Andor Season 2: Disney debuted the first trailer for Andor Season 2 this week, and the series still surpasses anything Star Wars has delivered in the past several years.
While that’s a testament to its quality, the only real standout besides it has been the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, which were both well-received.
Most of Star Wars’ recent TV projects have ranged from mediocre to disappointing, and there hasn’t been a new film in five years. The only real contender comes from the gaming side, but even Fallen Order, a game that I adore much and was released over five years ago.
Meanwhile, Survivor failed to keep me engaged past the midpoint, and while Outlaws is a well-made Ubisoft stealth-action game, it still doesn’t measure up to some of the most beloved Star Wars material right from the time original movie was released.
Keeping Timeless Techniques Alive from a Distant Era
What sets Andor apart is its reliance on classic filmmaking techniques, avoiding the usual shortcomings of Star Wars TV. Rather than using Stagecraft, an LED-based technology that projects digital environments, it opts for a more grounded and cinematic style.
While Stagecraft has been effectively utilized in films like The Batman, The Fabelmans, and the early seasons of The Mandalorian, it often results in environments that feel hollow, making actors appear as if they’re moving through an empty void.
This was a major drawback in Obi-Wan Kenobi, where the lack of rich, lived-in details stripped Star Wars locations of their signature depth and vibrancy.
Instead of relying on Stagecraft, Andor embraces practical sets and on-location filming, giving it a rich, authentic feel that carries over into season two.
While CGI is still present and is quite evident in shots of explosions and the Death Star in the trailer—the series maintains a tangible, lived-in quality by utilizing traditional filmmaking techniques.
A tweet recently went viral showcasing the heavy use of compositing in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire to recreate the New York Public Library, as filming on-site was considered impractical.
The tweet gained traction because it seemed absurd to digitally reconstruct a building, along with the cars and street in front of it—instead of simply selecting a different location or planning the shoot in a way that accommodated the real-world setting.
While some appreciate these techniques, many are frustrated when practical effects are swapped for digital recreations, making scenes feel less genuine. Andor takes a different path, embracing a more authentic approach.
Characters Over Cameos
Andor stays true to its own narrative, prioritizing character depth and storytelling over interconnected lore or nostalgic cameos to draw in viewers.
Andor includes familiar characters from the broader Star Wars universe, such as the main character, who was first seen in Rogue One. Saw Gerrera, a revolutionary leader, was introduced in The Clone Wars, and Mon Mothma, a secretly Rebel-aligned politician, made her debut in Return of the Jedi.
Andor thrives because showrunner Tony Gilroy isn’t a Star Wars fan, a perspective that works to its advantage. I found myself rolling my eyes when Jon Favreau described working on The Mandalorian and Grogu as “playing with action figures.”
Though it may be tempting for creators who grew up with Star Wars to treat it as a playground when they finally get involved, this doesn’t necessarily result in the best storytelling experience.
Luke Skywalker’s appearance at the end of The Mandalorian moved many Star Wars fans to tears, but for me, it marked the point where the series lost its appeal. Relying on a deus ex machina to resolve the season’s climax is a misstep, even if the “god in the machine” is an iconic character.
The sudden appearance of Luke in The Mandalorian felt like a crutch for the series, as he hadn’t been a part of Mando and Grogu’s story up to that point.
It implied that the show couldn’t carry its most important moment on its own and needed a familiar cameo to make it compelling.
Andor avoids using established characters for cameo appearances. Instead, Cassian Andor is the main focus, with Mon Mothma playing an essential supporting role to guide the audience through the Empire’s political landscape. Saw Gerrera is the nearest thing to a cameo in the first season, but his inclusion still feels meaningful to the plot.
Instead of using Saw Gerrera as merely a nod to the wider Star Wars universe, Gilroy leverages the character to explore deeper ideas, particularly through his ideological clash with Luthen Rael on revolutionary approaches
The season two trailer’s most exciting glimpses come from the return of familiar faces we met in season one, rather than from characters tied to earlier Star Wars stories. I’m especially eager to see what’s next for the complex characters Syril Karn and Dedra Meero.
TV allows for characters to grow and unfold over multiple seasons, adding new dimensions with each episode. What makes Andor’s return so exciting is that it’s not just another installment in the Skywalker tale. The setting might be familiar, but the journey is taking us into fresh, uncharted territory.
Andor Season 2 Trailer
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