Star Wars: Andor | Season 2
(2025)

Star Wars: Andor - Season 2 ✨ 

The second and final season of the Emmy-nominated Star Wars series ANDOR has finally returned to Disney+ with the tall order of completing acclaimed director Tony Gilroy’s vision in cementing the dawn of the rebellion.

Rogue One (2016), as a stand-alone film, is not only a great Star Wars movie, but it’s also an incredible sci-fi story, so when I first heard they were making a series set before the events of Rogue One following Cassian Andor, my first question was, why?

I believe that anything in abundance will taint the quality of what started the infatuation, yet here I am, three years removed from the first season, having just completed the second, and now I want nothing more than to live in this version of a galaxy far, far away, with these characters and these stakes—just one more time.

ANDOR is Star Wars at its absolute finest.

From the gorgeous and immersive set designs that will have you living and breathing every corner of the galaxy to the performances that make you feel the burden of a freedom beyond the rebellion’s reach and the impressive way it simultaneously builds on the lore surrounding A New Hope while also creating a deeper emotional connection to everything that happens in Rogue One.

There’s so much richness in the execution of this story, but what I want to commend first and foremost is its mature storytelling.

Some people grew up through the original trilogy, there are others who were kids (like myself) when the prequel trilogy came out, and there’s set to be a whole new generation of fans who care about the sequel trilogy in ways others won’t. The one constant across all of those periods of Star Wars, at least in my opinion, is that they represent the childlike wonder of dreaming of something greater than yourself. As you get older, you begin to resent these new interpretations that feel like they’ve bastardized what you cherished out of those stories.

Instead of relying on tropes or Easter eggs, ANDOR chooses to respect the intelligence of its audience by understanding there are fans who have grown with time that deserve stories that are able to have themes of intrigue and provoke more thought than just good guy, bad guy, the end.

This series doesn’t rely on swashbuckling bounty hunters, or cool force users, ANDOR has well-rounded characters that make decisions based on the greater good of society, even if that clashes with their own well-being; there are others who are angered by those who call plays from the sidelines while they get their hands dirty in the trenches; then we have the philosophical debates amongst those who weigh the cost of losing a battle with the hope of winning the war.

What I enjoyed the most was the back-and-forth affair of political espionage, where the chessboard of power and control sets characters into positions like pawns so that either side can get a chance to get ahead at whatever attack may be coming their way.

In between those moments of intense conflict was the godawful storyline of Syril Karns that was given way more screen time than it needed or deserved.

I wasn’t a fan of how invested the first half of this season was in that particular character, and that’s in part due to Kyle Soller, who I felt was severely miscast, and his awkward performance was glaring, especially when up against scene-stealing heavy hitters like Stellan Skarsgård, Diego Luna, Anton Lesser, and the undeniable Genevieve O’Reilly.

What Genevieve O’Reilly captures with her commanding performance as Mon Mothma is a level of stoicism that the entire series centres around. This series was just as much about her as it was about Andor, and it’s all the better for it.

Though I had my worries after the first six episodes, which at times had a mission-of-the-week throwaway feel, the last six are some of the best pieces of Star Wars storytelling we have ever had.

ANDOR completes a rare, non-traditional, triumphant trifecta with two seasons and a movie, that creates the perfect beginning, middle, and end for these rebels who were just as integral to the war against the empire as any Force user ever was.

Tony Gilroy cooks up a brand-new recipe that is set to be the gold standard for Star Wars storytelling for years to come. 

Enjoy!

8.7/10 🍿 🎥

Runtime: 50mins

Episodes: 12

Where: New Episodes Stream Tuesdays on Disney+
Star Wars Andor Review (2025) The Richmond Reviewer - April 23rd, 2025.

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