Binge-worthy In Star Wars, empires are run by middle managers

In 2022, the first season of Andor made a great impression on critics and Star Wars fans by doing something no one believed was possible — in the story of the Rebel Alliance versus the evil Empire, the science-fiction series uncovered a gripping political thriller.

- John Lui

ANDOR 2 Disney+ ★★★★★

Showrunner and writer Tony Gilroy specialises in stories of men seduced into the arms of a corrupt regime, who later use their insider knowledge to topple the system, as seen in his screenplays for the legal thrillers The Devil's Advocate (1997), Michael Clayton (2007) and the first three Bourne spy films (2002 to 2007).

Set five years before the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), the prequel to Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), the series follows Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) as he moves from apolitical cynic to becoming the determined intelligence officer seen in Rogue One.

In the early episodes, he, like many of Gilroy's heroes, is complacent. He is a thief, living only for himself and his adoptive mother Maarva (Fiona Shaw). A brush with the brutality of imperial rule shakes him, so that by the end of the first season, he is a man with nothing to lose, ready to be recruited into the rebel cause.

The show's second and final season premiered on Disney+ on April 23. Here are three reasons to watch it.