‘Andor’ Marks a Huge, and Hugely Welcome, Departure From Disney+’s Typical ‘Star Wars’ Model: TV Review

‘The Rogue Ones: A Star Wars Andor Podcast’ returns with hosts Mike DeAngelo and The Playlist’s Editor-In-Chief, Rodrigo Perez. As with the previous episodes, each week, our hosts will recap and review the latest “Andor” episode and welcome cast members and creatives from the show to discuss all things “Andor” and all the intrigue and machination of the “Star Wars” galaxy.

Actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach is riding high at the moment. Known initially for his work in Lena Dunham’s “Girls,” his breakthrough appearance essentially, in the ensuing years, he’s put in the work and been in all kinds of indies, dramas, and varied film and TV works.

“Andor” Episode 4 just debuted on Disney+ in the “Star Wars” series’ second week of release (the first three episodes were dropped on premiere day), and more than anything, this installment of the series cements that the new show is a very different approach to a galaxy far, far away. And that, according to showrunner Tony Gilroy, was entirely by design.“Andor” follows the radicalization of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), who we last saw giving his life for the nascent Rebellion in “Rogue One.” The show eschews the almost videogame-like plotting of Lucasfilm’s breakout series “The Mandalorian” for something grittier and earthier; textures feel tactile; characters feel troubled and broken, they look for their way and move in with their parents; dialogue is emphasized.

‘The Rogue Ones: A Star Wars Andor Podcast’ returns with hosts Mike DeAngelo and The Playlist’s Editor-In-Chief, Rodrigo Perez. As with the previous episodes, each week, our hosts will recap and review the latest “Andor” episode and welcome cast members and creatives from the show to discuss all things “Andor” and maybe a few other “Star Wars” properties.

It’s a more intricate and complex Star Wars than you’ve ever seen.

James Earl Jones is reportedly stepping back from voicing “Star Wars” villain Darth Vader.

James Earl Jones is reportedly stepping back from voicing “Star Wars”‘ Darth Vader.

It looks like James Earl Jones will no longer be providing the voice of Darth Vader.

Luthen Rael, played by Stellan Skarsgård, has a terrific opening line in the third episode of the “Star Wars” spin-off prequel series “Andor.” “Cassian Andor,” he says with a dramatic pause, “the Empire is choking us so slowly, we’re starting not to notice. What I’m asking is this, wouldn’t you rather give it all to something real?” Rael’s talking about two things.

A new “Star Wars” show is upon us. That’s right, with the release of the first three episodes of Disney+’s “Andor,” Editor-In-Chief of The Playlist, Rodrigo Perez and Co-Host Mike DeAngelo dust off their blasters and launch into a galaxy far, far away with a brand-new podcast dedicated to what the hosts are calling “the evolution of Star Wars.” On what we’re officially called ‘The Rogue Ones: A Star Wars Andor Podcast,’ each week our hosts will recap and review the latest “Andor” episode and welcome cast members and creatives from the show to discuss all things “Andor” and maybe a few other “Star Wars” properties.

and, the universe continues to expand on TV with another new spinoff,. The latest Disney+ series created by Tony Gilroy and starring Diego Luna goes back in time before the film , to explore the political intrigue surrounding the dawn of the rebellion as everyday people push back on life under the Empire. For Gilroy, who co-wrote, the two-season series presented an opportunity to “go back and figure out how this person [Cassian Andor] ended up in, being the person that he is and doing what he does and giving his life for the galaxy,” he tells ET. Set five years before the events of the movie, which saw Luna’s titular character, Cassian Andor, sacrificing his life in order to execute the Rebel Alliance’s first effective blow against the Empire, an incident first referenced in the opening of, Andor’s ending may already be known but it’s the journey there that remains unknown.

The first three episodes of Tony Gilroy‘s “Star Wars” series “Andor” premiere on Disney+ today, to much anticipation. In the lead-up to the show, Gilroy “Andor” would be a creative pivot from earlier Disney+ “Star Wars” fare, and advance reviews of the series confirm that.

