ANDOR SEASON 1 REVIEW - The Best Star Wars we've ever gotten (some SPOILERS) 

Wow, after hearing this review - my interest in watching Andor has certainly went up! Thank you ScoopHash 👊

With Mon Mothma, almost every shot of her feels claustrophobic and framed in a way where she looks trapped. Which she is. It's fantastic that they brought that across visually in a way that feels just as dangerous as Andor running through blaster fire.

It's crazy to me how Andor manages to be Star Wars without Jedi and Sith being the centerpieces and I love it. Ultimately this isn't about them, its about the common person and individuals without any mystical abilities making decisions that will affect the fate of the galaxy as they know it.

The best thing about Rogue One and Andor is it's "reality". The good guys don't always win. This universe is brutal and soul crushing. I felt that in a New Hope and Empire Strikes back. The are we going to watch all the good guys die ? Are the good guys actually good? But, Andor goes one to make you be immersed in everyone's story. The sacrifice monologue was one of the best scenes ever in Star Wars.

This show is so amazing! Probably my favorite Star Wars project. The story telling is miles ahead of the mandalorian or book of boba

Glad someone finally called out Robot Head. Channel's like his, geeks and gamers, don't care how good the show is as long as it's made by Disney they will find some reason to complain.

That Luthen monologue, oh boy, i had to rewatch it immediately. It was just a well written and acted moment, no lightsabers and stuff, just a man speaking: "I share my dreams with ghosts... i burn my life for a sunrise that i will never see"

I hear some people whinging that this isn't Star Wars. That's very true. It's a thriller told in the Star Wars universe, and it realises that universe in a way far better than has ever been done before. Even an idiot like me began to realise the acting and writing in this show were next level. Even all the sets and locations seemed very real and helped the story feel real too.

I also can't say enough good things about Star Wars Andor. It's Star Wars for grown ups, for people with a non-zero attention span. To say Andor is "Not Good Star Wars" is like saying chess is not a good game for kindergarten kids. Perhaps true, but a totally meaningless statement. I was late in starting to watch Andor, but then I watched it three times straight through because I just had to. This was an excellent and highly enjoyable video. Thank you!

WHat sticks out to me about Andor is its the only Star Wars property I have ever seen that HUMANIZES the bad guys. In every SW show prior, yes including the original trilogy, The bad guys are either over the top cartoons of black clad ugliness, or they are faceless helmets that can be killed wholesale by our heroes without a thought to them actually being a person who died. In the opening scenes, we see one of the corrupt and evil baddies BEG FOR HIS LIFE. Since when have we ever seen the empire beg? But what IS the empire or any autocratic tyranny except a bunch of individuals who are acting out their own world view, and who each want to live. In Andor we SEE the emotional impact of Syril torpedoing his own life despite what he saw as his ‘good’ intentions. We even see Dedra shaken to her core with the same kind of helpless terror she tries to inflict on others as part of her job. This make Syril’s and Dedra’s motivations in future evil more credible because we saw the injury they suffered and which they will undoubtedly blame on the rebels. I don’t want to see infantile portrayals evil like Palpatine who is evil for No Discernable reason and without any credible cause. I want to see adult treatments that show autocracy for what it is… the fear some people suffer of chaos or events being beyond their control. Their harsh self centeredness and their lives devoid of the real community and connection that begets compassion. Andor FINALLY tells Star Wars as it always should have been told, If Lucas had only had the sophistication to think beyond the archetype.

Great show! Great review! More and more people are watching. Outstanding job by the show runner Tony Gilroy and writers.

Just rewatched the whole series and agree so much with this review. I read in last couple days that Tony Gilroy has reduced his role (perhaps just temporarily) due to the writer's strike. I hope Disney is smart enough to restore Gilroy's full and enthusiastic participation in this show to preserve its stellar quality level. Hats off to Gilroy and Diego Luna, who is absolutely amazing. Knowing the outcome of Andor's character as we do give so much emotional heft to the entire series.

