Rogue One After Andor

This article will discuss the narrative and emotional impact of watching Rogue One after finishing the series Andor.

Contains spoilers for Andor, Rogue One and other completed Star Wars projects!

Andor: Jedha, Kyber, Erso

"He should stop saving people."

This entire season has been surprisingly easy to write about. It was almost as if the words were already formed and my fingers were just following along with this unseen guidance; call it the Force. Yet, for some reason I found myself struggling with this finale. I think I finally figured out why. I don't want to say goodbye.

Andor: Who Else Knows?

Kleya: "You told me you were done once."
Cassian: "Yeah, and you told me I was wrong."

While the last episode was slow, thoughtful and sad, this was the complete opposite: it was tense, fast paced and occasionally joyful.

Andor: Make It Stop

“Am I your daughter now?”

What a beautiful, sad and unexpected episode. Well, not entirely unexpected, but this is not how I pictured things would play out.

Andor: Welcome to the Rebellion

“I’m choosing the Rebellion.”

This episode doesn’t waste a lot of time. It does build and it does it well, but the point was to officially start the Rebellion. And canonically it has always begun with Mon Mothma making a speech.

Andor: Who Are You?

“We are the Ghor. The Galaxy is watching.”

From the first seconds of this episode I could tell we were in for something different. I just never expected this –

Andor: Messenger

“She’s a monster. We won’t have a better chance.”

This was such a quiet episode, focusing on relationships and doing a lot of heavy set up for the next couple of episodes. It also introduces the Force in a small but powerful way.

Andor: What a Festive Evening

“What fun. My face hurts from smiling.”

While there were some excellent moments in this episode, something felt off, like the writers took a swing and hit a fly ball that only scored a run to first base (which might just be the first sports metaphor I’ve ever used).

Andor: I Have Friends Everywhere

“Revolution is not for the sane.”

This episode was all about the nuts and bolts of spycraft and pre-war revolution. Lots of give and take and information and counter info and trying to figure out what the other side is doing. It makes for tense but subtle storytelling, entrusting the actors and writing with setting the mood rather than bombastic action.

Andor: Ever Been to Ghorman?

“Maybe we can do some good together.”

This was a relatively quiet episode about living with trauma, intrigue and politics and the use of misinformation. Remember once upon a time when people were upset that Star Wars was suddenly about politics? Well, I think it was always about politics. We’re finally just getting to why that can be good storytelling.

Andor: Harvest

“It’s harvest. Everyone’s busy.”

I was right. This episode did bring everything together, and it did make me cry. These first three episodes felt like a cohesive whole, like they made up a singular movie.

Andor: Sagrona Teema

“There's a future here for those who dare.”

This very much felt like a middle, perhaps not in a bad way, but nothing was resolved (well, almost nothing) and everything felt a bit like moving pieces into their final positions before a checkmate.

Andor: One Year Later

“If I die tonight, was it worth it?”

After three years of waiting, Andor is back, this time with a clearly increased budget, scope and streamlined format. This was an incredibly packed and slightly disjointed episode, where themes were pushed aside for set up.

Andor: Rix Road

“We were asleep.”

In what is arguably an even better episode than "One Way Out," the season comes to an end in an explosive fashion, bringing together a bunch of plots, characters and story arcs to a satisfying middle point.

Andor: Daughter of Ferrix

“For the greater good.”

After the incredible heights of episode ten, we follow up with a slower, more somber episode that deals with the fallout of the choices the characters made.

Andor: One Way Out

“I need all the heroes I can get.”

Andor is a show that no one wanted, about a character that no one cared about. There are some people who love Rogue One. I wasn’t one of them. And I couldn’t understand why they wanted to make this series. After watching this episode, I know why.

Andor: Nobody’s Listening!

"They don't care about us. We're cheaper than droids and easier to replace."

What are the Rebels fighting against? That’s the basic and most important question that needs to be asked about Star Wars. Because if it is just that they live under a Sith dictatorship, then... well, that's probably good enough, but we need a bit more or they are simply rebels without a cause. This episode managed to list out all the Empire's various crimes in horrific detail, nailing shut the motivation behind the Rebellion in a painful but enlightening way.

Andor: Narkina 5

"Oppression breeds rebellion."

From the first few seconds of this episode there was a sense of deep unfairness and oppression. That unease continued as we delved deeper into the Empire’s utter contempt for just about everyone.

Andor: Announcement

One half reset and one half emotional rollercoaster, this episode wasn’t a part of a story arc that I can tell. But it did set up things for more stories to come.

This review will also talk about the series Star Wars: Rebels with some spoilers for that show.

Andor: The Eye

What an absolutely fabulous episode, full of tension and real consequences. It played out like a heist gone bad, complete with in fighting, double crosses and the bittersweet satisfaction of success.