SYFY noted the historic mention of sex, which happens in the first 10 minutes of the show, “makes the show an absolute game-changer for the nearly 50-year-old franchise.”Creator Tony Gilroy told Rolling Stone magazine that the very first scene of the first episode opens with a trip to a brothel, which leaves viewers in no doubt about the show’s tone.“It sure is a good tell when you turn in that first episode for them to say, ‘Whoa! OK, this is what the show’s gonna be like,’”“It was a marker, but it’s also good for the story. It served double duty.”The series marks a transition for the sex-less franchise, which has always been geared to more family-friendly content.

Disney has a new television series for the "Star Wars" universe that is already getting thumbs up from fans and critics alike.  On Wednesday, the company released "Andor," a prequel show to the commercially successful 2016 film "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," on the Disney+ streaming service.The story focus on the journey of Cassian Andor, portrayed by Diego Luna, who also executive produces the series.  Set five years before the events of "Rogue One," the show focuses on the transition of Cassian from petty thief to the rebel hero we see in the film.The actor believes the show will provide fans with an "intimate" perspective of what life was like under the rule of the Galactic Empire.  "There has to be action and adventure and that like big scope of science fiction that you expect from 'Star Wars,' but at the same time, we can allow ourselves to be different," Luna said in an interview with Reuters. Diego Luna reprised his role as Cassian Andor for the prequel series released Wednesday on Disney+.  (Getty Images for Disney)  "What was the life like for people to be willing to sacrifice everything for a cause, you know? I don't think we've seen that," He told the news service.  Luna noted, "I don't think we've been in the most intimate life of the people that were having to live under the control of the Empire.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Yet another “Star Wars” series arrives on Disney+ today, this time a “prequel of a prequel” that centers around Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor following his home planet’s destruction and the rise of the Rebel Alliance. “Andor,” whose first three episodes premiered on the streamer on Sept. 21, stars Luna as the eponymous Rebel leader. It’s mostly set five years before the events of “Rogue One” with the exception of some flashback scenes tracing Andor’s childhood. Written by “Rogue One” co-writer Tony Gilroy, the series serves as an enthralling set-up to the dramatic mission that takes place in the 2016 film, which sees Cassian’s “Star Wars” legacy solidified when he successfully steals the Death Star plans.

“Andor” is the first Star Wars live-action show that does not star a Jedi or a bounty hunter. Instead, the series focuses on the beginning whispers of the Rebellion through the eyes of Cassian Andor, an assassin and a Rebel spy introduced during the last days of his life in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” And it’s all the better for it, resulting in one of the best “Star Wars” stories yet told.The series chronicles the five years leading up to the events of “Rogue One” and takes place just four years after “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” the most recent Star Wars live-action series to debut on Disney+. In the four episodes released to the press, there are no Skywalkers or Sith yet, no light sabers or force users.

Despite that online halfwit insisting, “politics have no place in ‘Star Wars,’” or some nonsense about wokeness, I’m sorry to break it to you that George Lucas’ films have always been, in fact, political from the jump. It is an era where a totalitarian regime rules the galaxy with an iron fist wiping out all dissidents and agitators, after all.

Michaela Zee editor Diego Luna never expected Cassian Andor to return to “Star Wars” following the Rebel spy’s heroic sacrifice in 2016’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” “I was shocked,” Luna told Variety at the “Andor” premiere in Los Angeles on Thursday. However, the titular star was ecstatic about the concept, saying that the show is “a beautiful journey, and an inspiring one.” “I think ‘Rogue One’ is a film about an event, but you don’t get to know much about these characters,” Luna said. “This long format [is] a great way to go deep into who they are and why they make the choices they make.” 

Diego Luna remains shocked that he’s involved in the franchise. In an appearance at The Late Late Show With James Corden, Luna talked about how he first got involved with Star Wars and how, upon meeting with the film’s director, Luna thought he was going to be asked for Gael Garcia Bernal’s number.Diego Luna is back on ‘Star Wars’ and shares why fear is a motivator for his workEiza González joins Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna in new showLuna was at the show alongside Elisabeth Moss, and was asked about how he first got involved with the project. “It was fun, I received a call,” said Luna.