15 Reasons Why You Should Watch ‘Andor’

Andor has now wrapped its two-season run and brought another chapter of Star Wars to an end. The series — a bit unexpectedly — became one of the most thrilling of the many visits we’ve all taken to the galaxy far, far away since 1977.

Created by Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton), Andor follows Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). In Season 1, Cassian is a mere outlaw trying to scrape by. One brutal experience with the Empire after another turns him into a bona fide radical. Season 2 builds to the end of Cassian’s story.

Here are 15 reasons why Andor is a ride well worth taking:

1. Andor Is a Standout Star Wars Series

Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, and as a result, we now have more Star Wars content than ever before.

The Mandalorian proves there is a place for (live-action) Star Wars on TV and captures the feel of pulpy adventure. Ahsoka translates the animated world and characters of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels into a whole new medium. Obi-Wan Kenobi shows that even 17 years later, Ewan McGregor still has it as the titular Jedi master. 

But Andor is on another level. It’s not just a fun show in the franchise; it’s excellent television. Compare its craft to the aforementioned shows, and the gap is chasmic. The characters have greater interiority, the world feels more lived-in, and the whole show feels purposeful in a way the others don’t.

The other Disney+ shows exist to let fans see familiar faces. Andor is centered around a familiar face, but it never feels like it exists only for the sake of more Star Wars. Speaking of…

2. You Don’t Need to Enjoy Star Wars to Watch

Gilroy had previously written for Rogue One and directed some reshoots on it. Despite that, he’s said he’s historically been indifferent to Star Wars. As he told Deadline in 2023, Lucasfilm contacted him to review the draft they had for Andor, and his pitch for revisions was so effective that they made him showrunner.

Andor is perfect for new fans because Gilroy is one of them.

He’s not awed about making a Star Wars show; he’s just doing his job to make a good show for people who enjoy watching good TV, regardless of genre.

He doesn’t assume you’ll keep watching just because you’re already a fan, he gives you reason to stay every episode.

3. The Dialogue is Masterful

Star Wars has historically not been renowned for its dialogue. Sure, there are unforgettable lines, from Han Solo’s “I know” to Darth Vader’s “No, I am your father.” However, those lines resonate because they occur during emotional moments, and the dialogue rightfully remains blunt and straightforward.

One of the best lines in the saga is during Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. As Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) names himself emperor, Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) muses: “This is how liberty dies… with thunderous applause.”

If you want more of that, watch Andor. The dialogue is clever, laden with depth, and resonant with the moment.

On Andor Season 1 Episode 10 “One Way Out,” Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) explains the consequences of choosing to rebel: “I burn my life for a sunrise I know I’ll never see.” How can you not be awed and inspired by that? 

4. It Makes Rogue One Better

Rogue One only had two hours to flesh out its ensemble cast, so it’s no surprise that its characters came off one-dimensional. The only one who receives a substantial backstory is Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones). Cassian is simply a foil to Jyn.

He’s a cynical Rebel who rediscovers his hope by working with Jyn. But the only glimpse of history is when he mentions having fought the Empire since he was six years old. Andor retroactively makes him the most profound character in the movie ensemble. 

Watching the movie, you feel this guy has been in the fight for a while. But only through Andor can you learn why and what those previous fights cost him. 

Rogue One now feels like the culmination of a much longer and more devastating journey thanks to this series.

5. The Politics Are Relevant and Courageous 

The show is called Andor, but it’s really more of an ensemble series. Cassian has the central journey, but on the show, we follow many other characters fighting against or for the Empire.

The galaxy is a vast place, and Andor explores how different people live under the same political regime.

The Narkina 5 prison arc (Season 1 Episodes 8-10) is about mass incarceration, prison labor, and the workers coming together as one. The Empire’s militarized police are always shown to have far too much control.

One of the show’s main characters is Galactic Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), a rebel fighting from within a corrupt system.

On Andor Season 2 Episode 9 “Welcome to the Rebellion,” Mothma closes her senate career with a final speech. She declares: “Of all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous. The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil,” words that feel like needed caution for the viewers, too.

6. Character Depth to Go Around

Speaking of the ensemble, every main character on Andor feels vital and wholly developed — and not just the main cast! Some characters dip in and out of the story, and that’s because the show knows how and when to use them for the most significant effect.

We don’t learn all the characters’ backstories in exacting detail, but the details the show does give us are enough for them to feel completely human.

Take the heist crew on Andor Season 1 Episodes 4-6; most of them don’t make it out, but you won’t forget them, especially not the manifesto-writing Nemik (Alex Lawther). Or Kino Loy (Andy Serkis), the foreman of the prisoners on Narkina, who helps Cassian plot their escape.

Andor is a show about the galaxy’s smaller roles, and it makes sure you care about each of them.

7. Andor Scratches the Spy Thriller Itch

Some of Gilroy’s most famous writing credits include the Jason Bourne films, which feature a former CIA assassin (played by Matt Damon) dodging the agency he once worked for.

That means Gilroy was well-suited to handle the spycraft of Andor — both the Rebels pulling off action-driven missions and the dialogue-driven scenes of intelligence officers dueling with words.

A good spy thriller needs both, and under that grade, this series passes.

The most spy thriller episode the series has ever produced is one of its best. On Andor Season 2, Episode 6, “What A Festive Evening,” Luthen’s assistant Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau) tries to remove a hidden listening device from right under the Imperials’ noses. Meanwhile, Cassian and his lover Bix (Adria Arjona) take out an Imperial stronghold on Coruscant.

