What: Andor
Premiere date: September 21, 2022
Our favorite galaxy far far away is expanding. Disney’s latest Star Wars endeavor is Andor, a two-season prequel series to 2016’s spinoff film Rogue One.
The new show follows Rebel Captain, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), five years before the events of Rogue One. Andor explores his pipeline from a child, who was made a refugee by the horrors of the Empire, to one of the Rebellion’s most important fighters.
Here’s all the galactic goodness you need to know about Andor:
How can I watch Andor?
Like all of Star Wars’ films and spinoff series, Andor is exclusively streaming on Disney+. The first three episodes dropped today, and all subsequent episodes will be coming out each Wednesday. Season 1 is slated for a total of 12 episodes, with the already teased Season 2 slated for 12 as well.
Who even is Cassian Andor and what even happened in Rogue One?
Quick Rogue One recap: The Empire is building a Death Star that promises to be the greatest weapon of all time (a galactic G.O.A.T if you will). It’s intended to permanently end the Rebel Alliance and crush any hope for a different future. Cassian Andor is a head intelligence officer at the Rebel Alliance, and part of a small team that succeeds in retrieving the plans to build the Death Star and delivering them to Princess Leia. Boom, Star Wars: Episode IV begins right after that.
Cassian is arguably one of the most important new characters in the Star Wars universe, and his role in the Rebellion planted the seeds for Luke and Leia to succeed later on.
What are people saying about the show?
Reviews for the show are incredibly promising, despite the overall consensus on its slow pacing.
Mashable entertainment reporter Belen Edwards, writes that while the show’s first few episodes may be sluggish, “Andor is unmistakably a Star Wars story. It places special focus on the galaxy’s politics and on the importance of rebellion in the face of growing evil. And yes, Andor has its fair share of new planets, blaster shootouts, and spaceships to scratch those particular Star Wars itches.”
Meanwhile, Star Wars expert and Mashable reporter Chris Taylor interviewed Andor’s lead, Diego Luna, who offered some sweet pearls of wisdom on the new show.
“It’s supposed to be different. I mean, it has to deliver the action-adventure that you always expect from Star Wars. But at the same time, it can be grittier. It can be more of a spy-ish thriller. It can be very political, very character-driven and dark. We can allow ourselves to go there, you know?”
If you’re ready to buckle up in your starship and go on a new galactic adventure, you can subscribe to Disney+ for $7.99 a month, or $79.99 a year, and get all that Star Wars fun.
