While Andor ended its acclaimed two-season run over a year ago, the impact of the Emmy-winning Star Wars show is definitely still felt today. Series creator Tony Gilroy and co. sought to craft a series that would fit into the galaxy far, far away but also feel grounded and unique compared to what came before. With that, Gilroy had no problem making shrewd creative decisions. That even included making alterations to a major element of the (now-beloved) prequel trilogy that he disliked, and I’m glad he improved on this as well.
Anyone who’s watched Andor (which is streamable with a Disney+ subscription) likely knows the series features more than a few notable locations from the Star Wars universe. One of those is Couruscant, which serves as the capital of the Galactic Republic in the prequels and becomes the epicenter of the Galactic Empire in other media. It’s an important planet and, as revealed in The Art of Star Wars: Andor (The Complete Series), Gilroy was never a fan of how George Lucas’ prequels depicted it, and he only liked it in one separate instance:
The only piece of Coruscant that I liked, that really felt like it could be part of our show, was the bit that Gareth [Edwards] shot with Ben Mendelsohn and Mads Mikkelsen, a brief little flashback in Rogue. That’s the only piece of Coruscant that I thought was aesthetically consistent with what our show wanted to look like. So, we studied that. And then [ILM’s] Mohen [Leo] got involved.
Coruscant may be one of those fictional planets fans would love to visit, but Gilory wasn’t all that impressed early on for a key reason. Aforementioned visual effects artist Mohen Leo is also quoted in Phil Szostak’s book, and he laid out both Gilroy's issue with the location and how he wanted it to fit into his Rogue One spinoff show:
Tony basically said right from the start that he wants to set a lot of the action on Coruscant. But it has to feel like a real place. In the prequels, it’s very stylized But [for Andor], it was super important that it feel like a place where you could, something to the effect of, not just walk into the restaurant but walk into the kitchen behind the restaurant.
Gilroy and Mohan make fair points in that this particular spot on the Star Wars map doesn’t feel that dynamic in the prequels. It’s shown to be this pristine planet and, based on the movies, it almost feels like it couldn’t possibly have any lower-class areas, slums or even tangible, middle-class-populated areas.
So the creative team had to get to work, and Leo recalled a mantra of Gilroy’s that helped guide all that:
A phrase that Tony will often use for stuff like this is, ‘Throw it away’ We’re treating it as if it were New York or something you’ve seen a hundred times before. We’re not making a meal out of it, like, ‘Look at this crazy thing.’
Gilroy needed “The Lower Depths and High Society,” and he also desired a look for the planet that would be non-Marvel funk and non-soapy, wealth-porn slick.” In his eyes, it needed to be “vibrant but blemished” as well as “crazy, credible, and fascinating.” He and his team more than succeeded on that front, as viewers see varied sides of the planet. There’s the bright, upper-class district including the senate and Luthen Rael’s antique store, yet there are also the back alleys that serve as the backdrops for Rebellion-based meetings. And, of course, there are tangible areas like Cassian Andor and Bix Calleen’s safehouse as well as Dedra Meero’s apartment.
What continues to be evident to me is the sheer amount of hard work that went into making Andor. In terms of the Coruscant-relationed alterations, they collectively represent just one of the reasons why the show feels so grounded. Yes, Star Wars can (and should) feel heightened at times, but I love that this show presents a corner of this world that I feel like I could live in.
Grab Phil Szostak’s The Art of Star Wars: Andor (The Complete Series) in stores now! Also, if you’ve yet to see Andor for yourself or just want to rewatch, I wholeheartedly recommend giving it a watch on Disney+. Also, remain in the know on upcoming Star Wars movies and shows.
