My Guide To "Andor"

Season 2 of Andor ended this past week, giving us 24 episodes of not only elite Star Wars content, but incredible TV-making and world-building in general. This shows gives context and backstory to the world of Star Wars, The Rebellion's origins, characters new and old, and so much more. It enhances all of Star Wars -- specifically the original series (episodes 4-6) and Rogue One. It also creates a unique viewing experience of those previous films -- the final episode of Andor leads straight into Rogue One, which then leads directly into A New Hope -- and watching them in succession creates a whole new experience/perspective.

Because I know many people still haven't seen this show, I don't want to get into specifics about what happens over it's run. I wanted to continue my series of post-season awards for shows that I think deserve it -- and Andor definitely does -- but I worry not enough people have watched. So instead, I'm going to do what I'm calling my "Guide to Andor," where I'll give background to the show, story, characters, and how it fits into the world of Star Wars. So people who have seen every episode, or just a handful, or zero, can read it all the same -- and hopefully those who haven't will be motivated to start after reading. Because it's truly one of the best shows I've ever seen, and my #1 show of 2025 thus far.

Characters

Familiar Faces

Cassian Andor (Diego Luna)

The main character and namesake of the show, Diego Luna's Cassian Andor returns from Rogue One. We see his backstory, upbringing, struggles against the Empire/ISB, and the story is told through his lens. Very complex character portrayed masterfully.

Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly)

Another Rogue One returner who also appeared in Return of the Jedi, albeit by a different actress. O'Reilly gets the opportunity to explore a side of the story that's never really been told -- the POV of an undercover rebel in the Senate.

Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker)

Everyone's favorite Rebel Extremist from Rogue One makes a few appearances in Andor as well. He's used in a very complementary role - not a main character by any means, but gets some great moments.

Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn)

One of the stars of Rogue One turned seldom-used side character in Season 2 of Andor. He was one of my favorite portrayals of an Empire/ISB worker in all of Star Wars, so I was pumped to see his return in S2.

New Characters

Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona)

The apple of Cassian's eye and one of his oldest friends, Bix is a female engineer on Ferrix when we meet her in S1. Fierce and capable, ingrained with hate for The Empire due to her past experiences, and an absolute rocket ship in a galaxy full of spacecraft.

Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard)

A mysterious figure who is one of the very first Rebel leaders and organizers. He recruits Cassian to the Rebellion and has a network of spies, agents, soldiers, and friends of the Rebellion. He drives the action and plot as much as anyone, and Skarsgard is on another level of acting.

Dedra Meero (Denise Gough)

Female Supervisor in the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB). Dedra is assigned Ferrix -- Cassian, Bix, and others' home planet -- to ensure their fealty to The Empire. Meticulous, vicious, ambitious, and smarter than the typical ISB Supervisor we've been shown in past installments.

Syril Karn (Kyle Soller)

Young man working for the ISB who has a staunch belief in Order and Justice that the Empire pushes. He's ambitious and committed to his work, but is constantly overlooked/under-appreciated. He's the Foil to Cassian, and their stories parallel one another often.

Kleya Marki (Elizabeth Dulau)

Luthen's right-hand-Woman, Kleya is the Queen of the Comms. She is instrumental to the secret rebel network as the main connector between Rebels across the galaxy. This is also the very first acting role of Dulau's career in film/TV -- and she's sensational).

Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay)

We meet Vel in Season 1 as the de facto Leader of a small group of Rebels on the planet Aldhani. She and Luthen enlist Cassian's help in a heist -- in which they aim to rob The Empire in a major way. Her intro leads to one of my favorite 3-episode arcs of the series, and she's a major part of the show as a whole.

Major Partagaz (Anton Lesser)

Dedra Meero reports to Major Partagaz (who you may recognize as Qyburn from Game of Thrones). He is responsible for identifying and destroying any and all Rebel activity across his sector -- and he's a very different ISB Official than you're used to seeing in previous movies/shows.

Wilmon (Muhannad Ben Amor)

Another Ferrix native alongside Bix and Cassian -- Wilmon has seen the horrors of the Empire firsthand and becomes a part of the Rebel Alliance.

