Why TV Shows LIke Andor and Ahsoka Can Coexist In Star Wars
For better or worse, some fans negatively compare Ahsoka and Andor, but the Star Wars galaxy was designed for stories like this to coexist.
When George Lucas first set out to make a science fantasy film in the style of the serials he loved growing up, he couldn’t have known just how big it would get. Now that Disney is in charge of Star Wars, some fans lament the loss of his singular creative vision. Yet, with Dave Filoni’s recent promotion, the galaxy far, far away is bigger than ever before. Disparate series like Ahsoka and Andor can coexist in Star Wars because, despite their differences, neither show lost sight of what these stories were meant to be. Lucasfilm recently announced Dave Filoni’s promotion to Chief Creative Officer, meaning much like Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige, every story in this universe crosses his desk. Those in the Star Wars fandom who know him best from animated fare like Star Wars: Rebels or The Clone Wars balked at this news.
Filoni’s most recent project was Ahsoka, a show populated with characters from both animated series and full of Force lore. Critics of this move point to this series, or the episode of The Mandalorian he directed, comparing them uncharitably to Andor. However, Filoni made his storytelling bones working side-by-side with George Lucas. As much as the Filoni-led projects connect to other stories in the saga, Lucas was especially adamant Star Wars continue to evolve and grow. During a roundtable discussion in Disney Gallery: Star Wars The Mandalorian, Filoni spoke eloquently about how kids “need” the kind of hopeful stories Star Wars is known for. What his critics may not realize, however, is that Andor is the kind of hopeful stories adult Star Wars fans need. Perhaps more than anyone else at Lucasfilm, Filoni understands those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.
When news of Dave Filoni’s promotion made it to social media, critical Star Wars enthusiasts lamented the move. Seemingly forgetting that the major characters from Andor, including Cassian himself, were Star Wars legacy characters, they suggested he would force familiar characters into the narrative where they don’t belong. Some on Twitter/X even posted statements making violent threats towards Filoni, proving as much as they “love” Star Wars, they certainly missed many of its critical lessons. In this case, Ahsoka shares critical themes with Andor, despite their disparate tones and settings.
Andor appealed to so many disaffected fans of George Lucas’s universe because it’s the first Star Wars story to “age” with them. The movies appeal to a broad demographic, but they are primarily stories for children. Andor, with its meditations on political revolution and safe-for-broadcast-TV sex scene, was clearly for adults. Season 2 will track the years between the Season 1 finale and the beginning of Rogue One. Even before Filoni’s promotion, it’s expected classic Rebel characters will appear.
The type of narrative synergy Filoni will bring to Andor or any other story isn’t about familiar faces like Admiral Ackbar. Star Wars: The Bad Batch is the opposite of Andor, at least in terms of target audience. Yet, for all the links to the sequel trilogy’s cloning storyline and familiar characters from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, it shared similar themes. From the exploitation of human labor to how dictatorships rule by fear, The Bad Batch takes these ideas and packages them in a way children can understand and relate to. Filoni understands what Star Wars is about at its core, and it’s not about cameos and adorable aliens.
Despite the conflict and struggles, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor Season 1 all end with a hint of the most valuable resource in politics: Hope. “Star Wars is something that ultimately should make people feel…good. It should feel uplifting,” Filoni said in the 2022 interview. The critics may point to a statement like this as evidence he only wants to tell saccharine fairy tales instead of the kind of poignant heavy drama Andor offers.
Only when Cassian and Kino Loy liberate the prison or the people of Ferrix revolt, that’s exactly what he’s talking about. In the most hopeless situations good people find a way to fight back. Perhaps the most powerful moment in Ahsoka came via her Force-induced flashback to the battles of the Clone Wars. Not because she reunited with Hayden Christensen’s Anakin, though. Seeing Ariana Greenblat as Ahsoka was a shocking realization the hero of The Clone Wars series was a child surrounded by brutal combat. Luthen Rael isn’t the only Star Wars character who shares his dreams with ghosts.
Stellan Skarsgård’s curio-shop-owner-turned-terrorist recruits Cassian into a battle he doesn’t want to fight. Like so many in the galaxy he just wants to put his head down and survive another day under Imperial rule. Meanwhile, Ahsoka — along with Hera Syndulla and Leia Organa — is trying to make the New Republic leadership see the threat on their doorstep. Both stories are about “picking a fight” at the right time, because waiting too long makes victory even more impossible to achieve.
During the run of the prequel trilogy, George Lucas made it clear he didn’t care what the adult fans wanted from Star Wars. He doubled down on this idea when his next project wasn’t his long-awaited sequel trilogy but rather an animated series for kids. Despite Dave Filoni’s devotion to the lessons Lucas taught him, he clearly understands that Star Wars can and should be for everyone. Sure, the films have an all-ages appeal, but each trilogy is for that generation of children.
Now that Star Wars expanded to TV through Disney+, the franchise can age with its fans while maintaining continuity in canon details and narrative themes. As adult fans eagerly await Andor Season 2, the mysterious new series Skeleton Crew from Jon Watts offers up something different. All fans know about the show is it stars Jude Law and a group of kids going on an “Amblin Entertainment” style adventure. Filoni’s promotion ensures Star Wars will retain a diverse approach to storytelling instead of making it just “one thing.”
This promises a franchise in which stories like Andor can coexist next to shows like Ahsoka or even the toddler-age series Young Jedi Adventures. Lucas may have created this universe with a specific storytelling goal in mind, but it’s limited to that vision. The expansive nature of the galaxy and the universal quality of its core themes promises a bright future for the franchise. Each new Star Wars project may not be for everyone, but before he’s done, Dave Filoni will make sure there is at least one new Star Wars story each type of audience can enjoy.
