This article contains spoilers for Andor Season 2 episodes 10 through 12.
Disney+ released the final three episodes ofAndor, concluding the critically acclaimedStar Warsseries and bringing the story full circle to the events ofRogue Oneand, by extension, the original 1977 film.Rogue Onehas an interesting relationship amongStar Warsfans, as some audiences love it and think it ranks among the best in the franchise, while others are somewhat critical of it. Even though most people can agree that the film’s final hour is the best, where the team arrives on Scariff to steal the Death Star plans, the film’s first half is where the flaws ripple out into the film’s ending.The movie’s climax — a group of rebels who sacrificed themselves for the greater good to bring peace to the galaxy — lacks an emotional punch because the audience didn’t get to know these characters.
Andornot only adds context toRogue One, but also gives the film new meaning and makes it a better viewing experience. By fleshing out Cassian Andor’s story, exploring the struggles between warring Rebel factions, and tweaking the Empire’s ultimate defeat,Andorchanges how fans will viewRogue Oneforever.AndorimprovesRogue Onenine years after its original release.
‘Andor’ Gives Cassian’s Death More Meaning
WhenAndorwas first announced, many fans were highly skeptical as it was not only a prequel series to a prequel film, but it centered on a character where the audience knew they would meet a tragic fate. While fans loveRogue Onefor its epic action, with the Darth Vader hallway fight making even the most skeptical of Disney’s treatment of the brand pump their fist in the air, the character work in the film was often criticized. Despite having talented actors like Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, and Donnie Yen,the people inRogue Onefrequently felt more like archetypes than fleshed-out characters.This stood in sharp contrast toThe Force Awakens, which, after just one film, had audiences captivated by new characters like Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, Kylo Ren, and BB-8.
Part of it might have been because these characters only appeared in one film; we didn’t have enough time with them. Yet with only one film, that should have made it more important to give them depth, so their death meant more to the audience than just the vague, broad notion of characters sacrificing themselves. By intention or not, it seemingly implied that these characters mattered less because they were written to die.
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Andorfixes that. While most ofRogue One’s crew’s story is still left untold,audiences now have a greater understanding of Cassian’s life, which makes his death hit harder. WhereRogue Onehinted at Cassian’s history, now audiences have seen it. From losing people close to him, like his adopted mother Maarva, to his friend Basso, to the torture he endured serving in an Imperial prison and the horrors they inflicted on people like Bix Caleen,Andorhas shown viewers how the events turned Cassian into the jaded figure he is at the beginning ofRogue One.
Cassian’s future death hangs over the series, and the writers use that for dramatic irony. Viewers now know that Cassian’s one true love,Bix, will never get to reunite with himlike she hoped for, making his death even more tragic. Now, when audiences see Cassian on the beach of Scariff, it carries more weight because they have seen him encounter so many near-misses against the Empire, but he won’t walk away from this one.
The reveal of Cassian’s son at the end ofAndorgivesRogue Onea bittersweet but hopeful note beyond its set-up ofStar Wars. Even though Cassian would never get to meet or know the son he had, his sacrifice ensured a brighter future for him, who would live free of the Empire. The reveal of Cassian Andor’s son means he isn’t just a name that retrieved the Death Star plans, but a person who mattered and whose legacy lives in the form of “A New Hope.“Cassian is now one of the best characters inStar Wars, thanks to the work done in his Disney+ series.
The Rebel Alliance in ‘Andor’
For as much asAndoris a series centered on its title character, it is also an origin story for the Rebel Alliance. While fans saw one perspective of these events in the animated seriesStar Wars: Rebels, and that series andAndorlink up, the live-action Disney+ series serves as a better exploration of the messy, often unsavory elements to create the band of freedom fighters thatRogue Oneonly hinted at.Rogue Onetries to muddy the waters of the Rebel Alliance, using Saw Gerrera as a figure to show the more extreme and radical methods that contrast with the heroes the audience knows. Saw is so extreme that it paints the “good” and “bad” rebels again and makes the finished film a half-measured attempt to add complexity to the Rebel Alliance’s mission.
Andorintroduces a third party, Luthen Rael, who adds moral complexity to the fight against the Empire.Andorestablishes that Luthen is a bit of an outcast among his fellow Rebels, not even being welcome at the Yavin 4 base. Luthen is willing to do the unsavory deeds that are needed to get the Alliance going and hurt the Empire, one that allows figures like Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and later Luke Skywalker to keep their hands clean.