One way out is peak television and andor is by far the best piece of Star Wars we’ve gotten since empire strikes back

this series has many highlights throughout. mon mothma has for the first time a serious role! she's been in star wars since forever! the heist arc and finale in the meteorite shower. dedra meero hunting the bad boys systematically. the bloody music. the list goes on.

I'm with you on most points. Definitely a 10/10

16:50 This! Thank you for making this video, and please everyone watch Andor, it's incredible. I really don't want to back to the poorly written crap we've had from most SW stuff recently.

You've got it spot on. Easily the best Star Wars, ever! I agree with every word you spoke.

The only in-universe deaths in Star Wars that really made me feel something were Darth Maul in Rebels, and Fives and Jesse in The Clone Wars. I do think that there can be great stories without diving as deep into the aftermath of death, but whenever the creators of a show/movie make us actually feel the emotions going through the surviving characters, it is hauntingly beautiful to experience

Thank you for a review worthy of this story.

You didn't even mention Nemics manifesto.

there was not a single episode that i did not like. i loved, as Luthen says, "EVERYTHING!"

YES! THANK YOU for saying that this has much better writing and characters than the original trilogy as well. I cannot stand the Star Wars fans tearing apart everything BUT the original trilogies which have much of the same issues. I agree with every point you make

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After a year of digesting "Andor" and content about it, I still have only one complaint: The Kenari flashback sequences were too long and involved. They rather amounted to a red herring leading the audience down a path without a destination. The real clue to that, IMO, was the fact that there were no Kenari subtitles...because it was an utterly dead language (and Luthern spoke about dead languages). I can argue "A path without a destination was the point," but it stretched a bit too long for that. Otherwise, yeah, man, you have spoken gospel about the quality of "Andor." Who knew Mon Mothma had such an intriguing story? When Nemik was stricken, people in our theater audience cried out loud.

Well written! You shared the soul of the show. 🤗

talk about good writing, damn bro this video has insane writing

Andor is probably the best thing Disney has done with the franchise. Actually probably the only good thing. Mandalorian was ok. Unfortunately it’s probably to little to late.

Best Star Wars ever. Period.

Spot fucking on. This is perfectly stated.

Isn't it funny that the emmy's did not recognize this show at all? Talking about sleeping on the job. this is why I find the emmys to be a joke.

damn right

It sad that Star Wars fails at doing what the Harry Potter franchise did. Allowing its storytelling to mature along with the fans who made the franchise iconic in the first place. Appealing to kids is great to sell toys and merch but I stopped watching Star Wars after the disappointment that was the prequels. As a kid I saw the original trilogy in theaters and would return to watch them over and over over again. I’m so glad that Disney left Tony Gilroy and his team unmolested to create something of real substance for us long-grown-up OG fans. Also watch The Bad Batch. No Siths or Jedi there either and if your a veteran you’ll appreciate its messaging. For an animated series it’s also well done and the last episode of season 2 is a gut punch, as war and rebellion usually are.

The best Star Wars is George Lucas' Star Wars. It is the original and canon story. If you loved this show good for you, but it can't be the best Star Wars when it is something different. Besides, for all the praise this show is getting, I do wonder where are the memorable scenes and characters, like the ones who made Star Wars iconic? It is a convoluted storyline and script, that tries to be Game of Thrones, but not so much an entertaining one. Maybe as the show continues and closes all its arcs I will have a higher regard of it, but for now I felt something is still missing in order to call it a masterpeice and all that. I think Andor is decent enough, but wouldn't call it spectacular.

Yes, you get it. The writing in Andor is incredible. Finally we get a show where the writing can match the rest of the production. The acting, set design, costumes, music, all top notch and finally the writing can match all of it in a big budget show. This is what I've been waiting for.

Loved the Mon Mothma subplot - felt more tense than the actual fights.

Disney is so arrogant that they could never imagine that someone like the Andor writers could be among them. Be in their production studio, take their funding, and use their marketing machine. All to produce something with a message so fervently against their own interests with their own tools. Andor is art on so many levels, especially in the irony of the corporate environment it was created.

