‘Andor' Season 2 Review: A Masterpiece, Some Of The Best ‘Star Wars' Ever Made

Forbes

21-04-2025

Andor
There has never been anything quite like Andor in the Star Wars universe. Rogue One comes closest, which makes sense given that Andor is a prequel to that film, which is itself a prequel to A New Hope.
Prequels are especially challenging. If you know what happens in the end, how do you craft a story that still has stakes? How do you create tension when, for instance, you know the lead character has to survive in order to appear in Rogue One? Few prequels succeed for these very reasons.
One of the most successful prequels ever made is Better Call Saul, which takes place in the years leading up to Breaking Bad, but instead of focusing on Walter White or Jesse Pinkman, tells the story of Jimmy McGill, aka Saul Goodman. Better Call Saul works not only because it's incredibly well-written, acted and produced, but because it introduces a whole cast of new characters to the story, whose fates are uncertain. While we know what happens at the end of Breaking Bad, we don't know the fates of characters like Nacho, Kim, or Charles McGill.
Andor succeeds as a prequel for similar reasons. Over the course of two seasons, we not only dig deep into the life and times of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) but a host of other characters, many of which are introduced in the series. We don't know what the fate of any of them will be. There is the ruthless spymaster Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) and his mysterious assistant Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau). Andor meets other spies like Vel (Faye Marsay) and Cinta (Varada Sethu). And he has friends like Bix (Adria Arjona) and Brasso (Joplin Sibtain).
Dedra Meero
On the other side of the revolutionary divide, the show introduces us to some terrific new villains. Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) is perhaps the most complex and fascinating female character ever written for Star Wars, and certainly one of its most compelling bad guys. Syril (Kyle Soller) is another newcomer, an Imperial agent whose ambitions outstrip his capabilities.
Plenty of new characters were introduced and killed off in Season 1. Nemik (Alex Lawther) the idealistic revolutionary whose writing about the brittle nature of authority I still find inspiring. Andor's adoptive mother, Maarva (Fiona Shaw) posthumously gave one of the most rousing speeches in Star Wars history. Kino Loy (Andy Serkis) helped lead the prisoner revolt on Narkina 5.
The fate of all of these characters is a mystery to us going in, and Andor succeeds by making us care about each and every one of them. We know what happens to Andor, and to the Death Star, and plenty of what comes in the future of Star Wars, but we don't know where all these characters end up, and this keeps us invested in each of their stories, as each one hurtles toward the inevitable, toward the Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the Death Star.
Syril Karn
The first season of Andor was all about Cassian's transformation from smuggler to revolutionary. The season built up slowly, taking its time. Andor was drawn into Luthen's network of spies, joining an impossible heist to rob an Imperial payroll on Aldhani to the tune of over 80 million credits. This was still not enough to revolutionize him. When he was arrested for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and sent to a labor prison on Narkina 5, he began to see the true depth of injustice the galaxy faced under Imperial rule. But it wasn't until his return to Ferrix, where the death of Maarva spurs an all-out rebellion in the streets, that Andor finally chose to join Luthen.
The events of Season 2 pick up roughly a year later, and each 'chapter' of three episodes leaps a year closer to the Battle of Yavin. Season 1 took place around BBY 5, and we march closer and closer to Luke Skywalker's victory at the Death Star every three episodes in Season 2. Structurally, there are similarities to Season 1, which was also divided into chapters, but the time-jumps make the second season feel even more like several interconnected stories. This isn't a bad thing. It was one of the best parts about Season 1, and here it's even more distinct.
Cassian Andor
The biggest change between seasons, however, is in its move toward all-out spycraft. This is very much a spy vs. spy story, as Imperial agents both in and out of the ISB spin their webs on the planet Ghorman, while nascent rebel groups attempt to push back against the Empire. Andor, Luthen and the other rebel spies are desperately trying to figure out what the Empire is up to, while Dedra and other Imperial spies try to uncover rebel sects, laying traps along the way.
Meanwhile, we continue to follow Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) as she navigates the perilous halls of Chandrila and Coruscant, aiding the rebel cause both in the shadows and from her lofty, if precarious, perch in the Senate. Alliances are tested and fractious rebels rarely see eye-to-eye. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the strained relationship between Andor and Luthen.
