Andor: How "Star Wars for grownups" took Disney by surprise

Everyone knows Star Wars and millions upon millions love it - but that doesn't make it for everyone.

The franchise is super unrealistic for the most part, and not just because of alien planets and lightspeed travel. Lightsabers? Space wizards? A wrinkly old dude with lightning hands? It's all just too fantastical for certain audiences.

Sure, Star Wars has some beloved superpowered heroes and villains. But for a series that's all about fighting space fascists, there's a shocking lack of stories about everyday people surviving under a cruel regime...

Ah, but who am I kidding? This is STAR WARS! The people crave LIGHTSABER DUELS and DARTH VADER! Why should anyone care about how the evil Galactic Empire interacts with normal, boring people... right?

Enter Andor: a gritty, dialogue-heavy series, and the most un-Star Wars thing to ever be in Star Wars.

When Andor first aired in 2022, Disney didn't put much energy into advertising - but who can blame them? One of the only familiar faces was main character Cassian Andor, who only showed up once before in the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Almost every other character in the show was new to the franchise - all of them regular-ass people, none of them having special powers.

So to recap: Andor is a Star Wars show with no Jedi, no lightsaber fights, characters hardly anyone knows, and lots of normal people with normal abilities. The show was set to underperform, so Disney's lack of energy in the ads department made sense.

That's why they were caught off-guard when the reviews came in - and they were GLOWING!

Unlike most Star Wars media, Andor has qualities akin to HBO-type shows that make it "Star Wars for grownups." Think: intelligent dialogue, stellar acting, beautiful cinematography, and parallels to real-world fascist regimes.

Fans had far more in common with nobodies fighting everyday evils than they did with Luke Skywalker or Obi Wan Kenobi. After all, on a cosmic scale, we're ALL nobodies with unique battles, which naturally makes Andor's characters more relatable!

Critics raved about the show, and over time, many fans hopped aboard the hype train. Without fully realising it, Disney made a show that catered to an older faction of Star Wars fans that craves thoughtful storytelling over flashing lights and space battles.

Disney underestimated the appeal of Season 1, but they didn't make the same mistake when Season 2 came out last month.

The first trailer for the new season is unlike any other Star Wars trailer ever released. Barely any plot is shown, but you know what is? LOTS of positive quotes from critics, to the point that the trailer's YouTube description begins with "The critically acclaimed series returns".

So what does it all mean for the franchise going forward?

Strong advertising or not, the show succeeding means Disney wins. But Andor's unexpected success should serve as a reminder of just how diverse audiences can be. The franchise literally takes place across an entire galaxy. And that means endless possibilities for new characters, engaging storylines, and fresh ways to appeal to different demographics!

This is a good lesson in not just knowing your audience, but understanding what they crave and why. Since Andor came out, many fans have pushed for ALL future Star Wars projects to have similar writing. Disney might've thought they were making a niche show, but as it turns out, they were making something their audience wanted all along.

-Devin, Writer