This is probably the BEST review I've seen of this magnificent, spectacular show. Thank you so much! You deserve a lot more views!

Thank you for this review! Andor has been massively underappreciated because it's not flashy and what not, but I loved it, for everything you said. This is mature Star Wars, a well-written story, not just mindless entertainment. I wish there were more films and series like this!

Andor is definitely my favorite Star Wars series to date but I do understand that it's a hard comparison because the themes and storytelling style between, say, the original trilogy and this show are completely different. Mythic vs. mortal. The landscape is really varied and deep, with series for children contrasting with shows like this, existing in the same universe. Now that I've watched Andor Season 1 a couple times it's probably time to revisit the original series (or even, say, the Mandalorian) and see how Andor changes my perspective of them. It's so satisfying when a new series can help us revisit old ones and gain new insights.

Let me say that before this series released, Star Wars was NOT for me … but now after Andor and Tony Gilroy’s involvement along with the explosive talent of incredible actors performing as amazing characters. Who here has rewatched entire series of seasons 1 more than me? 😊

This show is such a masterpiece that I'm finding it difficult to watch other shows, Star Wars related or not. Cant wait for season 2!!!

This review is nearly everything I've wanted someone else to acknowledge about "Andor". The only thing I would've stressed more are the political themes which give the incredible writing room to shine. Like the original trilogy only hinted at, these themes of miltarized policing, banal beauracratic oppression, enforced but entirely subjective 'orderliness/cleanliness', state sponsored corporate domination etc, are FRONT AND CENTER as the reason for galactic revolution and the sacrifices everyone in that universe are making. The overtly written political reality of an encroaching despotic Empire paves the way for the amazing and memorably written characterizations and actions that follow. It would be simplistic to say that we obviously can't have one element (intelligent political commentary) w/out the other (compelling drama). Yet it's so rarely done this well that we have to acknowledge how well it's done in this show. It's what makes "Andor" something special IMO.

You could've gone on another 30 minutes, and I'd relish every minute of your analysis. Andor was THE unexpected treasure of the franchise. I don't know anyone that had high hopes of it being THIS good! I know personally I was riding high on season 2 of The Mandalorian, with some of the best fan service moments yet. Ahsohka, a Boss cameo of Luke Skywalker, a heartbreaking final moment for Din & Grogu, (making grown men cry - unashamedly), and even a redemptive return of Boba Fett! We were set up for great disappointment with Boba... a criminally wasted opportunity. I LOVED Rogue One... I consider it one of the 3 best SW films ever. My wife, daughter and I watched Andor together and we all had this growing sense of anxiety for the characters. We loved the slow burn quality of the stories, actually dreading the inevitable explosion of action, as we knew someone among the people we'd come to know would die. And my God, the monologues, especially Luthen's were totally unexpectedly awesome!! So glad we will get at least one more season!!

It's all true. This one is fabulous. Don't forget the incredible costuming too. Subscribed and Liked.

I fully agree with you and love this video…but it’s 12 episodes, right? 😂

I've seen people call Luthen Rael's speech "melodramatic" and I'm staring at them like "...yes...that's the point." The man is a salesman and a thespian. He not only needs to fool the Empire to his true nature, but also the people under him. Lonni Jung was a dead man walking the moment he tried to contact Luthen, but Luthen still has use for Lonni, and his actions and theatrics are all to give Lonni a sense of awe and comraderie. So yes, of course it was melodramatic. That's the goddamned point.

I wish I could add more "likes". This is the Star Wars I wanted and want. One has to hope that Andor is not just a one-off, that there will be more of this sort of quality, or making the effort to achieve this sort of quality. Thank you for this review.

I love how, like rogue one, the good guys have to do questionable/bad things for the greater good. Luthen's monologue was superb. Also, Every Mon Mothma scene was brilliant. The cherry on the top was when she was revealing her plan to Tay in plain sight at the party. "Perrins coming over. He knows none of this, he's not to be trusted. .... Smile."

