Just about every element of Andor was a breath of fresh air for the Star Wars universe. It was a groundbreaking leap forward for a franchise that’s felt unpleasantly stuck in the past for years. While it is so different from the works that came before it, it’s also so impressively tied to the beloved 70s classic that it feels more like a leap forward than a new horizon. One of the series’ most impressive accomplishments is how much it packs into a single season, and Andor season two will maintain the arc-based structure that made that possible.
The Star Wars franchise seems to be floundering. Disney announces and renounces decisions at an almost stunning pace, unveiling the next new thing five minutes after they’ve canceled the last new thing. It’s a sign of a company that isn’t certain what to do with one of the most profitable multimedia empires ever built. The modern streaming era has created cracks in almost every reliable hitmaker, leaving fans to find solace in the rare moments of quality, like Andor.
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Andor Season One Told Its Story in Arcs
|
Creator |
Tony Gilroy |
|---|---|
|
Stars |
Diego Luna, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, and Stellan Skarsgård |
|
Episodes |
12 |
|
Release Date |
September 21, 2022 |
|
Season 2 Release Date |
April 22, 2025 |
Andor has the most episodes of any single season of any live-action Star Wars show. All three seasons of The Mandalorian, as well as Ahsoka and The Acolyte, have eight episodes, while The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi have fewer. That’s not to say that episode count is any metric of quality, but it is a notable distinction. Most of Disney+’s original series have the unusual feeling of a movie stretched out to allow for weekly releases. Boba Fett was the worst culprit, but nearly all the Star Wars live-action shows feel like they waste a fair amount of time. In its first couple of episodes, Ahsoka sticks its deuteragonist with a severe wound that seems to exist first to fake out audiences and second to keep her moving through the next few plot beats at a leisurely pace. With that expectation in place, fans probably imagined Andor focusing on a single story beat and puttering out after a few entries. They were pleasantly surprised.
The 12 episodes of Andor are broken into four uneven arcs in a way that feels more common to anime than to live-action sci-fi shows. The first three entries set the stakes and get Cassian Andor out of his status quo. That leads into the Aldhani arc, which begins in episode four and wraps up neatly at the end of episode six. Most Star Wars shows would probably stop there, ending with the conclusion of the excellent heist story with the same number of episodes as Obi-Wan. Instead, Andor delivers the finest few episodes in the history of the franchise with the Narkina 5 arc. It’s longer than the other three arcs because it’s the best part of the show, starting in episode seven and concluding in episode ten. Finally, the last two episodes form a conclusive mini-arc. The show follows four storylines that have defined beginnings and endings that each have a massive impact on everything that follows. It’s a brilliant way to handle the show’s structure.
Andor Season Two Will Do It Again
After a very long wait, Disney updated fans on the release date for Andor season two. The show will drop on Disney+ on April 22, 2025, with another twelve episodes. Creator Tony Gilroy was happy to get deep into the structure and timeline of the series. While season one broke itself into compelling arcs, it covered a considerable period of time. The season takes place over a year, but the second will comprise the following four. Gilroy explained that each block of three episodes will take place over a few days before jumping another year. It’s intended to bridge the entirety of the gap between Andor season one and Rogue One. This will be the final season of Andor, covering an impressive length with separate arcs, arguably using season one’s gimmick with even more ambition.
More Star Wars Shows Should Use This Structure
Of the live-action shows in the Star Wars universe, only Andor and The Mandalorian have particularly interesting structures. While Andor works in arcs, The Mandalorian tells mostly standalone episodic stories with overarching story details. Not every episode contributes to the overall narrative, leaving the armored space dad free to explore fun sidequests for half of each season. The other shows are arguably more focused, but they also suffer from tons of filler and the general feeling that they should have been cut down to feature length. Interesting structures can make these Star Wars shows stand out among the franchise and keep audiences interested through the weekly release schedule.
Andor remains one of the finest shows of the last few years, Star Wars or otherwise. Its brilliance inhabits practically every element of the series. Playing with the show’s structure is one of Tony Gilroy’s most fascinating ideas, and it should become more common in the galaxy far far away.
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