Star Wars: Andor isn’t “a show for 9-year-olds”

Tony Gilroy is the creator of the upcoming Andor TV show, which premiers on September 21 and is a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The show will be a little grittier than what we’re used to in Star Wars, and will highlight stories about average people struggling to get by under the harsh reality of the Empire’s iron grip.

In a recent interview with Variety, Gilroy outlined his inspiration behind this new take:

"I wanted to do it about real people. They’ve made all this IP about the royal family, in essence. It’s been great. But there’s a billion, billion, billion other beings in the galaxy. There’s plumbers and cosmeticians. Journalists! What are their lives like? The revolution is affecting them just as much as anybody else. Why not use the Star Wars canon as a host organism for absolutely realistic, passionate, dramatic storytelling?"

Gilroy served as a co-writer on Rogue One and helmed extensive re-shoots that turned the film into a billion dollar smash hit.

Gilroy was not initially involved with Andor, which in its early stages focused on titular character Cassian Andor and the droid K-2S0 in a buddy team-up type of story. Disney sent Gilroy the script, which he said would not work. He sent back a version he described as a “radical idea” that would become the basis of the show coming out next month.

That crazy idea will introduce us to dozens of new characters on previously unseen planets, with the formative years of the Rebel Alliance as a backdrop. Some familiar faces will be appearing as well, including Saw Gerrera and Mon Mothma. However, Gilroy is being careful to avoid “fan service.”

Finally: brothels in Star Wars

Andor’s story called for onsite shoots and fully constructed sets, which include sprawling cities with housing projects and brothels. This is one of the ways Andor is attempting to break away from the family-friendly nature of virtually every Star Wars movie and TV show over the franchise’s 45-year history:

"I don’t think it’s a show for 9-year-olds. We are an adventure story, we are a thriller. And in a really abundant way, we’re creating a lot of IP. You should be able to watch the show and not give a s**t about Star Wars ever or have ever seen any Star Wars. The hope, and 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."

I have to say, this all sounds like a breath of fresh air to a lifelong fan like myself. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy all the grand space opera elements that make Star Wars fun. But I think the franchise will benefit greatly from a more adult take on the galaxy far far away. Let’s face it: most of the hardcore fans will watch anything that has the name Star Wars slapped on it. But a fresh take could bring in new audiences and potentially take the franchise in a bolder direction that feels more relatable.

Season 1 of Andor will feature 12 episodes taking place five years prior to Rogue One, while season 2 will cover the next four years and take us straight into Jyn Erso’s story. I have a feeling that we will look back at Gilroy’s version of Andor as a watershed moment that steered the franchise in a new direction.

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