I find it very offensive and triggering when some people say that Andor doesn’t feel like Star Wars. The Jedi Order & Republic fell together and returned together but they had different roles to play and journeys to embark upon. The Jedi Order was annihilated and any remaining Jedi are staying lowkey. Star Wars: Andor is the Star Wars Galaxy Without Jedi. Like after the Death of Superman came The World Without Superman. Have all these naysayers against Andor being Star Wars forgotten Han Solo’s disbelief and mocking of Jedi hocus-pocus, magic and mysticism? He had that mindset because of the cultural genocide that befell the Jedi Order. That left many people in the newer generation like himself unsure whether Tales of The Jedi were just Tall-tales. As Lady Galadriel told us. “History becomes Legend. Legend becomes Myth.” So it is with the Jedi 5 Years before the Battle of Yavin. No one’s waiting around for a Jedi to save them. They’re saving each other instead. As it should be.

Superb review, agree with every word, thank you. Have to be honest though, what genuinely saddens me is that _Andor_ is just too good for Star Wars. The kids and the fanboys can't enjoy it, they want Vader hallway scenes and endless cameos of old characters. The Star Wars that we've had so far has conditioned them out of being able to recognize or respond to great storytelling. So how can a truly great show like this have any impact? Disney didn't exactly over-exert themselves in promoting it, did they? Which says to me that Kathleen Kennedy et al don't really care about it. It's gonna be a long wait for the second season too, right? In the meantime we'll have mondo more dross like the Boba Fett and Kenobi shows to bury any... er, new hope.

Unfortunately hating things has become the new national pastime, I’d rather love and enjoy things and this series was amazing

Amen, Marvel, WBD, Starwars and other scifi shows can look to this Masterclass on how to use the streaming & Cinematic medium for storytelling. These episodes were better than all the Marvel,WBD and Starwars product created since Disney brought 2 of the 3 studios mentioned and Wb's Man of Steel. Studios need to get out of the way of good talent and let the creative process produce excellent & intelligently written stories that respects the audence period. Ppl will find this show due to word of mouth and realize like I did from the initial episode airings that this was what adults who grew up on Starwars have finally gotten, geroge Lucas starwars, it took 10yrs but its here for ever and changes everything. Andor is a signpost of excellence in the wack sector of modern scifi & comicbook cinema storytelling which doesn't respect its audience to be intelligent enough to engage in a storyline that isn't spoonfeed to them using a branding formula of pure uncut sugar. The modern high is over, the Branding formula run its course. Tony Gilroy & crew, I applaud you for a job well done, reminding audiences & studios; it's the story stupids.

The worst part about this is Star Wars Theory, the biggest Star Wars channel on RU-vid, shit on this show about how boring it is. I’m positive at least some Disney execs are listening to that. We get garbage content & when we FINALLY get something absolutely exceptional, yet top channels still complain. This is why we can’t have nice things.

Luthen doesn't forget the people he loses either. When Saw says, "It's thirty men!" Luthen adds, "Plus Kreegyr." And he knows that he must do the clandestine dirty work for the rebels that would not be considered heroic by the public, so that the rebels could eventually have cleaner public heroes to celebrate. After his monologue to convince Lonni to stay, he adds, "Just stay with me, Lonni. I need all the heroes I can get."

I almost lost interest in Star Wars as a whole before I watched Andor. It was so refreshing to see a show with such good writing and wasn't afraid to be upfront about it's themes of fascism and rebellion. There's so much I adored about this show and I'm glad others see it as well 😊

The editing is phenomenal as well. Long loving shots that allow the audience the time for emotional resonance. Transitions that don’t feel jarring. This is the best editing in all of Star Wars.