Like Season 1, each block of three episodes forms its own contained story, but larger narrative threads bind each chapter together. Also like the first season, the second starts off a bit slow, ramping up the action and tension as the season progresses, with little pockets of mayhem scattered throughout, usually toward the end of each chapter.
It's engrossing from the start, as we learn where each character has been and what they've been up to since we last saw them in the explosive Season 1 finale. Some of this I found quite surprising, actually, though I won't spoil that here. Nor will I spoil the fates of these heroes and villains, though I will say that while you might see some of them coming, others are quite shocking.
Director Krennic
The performances are riveting throughout. Diego Luna is brilliant, of course. Skarsgard never has quite the moments he has in Season 1, but Luthen Rael remains one of the most complex and fascinating characters ever written for a Star Wars offering. Dedra's arc is quite brilliant from start to finish as well, and Gough is mesmerizing in every scene-stealing moment.
We get more from some of the characters who were glossed over a bit in Season 1. Kleya is perhaps the character that benefits most from more screentime and fleshed out backstory. Young Wilmon Paak (Muhannad Bhaier) is also given a much larger role this season. We also revisit some characters from Season 1, like the mad rebel leader Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) as well as other Star Wars characters I can't mention without spoiling things. Don't worry, Season 2 never slides into fan-service. This is still not a show about Jedi or Skywalkers or Darth Vader, though we do get some delicious moments with Director Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn).
Bix also gets a larger role throughout Season 1, though for much of it she is living with the trauma of her torture in Season 1 at the hands the nefarious Doctor Gorst (on orders from Dedra Meero) who still haunts her dreams.
Bix
This is an even darker season than the first. It's certainly more adult than any other Star Wars show or film I've seen, with drug use and the threat of sexual assault, as well as moments of intense violence. Thematically, it doubles down on the nature of authoritarianism and the power of resistance, laying bare the Empire's use of lies and propaganda, fearmongering and oppression. This is not just a great Star Wars show, but a great political thriller regardless of its fictional universe or genre.
It's also beautifully produced. The costume design is simply without parallel. I was especially impressed by the scenes taking place on Mon Mothma's home planet of Chandrila, but all throughout the season we are constantly rooted in a sense of place thanks to the brilliant costume and set design, whether we're wandering the halls of the ISB on Coruscant, hurrying through the hushed streets of Ghorman, or wandering the rainy jungles of Yavin 4. And Season 2 takes us to various other locations I won't name here.
Mon Mothma
If I had to quibble at all, it would be a small one. The introduction of video in a couple different scenes earlier on in the series feels very out of place in Star Wars. I'm trying to remember if videos were ever shown in previous shows or movies, but I can't think of any. Typically, in this universe you only see people watching holograms. But this is a small (if somewhat jarring) addition here that I think is easy enough to look past.
My only other complaint is that this is it, that we'll get no more Andor and it's unclear if Tony Gilroy and his team will make any other Star Wars content in the future. That's a shame, simply because this is so much better than anything else we've seen in this universe. And I include the original trilogy here. While that holds powerful nostalgia over me, and while I love Luke Skywalker and Han Solo and Princess Leia and the droids and Chewbacca all so much, and find their adventures thrilling and magical, Andor just takes all of this and strips away the epic hero's journey and the magical Force and leaves us with a political thriller that is at once intense and deeply human. It's the story of ordinary, complicated people struggling for survival, willing to risk everything for a chance at freedom. The final scene of the Season 2 finale left me deeply emotional.
Luthen Rael
I had to go put on Rogue One immediately. Andor is a perfect Star Wars show and a masterclass in crafting a prequel. It enriches everything that follows, making not only Rogue One but the original trilogy itself more powerful and meaningful in the process. There is nothing quite like it. Andor's second season is brimming with intense action, suspenseful spy games and a tremendous cast of rich characters, all in a power struggle for the future of the galaxy that will leave you breathless, inspired, terrified and emotionally devastated by its powerful conclusion. I can't wait to watch it all over again.
Scattered Thoughts
I'll have weekly recap/reviews for each 3-episode chapter here on this blog so be sure to follow me here and on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook. I'm always excited to discuss these shows with readers.
Watch my video review below: