Andor

You don’t need to care about Star Wars to love Andor. That’s the highest compliment I can pay it. This is a series about bureaucracy, surveillance, and the small compromises that turn ordinary people into revolutionaries.

What works

Everything. The writing treats the audience as adults, the antagonists are terrifyingly competent middle managers rather than cackling villains, and the prison arc is a masterclass in tension. Stellan Skarsgård gets a monologue that belongs in a museum.

What doesn’t

Honestly, very little. The deliberate pacing of the first three episodes asks for trust, but it pays off completely.

Verdict

The rare prequel that justifies its own existence. Five stars, no notes.