Star Wars - Andor:
The Complete First Season
review by Bobby Blakey
Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm have been bringing a variety of new programming to Disney+ since its launch in 2019. Sadly, none of these shows were being released to physical media and could only be seen via the streaming service until 2023 when they dropped Loki Season 1, WandaVision and the first two seasons of The Mandalorian on 4K and Blu-ray. Now they are giving fans more of what they want with more new releases including Star Wars: Andor The Complete First Season on 4K and Blu-ray.
Star Wars: Andor follows Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make. The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It’s an era filled with danger, deception, and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero. This Rogue One prequel series features all the episodes from the first season and co-stars Kyle Soller, Stellan Skarsgard, Genevieve O’Reilly, Andy Serkis, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Forest Whitaker and more.
Being a fan of all things Star Wars, obviously I was already interested in this show, but it being directly connected to one of my favorites of the franchise Rogue One made it all the more interesting. This also lent the series into uncharted territory to do whatever it wanted to do, and the result is what most consider to be Star Wars for adults and an excellent addition to not only the franchise, but just a great damn show.
As great as this series is, it isn’t without its flaws. The first few episodes are incredibly slow paced and will no doubt be hard for some to connect with. This
series isn’t offering up the usual space battles, lightsabers and Sith/Jedi conflicts, but instead something deeper. We are finally getting to experience the other side of the Star Wars universe where politics and life just exist and aren’t interrupted by the world of the Skywalkers and the force. I love all that but was excited to see something new and different. This series brings all the drama and depth needed to bring a more mature story to the galaxy far, far away.
Once it gets past the set up and character introductions, we are treated to a multi-level story about more than just Andor himself. Obviously, the focus is on Andor, but there are a few other characters that we follow within the building rebellion and the Empire itself. This further builds on the universe we already know and instead of keeping us boxed into one place in the universe makes it so much bigger. The initial story is somewhat of a heist that is good, but some of the slower paced and not as interesting parts, but once we get past that it steps its game up.
It shifts into an entire prison escape story arc that is fantastic. The designs of the prison and mystery of it all keep you invested until it leads into the ultimate direction. This is not an action-packed show by any means but does offer some here and there. Instead, it’s a show that focuses on the characters and their journey. To my surprise there is very little in the way of leading towards Rogue One, but thankfully we have a second season to take us on that journey coming soon.
This awesome new release offers up not only all 12 episodes of the first season , but also bonus content including featurettes as well as collectible concept cards and brand-new box art designed by popular artist Attila Szarka.
Witness the first missions of the rebel when Star Wars: Andor – The Complete First Season hits 4K and Blu-ray on April 30th from Lucasfilm.