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The series makes a point to show that while Luthen is seen as too dangerous to the foremost Rebel leaders, he is unwilling to go as far as someone like Saw Gerrera. Luthen creates a third pillar between the polar extremes of Saw Gerrera and Mon Mothma, highlighting the struggle to bring down the Empire. There is so much infighting between the various rebel factions, despite all looking to accomplish the same thing.The rebels faced the threat of the Empireand one another to form a united front.
This makes the climax ofRogue Oneall the greater. After two seasons of seeing various infighting and disagreements hold them back, at one moment, the various splintered units and all the hard work done by the “troublemakers” like Luthen and Saw finally pay off in a full frontal assault that shows the strength and might of the Rebel Alliance when united. Plus, Andor made Mon Mothma, a minor character fromReturn of the Jediwho seemingly was a glorified cameo inRogue One, into one of the bestStar Warscharacters.
Fixes the Fatal ‘Rogue One’ Flaw
One ofRogue One’s biggest problems is its explanation for the Death Star’s fatal flaw: a two-meter-wide exhaust port that, if struck precisely, would trigger a chain reaction destroying the superweapon. Some often incorrectly label it a plot hole, even though it wasn’t. George Lucas weaved it into the story to show thesheer arrogance of the Empire. They think they’ve created a weapon so powerful and impossible to defeat that it couldn’t possibly have a weakness. They overlooked this flaw because how could a band of meager rebels stand a chance against the might of a fully armed and operational Death Star?
Rogue Oneseemingly decided to “fix” a plot hole that was never a plot hole. The Death Star’s critical weakness was not a result of Imperial oversight, but a particularly designed weakness by the weapons chief engineer, Galen Erso. This added lore arguably did more of a disservice to George Lucas’ original trilogy than many of the grievances fans had withThe Last Jedi. The Rebels' victory, by exploiting the Empire’s arrogance in a seemingly hopeless attack, is now purposely added as a failsafe that felt like it was missing the point.
Andorpartially corrects this by once again making theEmpire’s eventual defeatthe result of their arrogance and bureaucracy. Much of the series has highlighted the banality of evil, and in the series' final episodes, the Empire’s true failings come to light. It is revealed that theRebelsare alerted to the presence of the Death Star super weapon by a spy Luthen had working in the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) office. How did this officer get information about a top-secret weapon? An imperial work email was accidentally sent to the wrong person and leaked. A simple computing error caused a chain reaction that led to the destruction of the Death Star, both literally and figuratively. That is more like it.
Franchise Patches Are the Name of the Game for ‘Star Wars’
More than any other franchise,Star Warsis where subsequent release material can generally improve an audience’s perception of a previous work. The prequels have seen a significant reevaluation, in no small part due toStar Wars: The Clone Warsadding new context to the events ofRevenge of the Sithand expanding on the themes that the prequels fumbled with. Disney is using series likeThe Bad Batch,The Mandalorian, andAhsokato explain the confusing aspect ofhow Palpatine returns inThe Rise of Skywalker. While these add-ons don’t necessarily “fix” the original films as standalone works, they help the broader franchise’s plot points and themes click into place.
Andordoes that withRogue One. Some might sayRogue Onenow feels like a feature-length series finale toAndor. However, it might be better to describe the two seasons and the firstStar Warsspin-off feature film as a trilogy that bridges the prequels' events and the original trilogy. It is a complex and unsavory origin of the Rebel Alliance as seen through the eyes of one man, who played a part in something larger than himself. Like many other heroes and villains in the series, his name is seemingly lost to the broader sweep of history. However, their choices matter and have consequences now felt across theStar Warstimeline, rippling out not just into the original trilogy, but also in stories likeThe Mandalorianand the sequel trilogy.
In this writer’s opinion, I can say that in 2016, I felt a little cold byRogue One. I saw the potential, but I didn’t think it measured up to the lofty ambitions it set out to achieve, or matched the emotional weight that many of its biggest fans said. It felt superficial in how it seemed “different” from previousStar Warsmovies. It sacrificed character in favor of an aesthetic difference and was likelyhurt by the reshoots. However, nine years later, after watchingAndor, I can’t help but look atRogue Onein a new light and appreciate it more. I can say I likeRogue One, thanks toAndor.StreamAndorandRogue OneonDisney+.
