Sorry, Kids: Andor is the Only Star Wars Show Made for Adults
Star Wars has mass appeal and a varied fanbase but, until now, has always been focused on action. Now, I'm not knocking that – we all love a lightsaber duel or a bit of the old 'pew, pew, pew' – but it was about time there was a show aimed at the adult audience that still loves the franchise.
Let's face it, recent series such as The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi have been targeted at the younger members of the Star Wars fanbase and gave them exactly what they wanted.
But watching Andor, it does feel like this is the show that the franchise has been crying out for. Not just because it explores just how domineering the Galactic Empire was and how the Rebel Alliance came into being, but because it's the first time we've had a multi-layered story that builds.
Through all the previous movies and TV shows, we've been introduced to characters in medias res. This is what scriptwriters and authors are told to do. Get your audience right into the heart of the action straight away.
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But this story can't be told in that way. It wouldn't make sense. Because this is the tale of how all those other moments came to be.
Just take a step back for a moment and think about some of the most iconic moments in the history of Star Wars. Scenes like Cassian's sacrifice are great. And we kind of get why he did it. But haven't you always wanted to know the history of the rebellion? To get under the skin of what it was really all about and how it grew to what it became?
This is it. The show that reveals the heart and soul of the rebellion in a way that you just can't get in an action movie. This type of storytelling is reliant on dialogue, intrigue, and espionage. It doesn't need cameos. It is, in and of itself, character-driven and engaging.
So why the criticism of it? I guess some people just want what they've always got out of Star Wars. And I'm not for a moment suggesting that adult fans of the franchise don't love the action – just that kids don't generally like slow burners.
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But do you know what? That doesn't matter. We already know that it's perfectly possible to enjoy all those other aspects of the franchise for what they are without knowing the full history of the rebellion.
And Andor is going to be around for years to come. So, as those kids get older and start to expand their viewing habits to include character-driven prequels, it will be ready and waiting for a nice little binge-watch.