It’s no question that Andor at least somewhat prides itself on being largely different from the rest of the Star Wars franchise. Chiefly, it prides itself on just being so damn good, but the freedom to cut loose with a more dramatic tonal approach is perhaps the premier fuel for that fire.
Indeed, in place of lightsaber duels and Yoda’s cheeky acrobatics are thick airs of political tension one could cut with a spoon, the gritty day-to-days of life under the Empire, and striking monologues from Stellan Skarsgård’s Luthen Rael. Without a doubt, this ain’t your mama’s Star Wars.
But showrunner Tony Gilroy‘s talent knows no fear nor boundaries, and the eleventh and penultimate episode in Andor’s first season reminded us all that this is still the Star Wars universe, with all the zany, if portioned, sci-fi tomfoolery it made a name for itself with.
Yesterday’s episode saw Cassian and fellow Narkina 5 escapee Ruescott Melshi continue their attempts to get as far away from the prison as they could, eventually finding themselves trying to steal a spaceship from native Narkinian aliens in hopes of escaping. It’s all for naught, however, as they’re spotted by the grouchy, gurgly aliens, named Freedi and Greedi, and subsequently caught in a goofy, Spider-Man-esque net trap for their civil transgressions.
It was a short scene, eventually ending with the aliens agreeing to smuggle the runaways out of the planet, but it was a healthy pinch of the cockamamie Star Wars shenanigans that Andor has largely ditched for its infinitely gripping yarn. It just goes to show that, at the end of the day, it’s all still Star Wars.
The first season of Andor is currently available to stream on Disney Plus, with new episodes releasing every Wednesday until its season finale on Nov. 23. A second season, which will also be its last, is currently in development.
