Star Wars’ Best TV Show Breaks The Empire Strikes Back’s Biggest Rules

Star Wars’ best TV show, Andor, has already broken several rules established in The Empire Strikes Back halfway through its second and final season, but that rule-breaking is precisely why it ranks so highly among Star Wars’ best TV shows. Andor is one of the two most recent additions to Star Wars’ movies and TV shows, along with Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld, which was just released. Interestingly, both shows are set in the Dark Times (or, at least partially, in the case of Tales of the Underworld).

Whereas Tales of the Underworld is primarily focused on the Jedi survivors of Order 66 during this era, Andor is entirely focused on the rebel efforts at this time. This automatically draws a connection between Andor season 2 and the original Star Wars trilogy, as those movies were, of course, also centered on the Rebel Alliance. However, there are a number of key differences between Andor season 2 and the original Star Wars trilogy, which is in part due to Andor season 2’s willingness to break The Empire Strikes Back’s rules.

Andor Moves Away From Star Wars’ Greatest Heroes & Villains

Andor Is Not Focused On The Skywalker Family Tree Or Even The Jedi

One of the key differences between Andor season 2 and the original Star Wars trilogy is who the stories are focused on. In the case of the original trilogy, the galaxy’s greatest heroes take center stage. Initially, it seemed as though Luke Skywalker was a relative nobody, just a Force-sensitive young man who had dreamed of becoming something greater. However, The Empire Strikes Back confirmed that Luke was actually connected to one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy, as it was confirmed that Darth Vader was really Luke’s father.

The trilogy then doubled down on the importance of the Skywalker family tree, with Leia also confirmed to be a Skywalker by blood in Return of the Jedi. In that sense, several of the main characters in the original trilogy are part of one of the most influential, important families in the galaxy. This choice was perfectly described in Once Upon A Galaxy: A Journal Of The Making Of The Empire Strikes Back by Alan Arnold, which explains, “We are dealing with kings and queens, people of immense power.”

Purchase Once Upon A Galaxy: A Journal Of The Making Of The Empire Strikes Back

This is explicitly not what showrunner Tony Gilroy wanted to focus on in Andor. In fact, essentially confirming there will be no Darth Vader cameo in Andor season 2, Gilroy explained:

“Like I said, the galaxy is enormous. It would be like if you tried to tell the whole history of 20th-century England just through ‘The Crown.’ ‘Oh, there’s only this royal family, these seven people, their lineage and who they’re [expletive] — that’s all that matters.’ We will not be dealing with the royal family of ‘Star Wars.’ When we have legacy characters return, or when we touch on things that are familiar, we don’t want to do it in a way that would be perceived as fan service. We want it to be protein.”

This is essentially the inverse of what was done with The Empire Strikes Back, and it directly pushes back against the idea that “the royal family of Star Wars” should be the focus, at least not all the time.

Andor’s Rebels Will Do Anything To Win

This Is A Major Change From Leia’s Rebels

Yet another major difference between Andor season 2 and the original trilogy, specifically The Empire Strikes Back, is the lengths each group of rebels will go to in order to win. In the same book, Once Upon A Galaxy: A Journal Of The Making Of The Empire Strikes Back, it explains:

“Princess Leia’s Rebel forces will not do anything in order to win. They will not sacrifice lives. They do not descend to the level of the enemy.”

This was shown time and again in the original trilogy, in which Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, Han Solo, and many others refused to compromise their morals and their values to defeat the Empire.

Yet, Andor season 2 has shown the exact opposite, with the rebels very obviously willing to make ethically questionable choices (to say the least). Saw Gerrera is a key example of this, as he is willing to do any amount of damage—including to his own rebel comrades—if it means a chance to take down the Empire. This is an interesting turn, and it may be poorly received by some who feel this undermines the differences between the Empire and the Rebellion, but this in part has to do with the unique focus of Andor.

Andor Has Completely Abandoned The “Breathlessness” Of Star Wars

Andor Is Focused On The Boots-On-The-Ground Experience, And That’s Why It’s So Brilliant

This shift away from Star Wars’ so-called ‘royal family’ also meant a change in overall tone. That is, in Once Upon A Galaxy: A Journal Of The Making Of The Empire Strikes Back, author Alan Arnold describes Star Wars as “telling a story breathlessly.” This again reinforces the ways in which the original trilogy was all about the biggest names and most influential heroes in the galaxy. Andor is once again the complete opposite of that, focusing instead on the boots-on-the-ground, everyday people’s efforts against the Empire.

This unique focus is precisely why Andor is such an exceptional addition to Star Wars, though. This shift has led to truly groundbreaking moments in the franchise, such as the first use of the word “rape” on screen in Star Wars and the first on-screen lesbian kiss between featured characters. In addition to these innovations, though, Andor is simply a fresh, grittier, arguably more relatable representation of what rebellions such as this one require.

Change is rarely welcomed with open arms in this franchise, and it remains to be seen how Andor season 2 will be received when it reaches its end. However, it’s thrilling to see Andor season 2 take Star Wars in such a different direction, while still remaining connected to myriad other Star Wars shows and movies, particularly those set around this era. Andor season 2 really is breaking all the rules established in The Empire Strikes Back, but it’s totally paying off.