It's probably the best star wars since 4&5, and after rewatching, I'm starting to think it's the best star wars ever. For all the things you mention - for the reminder of the COSTS of a revolution. We're taught Patrick Henry's speech from the gallows ("I regret I have but one life...") but do we see his feet dance or the creak of the robe as his body sways? A revolution demands its price in blood - and Andor shows us what that means. After the disaster that has been pretty much everything Star Wars since, if I'm honest, Empire (with an aside for Rogue One as a one-off) - I'm beyond shocked that Andor, a side-series to a side-film, has proved so damn good.

Andor was outstanding. Its Star Wars done as a serious drama not some silly cowboys and Indians nonsense.

When yous love this for all the right reasons, I can't but love with all my self. TY for the unfettered tribute.

The thing that's crazy about people complaining that this isn't Star Wars is that it says precisely what George Lucas wanted to say in his films. I think that George would actually love this show and praise it for understanding his themes and telling the story so well.

Andor understands Star Wars and it understands neoliberalism.

Yep. I was skeptical, but watched this based on the comments of people whose opinions I respect. It's better than the prequels and sequels put together. I'm staggered that something this excellent got made at Disney.

Well said, and I couldn’t agree with you more.

I’ve been saying in some other videos that I don’t expect every Star Wars to be realistic and gritty. But what we should expect is excellent writing, direction, and production. Andor beats all the other Star Wars show in the departments that matter the most by a WIDE margin.

Don't know if my advice is warranted, but you really need to chill with text on the screen. You don't need to emphasize every single thing you say.

Watching in 2023, season two is in the making, the expectations are high, can season two be as spectacular as S1?

We're in agreement! 💎 I hope more give it a shot. #ScoopHash #StarWars #Andor

Karis Nemik death hit me harder than any other character death in Star Wars. When I watched Episode IV as a kid, Obi-Wan death was meh. Yoda death in VI was meh. Qui-Gon death as meh. Padme was meh, etc... etc... etc. When that kid got crushed I was devastated. He was he heart of the rebellion. First time Star Wars made me feel anything buy entertainment.

Although it's a very different story, Andor reminds me a lot of Kotor 2 with what a refreshing new take on the world it is.

Wonderful and exciting review. I've been watching a lot of reviews and I'm finding people coming out of the woodwork to support this series (i.e architects, electronic reviewers, Portrait artists). I agree with all you say and it's hard to add any more, nothing wasted, and every scene and word is important, every emotiondisplayed is equally affecting me as well. Yes, I agree that having no lightsabers/Jedi (even legacy mentions and cameos) is a blessing and provides better storytelling for this period of the Canon timeline that better illustrates the Empire's rutlesness on the population of the Star War Universe without having some Jedi step in to "Save the Day". Yes, the Jedi, Clones, etc. are important in those story arcs and are needed when necessary. But please Disney make those other series done with the same increadible writing going forward. That aside, aren't you glad that Andor was not made into a single 2-hour movie but instead giving us 12 episodes/hours of great entertainment? I wouldn't mind seeing any deleted scenes and the Gallery that will probably be created for this. Meanwhile, I'm your new subscriber. Keep up the great reviews.

I came into Andor expecting nothing, and I got everything I _needed._ This series _understands_ Star Wars on a level that I think only George Lucas and Dave Filoni understand. (Filoni haters touch grass, Rebels and Clone Wars and Bad Batch are amazing.) I'd be amazed Disney funded this, but then again, I know they don't need to listen. They just need to keep their numbers up.

I love that you gave Mon Mothma some love, she seems to be less recognised among other videos o RU-vid, though to be honest I thought this video was also about all the small side characters who all feel like real people you might meet, and some of whom just die without any ceremony and yet feel impactful.

Robot Head has a channel built upon negativity, it only makes sense he wouldn't get the most positive thing happening to Star Wars in ages

ANDOR is brilliant. Of all the Disney shows, it is the only one I could watch for more than an hour.

On my third or fourth rewatch, and it just keeps getting better.

AWESOME review! We’re re-watching the series next weekend back to back instead of weekly. Cannot wait!!!!

