Andor

Ferrix, a planet of no interest other than its position at the crossroads of trade routes. Cassian Andor makes a living from petty trading. He’s resourceful and has built up a network of loyal friends. But a fight with two employees of an empire subcontractor goes awry, and he kills both men. Their superior, an ambitious young man, decides to do everything in his power to find the killer. He pursues Andor with an entire battalion. In the meantime, Andor has joined a buyer to sell a valuable piece and be able to afford to run away. The confrontation with the subcontractor’s soldiers turns into a disaster for them. This time, the Empire will have to intervene on Ferrix to maintain order.

Andor flees with his contact, a mysterious man who plays a key role in the resistance. He becomes a mercenary to help a small group steal a colossal sum from the empire. Destabilized, the empire overreacts, increasing oppression inordinately across the galaxy. The spark for a vast rebellion has been ignited.

The emergence of a hero, the birth of a rebellion

Andor is a remarkable series in more ways than one! Flawless casting (bravo!), beautiful music, beautiful photography. The ships, the droids, the creatures, the landscapes… Everything remains faithful to Star Wars canon, without the ridiculousness of certain films. We’ll forgive it one gigantic absurdity (the empire pays its soldiers with physical money?!).

But it is also the work of the franchise that best explores the theme of resistance to dictatorial regimes. Andor is a man who originally had no desire to confront the empire. Wounded, he fights back and discovers just how fragile the giant really is. The oppressor knows full well that he doesn’t have the strength of numbers, and that every little defeat is a dangerous symbol. And it’s precisely by trying to crush pockets of resistance that the oppressor will blow the embers of revolt. At the end of season 1, Luthen’s monologue on what he has sacrificed to the resistance is an anthology scene. I like several series in the Star Wars franchise (more than the films). Andor is the best series for me.

1 season, 12 episodes (55 mn), 2022 – ongoing, on Disney

• Andor and his friends : Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, Adria Arjona as Bix Caleen, Fiona Shaw as Maarva Andor, Joplin Sibtain as Brasso, Andy Serkis as Kino Loy
• The empire : Denise Gough as Dedra Meero, Kyle Soller as Syril Karn, Anton Lesser as Major Partagaz
• The resistance : Stellan Skarsgård as Luthen Rael, Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma, Faye Marsay as Vel Sartha, Varada Sethu as Cinta Kaz, Alex Lawther as Karis Nemik, Ben Miles as Tay Kolma