Andor - streaming on Disney+

[Steevy Maximus]

See, I kind of get what they're going for here. It's not about "Cassian becoming a rebel", it's a look into the wider world of the conflict between the Empire and the various political factions that become the Rebellion. It's as much a political thriller as it is about the oppressed fighting against the ruling government. We're not just seeing the "Rebel view", but we also see the perspectives of Imperial/law enforcement people who are facing the very political apathy that leads to the Rebellion truly igniting.
It's been a slow burn, but I think there is tremendous potential for pay off down the line. I think the show's biggest issue at the moment is that Disney just doesn't know how to market something that isn't "pew pew spaceships" in relation to Star Wars.

Syril Karn's role is particularly interesting

Spoiler

since his efforts to do the right thing have been punished by the dissolution of his entire company sector, effecting hundreds, if not thousands of people by the very entity he seemed to idolize[/spoilers]

 

[Powered Convoy]

Episode 6 of Andor is the most intense Star Wars has ever been. Amazing how good this show is. Especially for something people weren't mostly clamoring for.

 

[Dake]

Episode 6 of Andor is the most intense Star Wars has ever been. Amazing how good this show is. Especially for something people weren't mostly clamoring for.

My thoughts exactly. I really appreciated and enjoyed the slow burn of it all and it paid off in the end. Now... when do we get season 2?

 

[Powered Convoy]

My thoughts exactly. I really appreciated and enjoyed the slow burn of it all and it paid off in the end. Now... when do we get season 2?

Not sure about season 2, but I believe there are still 6 episodes to season 1.

 

[Dake]

Oh wha? I thought that was the finale! Well that's exciting.

 

[Powered Convoy]

Episode 7 really portrays the Empire as this thing people need to fear. Less they end up dead or in prison.

 

[Dake]

Yes. I'm very much appreciating the the building up of the thuggery of the Empire. Some fascinating commentary there.

Spoiler

I wonder how the internet will respond to having "shave and a haircut" in Star Wars canon? Considering how upset everyone got over the AK-47 inspired rifles (nevermind that all the OT weaponry was clearly built off of existing stuff), I'm sure someone will be offended. Personally I think it's great.

 

[Noideaforaname]

8 episodes in: no Mos Vespa gang, no Trenchcoat Leia, no emarassing cringe, but instead a willingness to let the characters just talk. I dunno if that really qualifies as "good", but it is hugging refreshing.


On a more substantive level, while Star Wars superficially is an epic of larger than life heroes and villains, it's also a reflection on the state of the real world. The Clone Wars is really about a madman convincing everyone else to fight each other while he alone accumulates power, which is scarily relevant to our own lives. A modern SW show tearing away all the glitz and glamor and instead focusing on that all-to-real feeling of finding yourself in a hopelessly corrupt world is genuinely fascinating. It's simultaneously anti-Star Wars and pure Star Wars.

Also props to making the Empire competent again, and its lackeys understandable but not sympathetic. Hoping Karn takes the opposite path Agent Kallus did.

 

[Dake]

On that subject I had the thought yesterday that I wonder if this will impact the membership of the 501st irl? Even in the OT the Stormtroopers were fairly generic baddies and canon fodder, but a few shows now definitely up the thuggish/racist/badcoppishness of the rank and file.

 

[Cybersnark]

As an aside, Leida (Mon Mothma's kid) seems to be hiding something from both of her parents. In a lighter show I'd assume she was sneaking out to see a boyfriend/girlfriend, but given the nature of this series it's likely she's gotten involved with a rebel group (which could lead to an ironic tragedy if she does anything reckless) or an Imperial-Youth group like COMPNOR (which could be equally tragic, and could lead to Mothma's going on the run to become an open revolutionary, as we eventually see her in Rebels).

(COMPNOR [the Committee for the Preservation of the New Order] was part of the EU since the 80s [via the West-End Games RPG] as a Star Wars version of the Hitler Youth program; a way of indoctrinating young men & women into becoming loyal, unquestioning Imperial Officers, willing to turn in their own parents for anti-Imperial activities.)

 

[Dake]

Yeah - they're definitely building something up with the daughter there.

 

[Fero McPigletron]

Finally got around to starting.

I was bored with the first two eps. Nothing was happening. But there was sex with Bix and Timm (like, I don't recall the previous shows having sex, haha. Am still thinking that She-Hulk was the first Disney Marvel show to have sex).

Things got better and more exciting with ep3, thank goodness. Have to say that I kinda like or at least feel for the stickler busybody bad guy. He just wants to do a good job. He's on the wrong side but he has conviction. I kinda get him more than the mysterious broody secretive Andor.

