the Star Wars we know than the other series, in terms of returning characters, conflicts, settings, etc.

Re: Andor
 

It might surprise some of you but I'm a sucker for almost anything Star Wars. I even love the first two films of the newest trilogy. I dislike The Rise of Skywalker but just replace it with Rogue One and you got yourselves a quality new trilogy!

Mandalorian is fun but it just rips off way too many other greater works. It was fun in the first episode, but the second season was considerably less enjoyable.

I watched Andor in one sitting and I must say it's much more creative and original than Mandalorian. There are some weaker moments, but weaker doesn't mean weak. Some parts of Andor are amazing. The entire slave work part is exquisite and it ends with hands down the most moving moment of the entire series -- "I can't swim." - one can only hope they keep that quality in the second season.

I loved the Obi-Wan series. The relationship between Obi-Wan and a young Princess Leia was really cool. If you liked Episode 3 you'll love this.

Re: Andor
 

It was kinda cute in a vacuum, but with that whole relationship, and so many other things in that show, it was exhausting trying to rationalize away why none of it had ever come up in the films before. It was the "why come Vader don't recognize C3P0?" times a thousand.

Re: Andor
 

I liked The Mandalorian until he took his helmet off. That ruined the show for me, so I won't be watching anymore.