Andor has received praise from fans and critics alike for its masterful storytelling. Many Star Wars fans even think it’s the best Star Wars release since the original trilogy and even lifts the original to be better than before. How? This is what we are here to discuss.
Andor Details The Sacrifices The Rebellion Made
Andor is a unique Star Wars show because of its laser-focused focus on the details of the Empire’s brutality and how the rebellion happened despite it. It tells us what many had to sacrifice to make the rebellion work.
It showed us that normal people led precarious, low-prestige lives that could be snuffed out at any time by the Empire to give the rebellion a chance to succeed. The show makes us appreciate the background fighters who never got their due in Star Wars.
In fact, it hits viewers in the gut with the sacrifices. In Episode 10Luther Rael said to Lonni about the sacrifice:
“What is my sacrifice?
I am doomed to use my enemy’s tools to defeat him. I’m burning my decency for someone else’s future. I burn my life to create a sunrise that I know I will never see.
And we see this immolation in episode 10 itself when Kino Loy leads the jail charge even though he knows he can’t swim. He knows that if he jumps into the waters he will drown and if he stays behind he will face torture and possibly death.
But he does it anyway because he saw that putting his head down and just existing wouldn’t work under the Empire. This is because they enslave the captured to death while giving them hope for a freedom that will never come.
It shows us that normal people who choose to do well have made a difference
Andor also showed us that normal, everyday people became heroes not because there was a prophecy that they were the chosen one, but because they did the right thing and chosen to dedicate their lives to a greater purpose.
These sacrifices and deaths all culminated in a unique high-stakes moment when Luke Skywalker destroyed the Death Star. He dealt the Empire the blow of which the rebellion had only dreamed until then. And none of this would have been possible without the sacrifices of the rebels before him.
Additionally, by taking the show away from lightsabers, Jedis, and aliens, the show inspired fans across the galaxy far and wide to consider all it takes to truly fight the oppression of the Empire.
Rogue One told the story of an ordinary person’s contribution to the victory of the rebellion and Andor does the same. Thus, adding weight to the scenes and moments from the original trilogy that we’ve come to love. And that’s how Andor elevates the original Star Wars trilogy.
What do you think? Let us know.