Edit - saw eps 4-6. Holy cow ep6 was great! So every third ep is awesome, haha.

What happens to the one they left behind? And, I'm not sure but the one without the mustache got shot?

Edit again - saw ep7 and 8. Dang, ep7 was awful for the irony. Unless it's a comment on ACAB or whatever the bad cop thing is.

Ep8, that was Serkis! The set up might be horrible but looks cool. I actually wanted to see ep9 but, nope, no new ep. Can't wait for it

 

[Axaday]

Have to say that I kinda like or at least feel for the stickler busybody bad guy. He just wants to do a good job. He's on the wrong side but he has conviction. I kinda get him more than the mysterious
broody secretive Andor.

Yeah. I am just 3.5 episodes in. My wife wants to watch it, but doesn't want to watch it fast. So maybe it has already been revealed. Maybe everyone knows. But I'm betting that guy joins the Rebellion too. It feels like the show is about all the different ingredients you need to make a Rebel Alliance.

 

[Fero McPigletron]

Saw ep9. I like the clean efficiency of the place (haha) but it was a bit nerve wracking to watch that guy working. The torture was opposite of Show, Don't Tell but y'know, still effective.

Hey, for deep Star Wars fans, why are Storm Troopers better than Droids? Like, ever since attack of the clones, I wondered why anybody figured clone soldiers are better. They can't be cost effective, can they? They need air, food, rest etc. Unless Droids malfunction a lot in their universe, wouldn't Droids be better soldiers (and workers) than living beings?

 

[Axaday]

The stories say they don't think and react creatively.

 

[Dake]

Saw ep9. I like the clean efficiency of the place (haha) but it was a bit nerve wracking to watch that guy working. The torture was opposite of Show, Don't Tell but y'know, still effective.

Hey, for deep Star Wars fans, why are Storm Troopers better than Droids? Like, ever since attack of the clones, I wondered why anybody figured clone soldiers are better. They can't be cost effective, can they? They need air, food, rest etc. Unless Droids malfunction a lot in their universe, wouldn't Droids be better soldiers (and workers) than living beings?

The stories say they don't think and react creatively.

Yeah. The Clone Wars cartoons worked to show that any one clone was superior to any number of clankers thanks to the ability to think beyond some programming. The Empire took it the next step by having a volunteer/conscript army, it forces the galactic citizens to "participate" which adds that extra layer of motivation/extortion.

It makes me chuckle that not only is the little Corpo-crat a supercilious busy body, but he's also a creeper. I'm waiting to see him dressed as his mother while her skeleton collects dust in the corner.

 

[Fero McPigletron]

Relevancy of my query is the prisoners are doing factory work. Surely it's more cost effective to use droids or machines to do them (since the humans/humanoids/darnthereshouldhavebeenaliensthere have to feed, monitored, get tested, disciplined, even find new 'criminals' to fill the ranks). The whole speed of the work they do seems to make it that their output must be regular and essential. Why trust human error?

Though maybe it's just a lie? if they are willing to dispose of a whole block or whatever just like that anyway.

Yeeeeeah, Syril waiting around for her like that was weeeeird, hahaha. Where the hex will that part of the arc go now?

 

[Ultra Magnus13]

Relevancy of my query is the prisoners are doing factory work. Surely it's more cost effective to use droids or machines to do them (since the humans/humanoids/darnthereshouldhavebeenaliensthere have to feed, monitored, get tested, disciplined, even find new 'criminals' to fill the ranks). The whole speed of the work they do seems to make it that their output must be regular and essential. Why trust human error?

Though maybe it's just a lie? if they are willing to dispose of a whole block or whatever just like that anyway.

Yeeeeeah, Syril waiting around for her like that was weeeeird, hahaha. Where the hex will that part of the arc go now?

Food is cheaper than the materials, design, and manufacture of machines, that will still need to be maintained by people.

 

[Axaday]

We can't totally put it past the Empire to go next level and just execute all criminals. But as long as they aren't going to that level, you have to feed and house prisoners somewhere. Their labor is free. And making them work might be a greater deterrent than just holding them in dungeons.

 

[Dake]

Food is cheaper than the materials, design, and manufacture of machines, that will still need to be maintained by people.

We can't totally put it past the Empire to go next level and just execute all criminals. But as long as they aren't going to that level, you have to feed and house prisoners somewhere. Their labor is free. And making them work might be a greater deterrent than just holding them in dungeons.

Exactly. It's slave labor under the guise of criminal punishment, and thanks to the last episode we now know that

Spoiler

no one actually gets out, they just get moved to a different floor.