‘Andor’: Diego Luna Commits to the Resistance in Riveting Second Season of ‘Star Wars’ Spinoff

Alci Rengifo

Out of all the endless “Star Wars” spinoffs Disney has launched since acquiring George Lucas’ classic franchise, “Andor” is the series that has truly stood out. Beyond its narrative setting in a galaxy far, far away, Tony Gilroy’s creation has genuine artistry. It’s the one “Star Wars” show you can mention when discussing the ongoing evolution of prestige television. You can dive into it with a general love for sci-fi or appreciate the political subtext. The first season was acclaimed even as it dared go against the grain of the typical “Star Wars” mold. Goofy humor was replaced by moody grandiosity. Grit overtook oddball cheer. Yet, it worked. Season two, which is also the last, is even better, expanding its saga about the rise of a rebel and terrible encroachment of the Empire. 

Set one year later after the events of the first season, events now find Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) carrying out a rebel mission. It’s a dangerous assignment where Cassian must steal a TIE fighter from an Imperial testing center, then fly it to another planet. After a rather moving moment where Cassian tells the informant granting him access why this act of subversion is worth it, he nearly bungles the mission when the TIE turns out to be hard to operate. Still, he makes it out, zooming through space before crashing on a jungle planet where a rag-tag band of rebels capture him. In other corners of the galaxy, Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) is schmoozing among the aristocrats or Coruscant while organizing the arranged marriage of her young daughter. On another planet with lush wheat fields, Bix (Adria Arjona) is suffering from PTSD from her torture at the hands of Imperial doctors last season, while living with Brasso (Joplin Sibtain) and B2EMO (Dave Chapman). Over in the halls of the fascistic Empire, Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and Orson Krennic (Benjamin Mendelsohn) are setting their sights on the planet Ghorman, which contains resources vital for the Empire’s energy needs, not least to operate the Death Star.

Fans know the driving current of the story is that eventually we will see how Cassian evolves into the figure from the best of the feature film “Star Wars” spin-offs, 2016’s “Rogue One.” Diego Luna delivers a stronger performance this time around, transitioning from the worker turned outlaw in the first half of this story, into a man with newfound idealism. The performance matters in a show that continues to focus on character development and drama over galactic battles. There are still lots of stunningly staged action in “Andor,” like a firefight on the jungle planet where Cassian finds himself captured that feels out of a James Cameron film. Yet, much of its time is spent among the halls of power, where spymaster Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) and his mysterious assistant Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau) try to open channels of support for the Resistance while keeping track of Cassian’s whereabouts. Mon Mothma is also given rich depth as the senator balancing supporting the rebellion while playing the role of dutiful politician, which leads to some wrenching moments involving her daughter’s planned marriage. Denis Gough as the great scene stealer as Dedra Meero, one of the most intriguing female characters in the recent “Star Wars” canon, especially since she’s a villain given real presence.

Gorgeously staged and photographed, “Andor” gives an idea of where “Star Wars” can keep going as long as showrunners like Gilory are allowed genuine space to experiment. Comparisons are already being made to classic prequels like “Better Call Saul” and the reference does make sense. This series enriches our understanding of the other films, brushing aside the weaker “Star Wars” shows that felt like mere factory product. Cassian’s journey takes on a special power because of its timely allure. There’s even a line of dialogue that states, “one person’s rebel is another person’s terrorist.” Suddenly “Star Wars” becomes relevant in the context of events in the Middle East and elsewhere. Though, recall George Lucas told James Cameron in a popular interview that the Viet Cong originally inspired the Rebels of the original 1977 movie. Gilroy thus mixes politics with high style in “Andor,” never forgetting to give the characters more intimate touches. Syril Kan (Kyle Soller), the Imperial civil servant with the memorably strict mother Eedy (Kathryn Hunter chewing the scenery) is even more tragically empathetic. For some of his scenes the score by Brandon Roberts even seems to evoke “Mad Men.” In the end, this is Cassian’s story and it is a riveting journey that lays the groundwork for those epic moments we already know so well in the movies. The worth of “Andor” is that you don’t have to think about the films while immersing yourself in its own world. It’s a model the franchise will hopefully keep following.

“Andor” season two begins streaming April 23 with new episodes premiering Wednesdays on Disney+.