First, why I didn't expect to like the show: Hype. One of the things I've started to hate about the internet and especially twitter is the rampant drooling over things to the point of sycophancy. Even when it's things I like, the more I see people drooling the more it turns me off.
To make that even worse, everything has become political. And no I don't mean the plot/story, but the way people respond to shows(or movies). If people interpret a show's "message" as agreeing with a certain RL political ideaology it's automatically hated by the other side, and TBH the entire thing disgusts me.
Lastly, I'm pretty mixed on what Disney has done with Star Wars so far.
So anyway, even as someone who has been a SW fan their whole life, for the reasons mentioned above I wasn't really expecting to like the show.
But, I did. No, I don't think it's some kind of perfect "masterpiece" or the second coming of SW Jesus like the sycophants on twitter. But I did think it was a well made, well acted, and interesting story.
And that's really all I have to say about the show at this point, obviously not knowing whether the rest of the series will change how I feel. But I wanted to post this for any folks out there like myself who may be turned off by the same kind of behavior I described earlier, to say that regardless of that nonsense you may still enjoy the show.
0
Comments
I will admit The Force Awakens was a decent start, if a bit too heavy leaning into A New Hope rehash. The Last Jedi was a total trainwreck, and Rise of Skywalker was pure damage control and confusion.
Oh man, don't even get me started on the movies. I could write a novel about them, but I'll sum it up in one thought:
Imagine making a sequel trilogy to the most popular franchise of all time (sorry Trek) and not having the 3 main classic/legacy characters on screen together even ONCE in all 3 movies.
It just defies all belief.
But anyway, that's not what I posted this thread
Although if you think about it... I can name two characters who have been in far more movies. Artoo and 3PO.
Example: the gorn in Strange New Worlds. Ignore that Kirk's was the first encounter with them: they read more like the Masterverse Fek'lr found on this forum than TOS gorn, and they were encountered two decades before Kirk built his cannon on Vasquez Rocks. New Trek is full of such 'fixes' that don't really fix anything.
Taken for what it was, Andor has been a very good addition to the Star Wars Universe. I have not really 'liked' the protagonist. We wouldn't hang out if we met in real life, (though I bet the actor is a great wingman.) But he is very engaging within the context of the story.
Critiques:
Lean into lucky hero stereotype and lean hard.
Coincidences happen, but in a galaxy filled with trillions and trillions of beings, why do all the main characters of every story arc have to be related? Next we'll find out Andor was Darth Vader's cousin's college roommate.
The wealthy and the poor characters dominate, but there are many more middle-class struggling to make it. We meet only two. All the rest are background scenery. This is unfortunate, because real world history shows that the middle class is the deciding vote in the success or failure of any revolution. It would be nice to see why Average Joe supports, or rebels against, the Empire.
Credits:
Few long soliloquies on 'issues'. The reasons why characters do what they do are contained within dialogue that is a part of the story, and the story proceeds logically from what is shown on screen.
No deus ex solutions or random twists that come out of nowhere.
No impossible magic outside of established lore that makes previous storytelling irrelevant.
So far, no glaring oversights that make the story irrelevant, such as Amy's pointing out how irrelevant Indiana Jones was in Raiders of the Lost Arc.
The origins of words that sound made up, like Vulcan (God of War) and Andor, often surprise me.
Where does the name Andor come from?
The name Andor is boy's name of Hungarian origin meaning "manly". Unusual but accessible multi-cultural choice. In Greek culture, one of many variations of Andreas, including Androu and Ander.
R2D2 is the hero of every movie.
#LegalizeAwoo
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
"We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"