Andor: Season 2 (2025) Cre: Tony Gilroy

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After the huge success and popularity of the 2016 'Star Wars' spin-off 'Rogue One', Disney produced a new Tony Gilroy created series called 'Andor', which was also pretty well thought of. A second season was promised, but it took three years for it to finally arrive on Disney Plus. I for one had to look up a plot summary of the first season go make sure I knew what was going on. Either way, I was excited to see what new adventures would be had.

The series looked exquisite once again, much like the prior season. It has been very clear that Disney have invested a lot into the show, and that budget has been used smartly across this season's twelve episodes. There are some sequences, particularly those involving the ships, that looked blockbuster movie standard. It was extremely satisfying to watch.

The narrative started off questionably, in my opinion, but grew exponentially better as it developed. I found the first three episodes a little random. I enjoyed the emotional beats to Mon Mothma's arc, but found Cassian's storyline frustratingly pointless and dull. However, from there, the various arcs got far more interesting and cohesive.

Season 2 was always going to get very dark and depressing, as the show closed in on the events of 'Rogue One', with episode 8 being a particularly haunting one. The way it built up its tension and feeling of inevitability was very good, and ultimately gave audiences a truly bleak and crushing moment in the story of Cassian and the wider Star Wars lore. This episode in particular went to great lengths to show the dangers of "following orders" - a horribly familiar notion in the real world.

It's hard to top the darkness and depravity of destroying an entire planet, but the series goes to some lengths to show that same depravity on a more personal and concentrated scale. Contrastingly, this show does brilliantly to show the different sides of rebellion and resistance, and how the light of hope can never truly be extinguished - a brilliant precursor for both 'Rogue One' and the original trilogy.

Political intrigue has been nothing new in Star Wars media, but this season took this to a whole new level. I loved seeing both sides of the fight for freedom and control engage in politics, espionage, secrets, lies, and manipulation, for their own versions of the greater good. If there was one thing I wish I could have seen more of, it would be Saw Guerrera's journey. Perhaps we'll get an animated series, or something similar.

Diego Luna once more led the tremendous cast in another series of consistent and very strong performances. He was joined in this notion by the huge array of talent that also partook in the show; from Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Stellan Skarsgård, and Genevieve O'Reilly, who was my season 'MVP', to the likes of Kyle Soller, Elizabeth Dulua, Faye Marsay, Forest Whitaker, and the returning Ben Mendelsohn.

Overall, I must say, this show has been a pleasure to watch, and one of the greatest, and most important, creations of the Disney Star Wars era. 'Andor' is a reminder of how vital antifascist media is, and has always been. The story is heavily entwined with the notions of freedom, resistance, and hope. Rebellions are built on hope, after all. 'Andor' not only recontextualises and compliments 'Rogue One' brilliantly, it makes rewatching it a necessity in the best possible way.