When Does the Story Take Place?

This story begins 5 years before the events of the first Star Wars movie released - A New Hope. We are re-introduced to Cassian Andor, who in the opening scene commits an act that lands him on the ISB radar. We're introduced to his home planet of Ferrix, and we see his backstory and how he ended up here. We also meet several key characters here like Bix and Wilmon, and we're shown the ISB presence on Ferrix (and the torment they've put our characters through).

The Empire at this time is in the early-to-mid stages of their Order initiative. Their presence is felt throughout the Galaxy and they're implementing their sense of Justice on any and all unlucky citizens they meet. The specific ISB units we're introduced to are Dedra Meero and Major Partagaz's sector - a group of ISB supervisors assigned certain planets/areas in the galaxy, tasked with instilling order and squashing Rebel activity. We also meet Syril through the ISB lens as he's an ISB deputy inspector who winds up with a criminal case to solve.

Lastly, we're introduced to the very early-stages of the Rebel Alliance through Luthen Rael. When we meet Luthen, he is traveling to Ferrix to find Cassian (Luthen heard about Cassian's predicament, seeing it as a recruitment opportunity). From there, the doors open and the world of the Rebel Alliance expands, introducing us to Mon Mothma who's working as a spy in the Galactic Senate, as well as Kleya, the group of Rebels on Aldhani, and many more as the series goes.

What is the Story About?

The simplest way to explain the story/meaning of the show without spoiling anything is to say this: making morally complex decisions and making sacrifices for a cause greater than yourself. The line between good and evil isn't always black and white -- there are always going to be gray areas. The pursuit of something good can often include making regrettable, reprehensible decisions. Not everyone fighting for something good is a good person. And the flip side is also true -- just because someone is working toward a goal that you deem bad/evil, doesn't mean they're an evil person. Sometimes there are circumstances in life that are out of your control. Your upbringing, your environment, the values instilled in you at an early age -- so many things that you have no control of wind up contributing to the person you become.

A major theme of Rogue One is putting "the cause" ahead of your own life/well-being. In this case, that cause is The Rebellion -- something bigger than any one person apart of it. This is a vitally important theme in Andor as well. But it has the space and freedom to explore exactly what that entails, and how someone finds themself involved in such a cause. I find this to be the most powerful theme of the series, and I think aspects of that theme can be applied to every day life. Finding your purpose, finding what you're passionate about, putting others ahead of yourself at times, giving your all to something that matters and is important.

Another crucial aspect that I don't think people understand or know about this show (at least based on my conversations with people who haven't watched) is that this show is a full-blown Spy Thriller. It definitely touches on other genres -- Psychological thriller, action, crime, mystery elements, all while having a general Sci-Fi umbrella of Star Wars over it. But at it's core this is a Spy Thriller in TV form. At times it feels like you're watching a Jason Bourne movie.

Conclusion

A couple weeks ago, I wrote a blog after the first half of Season 2 of Andor had released. I will link that (also spoiler-free) blog below this one if you'd like to read it, because I go into more depth about what makes this show so special, to Star Wars fans and Non-fans alike. But if I could only give one recommendation to watch this show, this is what I would say:

If you watch TV to turn your brain off for an hour before bed, this probably won't be for you. But for me, I watch TV and movies to feel something. If I'm watching a scary movie, I want it to scare me. If I'm watching an Action movie, I want to be on the edge of my seat. This is a show that makes you feel every emotion. If you watch with intent, you'll create bonds with each character and you'll feel their emotions on a deeper level. Off the top of my head, there are 5+ moments over the 2 seasons that immediately come to mind that filled me with so much emotion that I was either cheering, crying, or had goosebumps/chills watching unfold.

I was also so sad when Season 2 ended that I immediately put on Rogue One and watched the whole movie -- the best Double Feature you can watch in the Star Wars realm to me. But yeah, this show rules and I wish more people I knew watched it. So if you're reading this and haven't watched, watch it so I have someone to talk to about it besides my keyboard.