Andor isn't smothered in bad fan service. It's even hard to believe Disney funded this. Why didn't they pay closer attention to the writing early on? Maybe Tony Gilroy should've written the sequels. Lightsabers and Jedi's are no doubt cool but there's a wider universe of stories around the biggest one. Andor is connected to the larger story of the Empire, Vader and the Skywalkers, but it gives an insight into the growth of the Rebellion with strong characters with clear motivations.

Honestly Mon Mothma is my new favorite character in Star Wars. Genevieve O'Reilly is just #ChefsKiss in this role. She plays calm on the surface with turmoil inside so well. For me, though, this show was really all about the production design, from the sets and props to the costumes. I'm obsessed with the sterile dystopia/utopia dichotomy that is the Empire. This is a deep cut from a totally unrelated media, but The Empire reminds me of a line from the movie "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" in which Miss Brodie is walking around Edinburgh with her girls, notes the trash on the streets, and tells them that this is the kind of problem that Mussolini has solved in Italy. Fascism creates a false utopia where one might not have a lot of freedom for independent thoughts and ideas, but they do have incredibly an incredibly structured and ordered society that's clean and safe, and will support you if you play by the rules as set by the leader who knows what's best for the people. Add to this, the retro futurism in the production design, with a look of the future from a 1970s perspective, and this is just absolutely gorgeous.

Awesome review and 100% agree especially on the writing and dialog. I watched this show at work with a friend who doesn't speak eng and there wasn't a line of dialog in this show where it was embarrassing to translate.

Haven't been immersed by Star Wars' dialogue since Knights of the Old Republic II. Kudos to Tony Gilroy, that's a god-tier bar to reach. Of course, writing has never been Star Wars' best point, but still. Quite funny how both of them are lead by those who are not a massive fan of the franchise.

Andor ... Astonishing quality and archenemy of the sequel vomit trilogy !

Phenomenal world building...can't you see a spin-off series focused on the backstory of Luthern? What events in his life moved him to ignite the rebellion? His background has got to be brutally interesting. Does he have roots in the presumed extinct jedi religion? Something made him what he is in Andor and I'd love to see that unfold....but only, ONLY if it's done by the folks who gave us Andor.

Andor was amazing ! I couldn't believe it was Star Wars ! So rare ! It was so good , that I remember the droid B-1 made me shed a tear ! I was completely immersed in the story telling !

Every monologue in this was good, but none of them prepared me for Luthen's monolgue towards the end of the season, its really the high water mark of the whole series. It encapsulates everything that is going on and stops the viewer in their tracks. i stopped it halfway through, rewound it (showing my age) and then watched it again with full attention. It's like the writer took a shot of horse steroids right before sitting down to pen the speech. I am honing in, but you are correct in that so much of the writing here is SO WELL THOUGHT OUT. There are no wasted scenes, no wasted words, and you can watch the series again and again with different characters as your focus and their stories never fall apart. Great job on the breakdown, you hit the nail on the head.

We see the same story of this empire in real life today. Andor is so timely.

God, I really wish the Jedi really weren't running round at this time line like they are in Rebels. To me the biggest mistake was having the huge amount of Jedi being wiped out only 15 years before Andor and Star Wars makes me think that Vader is the only left after maybe the Jedi being wiped out for a hundred years or so. The Jedi were pretty much myth.

Robothead just wants to be mad.

I would DEFINITELY recommend people Watch Rogue One after Andor

Outstanding look at a great show. Well done.

great review!

Well put. You had me in the first 30 sec

The show that finally brought us to a galaxy far far away.

do you think all the rabid "fandom" will ever forgive Andor for not giving them a vander passage scene or wink to their toy collections lore trivia ...

There are only 2 things, that bug me and those are the unnecessary Andor child scenes and the lost plot line with andor's sister. Everything else was on point!

Yes it was that good, thank you ScoopHash. I would like a 4 season Luthen show now please.

What a great show.

Fantastic video dude

Absolutely!

Great video

Thank you