8. Perfect Pacing for Streaming 

In the age of streaming and binge-watching, it can feel like some TV series have forgotten the art of the episode. At the same time, isn’t serialization part of what made prestige TV so acclaimed?

Andor finds the right balance. In both seasons, the story is divided into three-episode chunks. The whole season doesn’t feel like one long movie, but those three-episode sections can. And yet that still allows for semi-episodic storytelling, and so the show never runs in circles or stretches things out.

Season 2 originally released three episodes at a time to binge together. While you’re not obligated to watch it that way now, it can help you get the most out of the show.

9. Stellan Skarsgård Gives a Stellar Performance

Cassian spends Andor Season 1 becoming a rebel. When the show starts, the main character who is already rebelling in the shadows is Luthen.

The most experienced and acclaimed actor on the main cast, Stellan Skarsgård — and with him Luthen — steal the show whenever he’s onscreen. 

Skarsgård’s wide grin is particularly effective in the scenes where Luthen is “in character” as a mere antiques dealer. But when that mask drops, Luthen becomes steely, if not scary. Utterly resolved to defeat the Empire, Luthen will make compromise after compromise, using “the weapons of his enemy to defeat them.”

Don’t think for a moment that the weight of Luthen’s compromises does not weigh on him, though. It’s just that the weight of a better future is much heavier. 

10. Elizabeth Dulau is a Breakout Star

Luthen doesn’t do it all alone. The aforementioned Kleya Marki helps him run his shop and the spy network hidden inside it.

Kleya is as competent and ruthless as Luthen is, just as Dulau holds her own in every scene she shares with Skarsgård. What’s extra impressive is that Kleya is Dulau’s first-ever major role; her talent is so great that she hits the ground running.

Andor Season 2 smartly gives Kleya/Dulau more to do, and she rises to the challenge.

Andor Season 2 Episode 10 “Make It Stop,” focuses almost entirely on Kleya. The episode cuts between flashbacks to how she met Luthen, while she infiltrates a Coruscant hospital where he’s being held captive. (Again, this show is a great spy thriller.)

Kleya won’t be the last character we see Dulau play on our TV screens, so get in on the ground floor of these stellar performances.

11. The Villains Feel Real

Is a villain more effective when they’re sympathetic? Or is it better when the bad guys are totally bad?

Star Wars has featured numerous examples of both villain types. Yet, Andor refuses to buy into that simple dichotomy. The Imperials in Andor are human and despicable.

Imperial officers like Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) demonstrate banal evil. Since there are no Dark Lords of the Sith to soak up the spotlight, the show is able to depict how the Empire is run day-to-day — by detached and ambitious bureaucrats.

They have human emotions, but they bury them. Their endings are all unenviable and pathetic, too. One way or another, they’re betrayed by the Empire they served and sold their souls for nothing.

12. Andor is Mature but Not Self-Conscious 

When franchises traditionally aimed at children — like Star Wars — tell darker stories, they inevitably invite some scoffing.

The creators and fans just can’t come to terms with liking something for kids, these people say. Done poorly, “dark and gritty” reboots can prove these criticisms correct.

But not Andor, because it has bigger ideas on its mind, and is never dark for the sake of being dark. 

It’s not going to dark places to prove that Star Wars is “actually” for adults as much as kids. Ironically, the series demonstrates that it can be true by not trying to prove it is true. The darkness has weight and purpose behind it. Thus, the story feels rightfully mature.

13. Andor Rewards Your Patience

In an interview with SlashFilm.com, Gilroy said early scripts for Andor jumped right into the adventure. He thought the show would be better served by slow-burning pacing, and he was right.

It goes back to the arc structure of Andor. Each arc has its own build-up, climax, and resolution, so while the big picture may move slowly, you’re never waiting for something to happen. Cassian only officially becomes a rebel at the end of Andor Season 1.

Yet, it’s not because the show was dragging its feet; Cassian had to go through several different challenges, not just one dramatic one, to change. 

Andor Season 2 Episode 1, “One Year Later,” establishes that the Empire intends to strip mine the planet Ghorman. It takes until Episode 8 for the Empire’s first to come down, but it’s only so explosive because the season steadily builds up to it.

14. There’s No Unneeded Cameos

Whenever Andor includes a pre-existing Star Wars character, it’s always to serve the story and themes.

Rebel leader Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker), who first appeared on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and then in Rogue One, is a recurring character in both seasons.

But his presence is important to show that the Rebellion is not unified. Luthen visits Saw on Andor Season 1 Episode 8 “Narkina 5,” and asks him: “Aren’t you tired of fighting with people who agree with you?” Saw counters, “I am the only one with clarity of purpose.”

Andor Season 2 brings in the Rogue One villain Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), director of the Death Star project. He’s there to show Dedra trying to climb the Imperial ranks and set up the Death Star’s construction because that’s the entire crux of Rogue One. 

Best of all, there are mercifully no long-lost relative twists (a dubious Star Wars trademark). 

15. Reaches the Height of What Star Wars Can Be

Star Wars is such a cultural fixture that it’s surprising to realize the quality of the franchise can still be hit or miss. There are masterpieces in there, but not every franchise story out there is one. 

Andor brings the franchise to new heights. It can not only be great, it can be more — it doesn’t need lightsabers and Jedi knights to be Star Wars because the galaxy is much, much bigger than that. What you do need are writers and actors as talented as Gilroy and co. and the cast of Andor.

Before the premiere, there was skepticism. A whole series about a minor character from one movie? Who we know dies? How good could that be? Very good, it turns out.

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Andor is streaming on Disney+.

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