If one visits or revisits the more recent Star Wars offers, say The Mandolorian TV series or some of the prequels to the original Star Wars movies, it becomes very apparent they are aimed at 12 year olds, with six year old waiting to snatch up the toys and figurines.
That’s all well and good. There is always Star Trek for more serious, heady topics such as race relations, descrimination, plagues, respect for other species, Universal Peace etc.
Star Wars is a rich universe that should be explored and the original films set up serious ideas of freedom vs. fascism and how individuals an make a difference by resisting the forces of evil. So many pararells to today’s world of politics in the US as we seem poised to be taken over by the darkside.
ANDOR is a prequel to the prequel Rouge One which answered the question about how the rebels got their hands on the plans for the Death Star so they could take it out.
ANDOR takes place five years before Rouge One and follows the life of thief-turned-rebel spy Cassian Andor as he changes from a common thief trying to survive to a true believer in the rebel cause, resisting the domination of the universe by the facist Empire.
Cassian’s journey was one of reluctant awakening. He began as a mercenary, motivated solely by financial gain, his concern limited to his own survival and that of his immediate circle. Though he felt the Empire’s oppressive weight, he dismissed it as an insurmountable force. It was the burgeoning resistance, and the stark reality of the Empire’s cruelty, that ignited a change within him, forcing him to confront his apathy.
The series is mature. It’s starts with a murder of a police officer and Andor becomes a fugitive from the law only to get involved with a high stakes heist. The quality of the sets and CGI is movie quality and there are complex situations that layout how the Empire became more and more intolerable to the citizens.
It reminds me of how silly James Bond had become during the Roger Moore era compared to the reboot with Daniel Craig. Jaws biting through wires and floating in space compared to Bond tied to a chair naked and getting his balls smashed.
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed all the Bond films and all the Star Wars films, but my preference is a bit more on the serious and believable side of things rather than the slap stick stuff. Less Jar Jar Binks and more cutting open the belly on Hoth.
