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Andoris a fantasticStar Warsseries for a whole litany of reasons: the grounded perspective through which it presents the galaxy, the deeply nuanced way that Tony Gilroy and the writers engage with themes at the heart of the saga, the empathetic and articulate sculpted character work, etc. But one of the greatest strengths thatAndorhas brought toStar Warshas been the embracing of moral complications and grey areas, where once things seemed perhaps a bit too black and white.
Nowhere is this more apparent than inAndor’s storylines, which have served to curtail one of the biggest problems with the third act ofSolo: A Star Wars Story. Whereas that film ended on a note that felt woefully simple and trite in regards to the establishment of the Rebel Alliance,Andorhas diversified the storytelling approach in such an extreme way that it recontextualizes thatSoloending into something much more effective.
HowSolo: A Star Wars StoryRelates To The Rebel Alliance At Large
Solo: A Star Wars Storywas not a film without its own fair share of issues. The making of the spin-off was so tumultuous that original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were firedmidway through production, leaving Lucasfilm to scrambleand bring in Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard to complete the film. The resulting film is far better than its pre-release buzz or post-release reputation might suggest; a largely standalone film that features truly remarkable performances from Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo and Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian.
However, where the film does falter is in its sole connection to the larger mythos of the original trilogy. At the end of the film, Han Solo makes the decision to give the coaxium, which he and the team stole during the infamous Kessel Run, to Enfys Nest and her gang of Cloud-Riders. In response to this, Enfys tells him the coaxium is more than just fuel for their ships, but rather that it is “the blood thatbrings life to something new: a rebellion.”
While this is a nice culminating moment for Han as a character within the context of this individual film, the implication that his generosity is single-handedly responsible for gassing up the entire rebellion leaves a bit to be desired.Star Warsis this whole vast galaxy of storytelling, but this development makes it feel so microscopically small. Like the moment inThe Force Awakenswhere Harrison Ford’s Han Solo just so happens to have lost his precious Millennium Falcon to a junk-dealer from the same village on Jakku that Rey and Finn happen to be escaping from, or the moment inRogue Onethat holds audiences hands right up until the momentA New Hopebegins, it makesStar Wars’ galaxy feel tiny and insular rather than vast and full of potential. The idea that one person is responsible for providing the Rebel Alliance with fuel is simple-minded and singularly frustrating on a storytelling level; the idea that the one person is Han Solo is flat-out bad.
HowAndorIs Redefining The Entire Rebellion Movement From The Ground Up
However, in the wake ofAndor, this climactic moment inSolofeels far less definitive and grating. In covering the years leading up to the events ofRogue OneandA New Hope,Andorchronicles not just the origins of Cassian Andor as a rebel but also the Rebel Alliance as a whole. And in Tony Gilroy’s hands, the Rebellion’s origins aremessy, intricate, and splintered in fascinating ways. The Empire’s iron grip on the galaxy has spurred rebellions of all kinds in one form or another from all across the galaxy, and the real conflict ofAndoris in the central characters’ attempts to unite these disparate strands into anything resembling a unified front.
BecauseSolotakes place in 10 BBY (ten years before the Battle of Yavin which happens in the climax ofA New Hope, for the uninitiated) andAndorbegins in 5 BBY, the show’s treatment of the Rebellion has drastic implications about how thefuel which Han Solo gifted to Enfys Nestand her Cloud-Riders was ultimately utilized. Enfys Nest’s fate has yet to be revealed in any films, TV shows, or expanded media, but givenAndor’s developments, it’s safe to assume that Enfys Nest did not go off and start up the official Rebel Alliance with the fuel she acquired from Han Solo. Instead, she may very well have played an integral role in starting a “rebellion” as she mentions, but it wasn’t necessarilythe“rebellion.” This is far better from a storytelling perspective forSoloas a film, forAndoras a series, and forStar Warsas a whole.
AndorIs Proof ThatStar WarsCan Be More Than It Is As Currently Constructed Under Disney And Lucasfilm
In 1977,Star Warsbecame an international sensation because of its serialized and fable-esque qualities. However, in 1980, The Empire Strikes Back saw George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan, and director Irvin Kershner actively diving into the complexities and nuances at play between the stark black-and-white morality established in the first film. No longer was Darth Vader simply a bad guy in all black with a scary breathing mask, but the hero’s literal father.It blurred the lines between good and evilin the name of exploring the gray areas in between. Similarly,Andorhas now pulled off a similar feat in the recontextualization of spin-offs likeSolo.
