Star Wars fans continue to revel in the ever-growing treasure trove of content that Disney is adding to the story of a galaxy far, far away. Diego Luna reprises his role of Cassian Andor for the next offering of upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows — Andor. With the series set to be released to Disney+ subscribers on Wednesday, September 21, the first four episodes of the 12-episode first season were made available for screening, and those lucky viewers are taking to social media with their reactions. Fans have been hungry to learn more about Andor and its story of the thief-turned-Rebel, and it sounds like they’re in for a dark and exciting adventure.
As far as where Andor falls in the Star Wars timeline, the new series takes place about five years before the events of Rogue One. Andor is already set for a Season 2, and the story will take viewers right into the events of the 2016 movie. Along with Diego Luna, some other familiar faces will be seen in the series, along with some newcomers, as Andor also stars Genevieve O'Reilly, Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller and Fiona Shaw. Let’s get to the reactions, starting with CinemaBlend’s own Dirk Libbey. He’s pleased with what he’s seen so far, but says it takes a few episodes for the series to get going:
If you like Rogue One for all the ways it wasn't a typical Star Wars movie, then you'll probably like #Andor for many of the same reasons. It's a slow-burn character drama. Diego Luna is excellent and after the first four episodes, I'm excited to see where it goes next. pic.twitter.com/iWquehxxVeSeptember 16, 2022
Meredith Loftus of Collider calls the first four episodes a “big win,” and along with an impressive story, she praises the score and says new droid B2EMO is “everything”:
I've seen the first 4 episodes of #Andor & it’s a big win for me. Very impressed by the story, filled out by morally ambiguous characters. There’s definitely some *Leo pointing to the TV* moments. All in all, it’s grounded, beautifully shot, & can’t wait for more pic.twitter.com/G9huor9TqXSeptember 16, 2022
Peter Sciretta of Slashfilm is one of several people commenting on the darker mood of Andor, calling it “more adult” than previous Star Wars projects:
#Andor is great! It feels more adult than most of the Star Wars stories recently. It doesn’t have cute creatures or funny droids, it instead feels like an elevated slow burn premium cable tv series. I’ve seen the first 4 episodes and am very excited to see more! pic.twitter.com/fKhd3RaiHoSeptember 16, 2022
David Chen says he has become disenchanted with the Star Wars franchise over the past few years, but Andor made him so excited about its characters and what it has to say that he became emotional:
I’ve seen the first 3 eps of #Andor and I say this with the utmost conviction: this is going to be the show that gets me back into Star Wars. ANDOR introduces new, memorable characters, plus an intriguing arc for Andor. And it actually has something to say!Ep 3 is spectacular. pic.twitter.com/6iV23ot6NaSeptember 16, 2022
The Skytalkers podcast agrees with CinemaBlend’s Dirk Libbey that a three-episode premiere is perfect because Episode 3 is so impressive:
#Andor is incredible, one of the boldest things Star Wars has ever done. The three episode premiere is absolutely perfect, and the third episode is some of our favorite Star Wars ever. It’s thrilling, expansive, and timely.September 16, 2022
Sam Hargrave of The Direct thinks Andor is the biggest departure from the franchise and calls it the best-looking of the streamer’s original offerings yet:
#Andor is the biggest departure from the #StarWars formula yet and it thrives for it! It's a dark and mature story of the start of the Rebellion - one that may not appeal to all fans. The scope and practical visuals are immense, perhaps the best-looking Disney+ original yet!September 16, 2022
It sounds like those who had the opportunity to screen the first four episodes of Andor are really excited about what the series is going to add to the franchise. The show, like Rogue One, had a different feel to it than other stories in the universe, and it seems like fans can’t wait for the rest of Season 1 to drop! The first three episodes of Andor will be available on Wednesday, September 21, with a new episode released each Wednesday thereafter.
In the meantime, be sure to check out the Andor video interviews CinemaBlend Managing Editor Sean O’Connell did with Diego Luna, Genevieve O’Reilly, Denise Gough, Adria Arjona and Kyle Soller.
