Max Nocerino 
Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard) in Lucasfilm's ANDOR, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
“Andor is so different than anything Star Wars has ever produced before. Hats off to Tony Gilroy for creating such a masterpiece,” says Max Nocerino in his review
They say all good things must come to an end and Andor wrapped its first season with a super-exciting and fast-paced episode that showcased Gilroy’s writing chops. After moving all the holochess pieces in place for this great confrontation, the episode begins with all parties who are looking for Cassian. The funeral of Cassian’s adopted mother Maarva is drawing a large crowd and Dedra and the Empire are hoping to intercept Cassian and capture him. Luthen and his team aim to kill him as he knows too much about them.
CASSIAN
Cassian wants to get his mother’s stone which is a Ferrix burial custom. So he sneaks around the place he once called home with the help of some loyal friends. He also wants to liberate Bix, who has been held captive by the Empire. It’s very exciting to see Cassian crawl and hide in sewers and under grates as he tries to accomplish his goal. Syril has also joined the funeral procession and another human male who knew Cassian also intends to capture him for money. Two big players in the shadows, with two smaller lesser threats as well. Who will get him first?
The funeral for Maarva shuts down a whole street as red-uniformed musicians, march down Rix Road. The Empire is lying in wait at the end of the procession under the guise of helping the funeral. In the end, Maarva’s pre-recorded hologram delivers a speech. The speech is very uplifting. And at the end, she throws a curveball and tells the people of Ferrix to fight the Empire! Wow. I don’t think Star Wars has ever had this interesting sequence of events before.
SEEDS OF REBELLION
The crowd is galvanized by Maarva’s speech and the common folk attack the Stormtroopers and Imperial agents. The Imperial agents try to hold back the crowd with shields, and it eerily reminds me of the Capital riots here in the United States. However, of course, the good guys are the rioters in this situation. All plans of capturing/killing Cassian go up in smoke with this unforeseen development and Gilroy gives us one hell of a cliffhanger. I have to say. While The Mandalorian was the ideal show for die-hard Star Wars fans, Andor is for those who don’t like Star Wars as much but like cerebral and well-written stories that really touch both your mind and your heart.
Parts of Nemik’s manifesto are heard in the episode and I love how eloquently he assesses tyrannical governments. I very much agree that oppression is done to quell the fear. Fear of the little guy standing up to the big and powerful boss who is unprepared for a fight.
HOPES FOR SEASON 2
This show is so different than anything Star Wars has ever produced before. And I can’t wait for Season 2 to see the repercussions of what happened at the funeral. My only regret is that we did not get a cameo of Palpatine because I very much wanted to see him (if only briefly) address the Senate or speak to his lesser via hologram. Oh well. We will be seeing him in the next season of The Bad Batch, but it’s always great in live-action. Hats off to Gilroy for creating such a masterpiece.
9.1 out of 10 Death Stars.
Star Wars: Andor is streaming exclusively on Disney Plus now.
Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
