The small screen Star Wars shows have leaned heavily into fan service, callbacks, nostalgia, and Easter Eggs, which is fair enough when the franchise has endured as one of the most beloved brands in pop culture for 45 years and counting. However, Andor showrunner and executive producer Tony Gilroy isn’t interested in putting on those rose-tinted glasses.
Instead, the filmmaker sought to create an episodic experience that can be enjoyed by anyone, even those who’ve previously been unfamiliar or simply uninterested in a galaxy far, far away. While that sounds like an obvious approach to take, it’s nonetheless a trap that countless properties repeatedly find themselves falling into.
Speaking to Variety, the Academy Award nominee explained his reasons for having Andor carve its own path through canon, and it’s a sentiment we wish more top-tier IPs would adopt.
“You should be able to watch the show and not give a shit about Star Wars ever, or [have ever] seen any Star Wars. This show should work on its own. The hope, the dream, is that the really hardcore Star Wars community will embrace the show in a new way — that they’ll be thrilled to have someone come in and completely uncynically get down molecularly in their world and treat it like a real thing.”
Not only that, but he’s also reiterated that Andor won’t be a candy-colored, kid-friendly Disney experience, with the hard-hitting series set to offer a rougher side of the universe to Disney Plus subscribers.
“I don’t think it’s a show for 9-year-olds, probably. We are an adventure story. We are a thriller. And in a really abundant way, we’re creating a lot of IP. Some of it’s ground level: products and TV shows, all kinds of things. They’re all brand new.”
Gilroy certainly talks a good game, but the disheartening thing is that we won’t be finding out for almost a month whether Andor can walk the walk, with the show recently being pushed back to a September 21 premiere.