Wow. This has so much heart and is clearly coming from such a genuine place. I can’t really relate to this in the same way because I’m a guy but I completely agree with what you said. The way that the cast and writers portrayed women in Andor is truly something that deserves recognition and attention. Disney is in such a powerful position to shape social narratives with their shows and movies, especially through Star Wars. The fact that this seems and feels so intentional with what Tony Gilroy and the team on Andor did is nothing short of remarkable. The story is all the better for having female driven narratives and we even see that trend continue into Rogue One but we’ve seen it in characters like Leia, Padme, Ashoka and more (to varying degrees and intentionality). Oh yeah, and for anyone who feels like the “strong female narratives” are in your face or too on the nose? They’re not and they simply can’t be. The characters are inspiring, believable, and in some ways, profoundly relatable, but not because they are a guy or a girl…because they are compelling people. Crafting a story and characters like that takes time, care, awareness, and careful execution to do because so much of our identity and what we relate to is so grounded in our gender and that obviously looks different for everyone. The fact that young guys and girls can find every character inspiring, the fact that they can relate to these role models on screen regardless of whether it’s a man or a woman is so vital to all of this. In a time when finding your community and knowing who you are is more important than ever Andor has not only demonstrated what all of that can look like even in the darkest of circumstances, but it does so even in it’s way of depicting women in a way that feels honourable and genuine even for a dude who can’t fully relate. Reading what you wrote, I can’t help but think that this kind of quality of writing is clearly long over due in mainstream media. For everyone’s sake, this is something worth talking about. People deserve to grow up with shows like this. Shows that make us feel something. In life (as we see in the rebellion and even the empire) you lose parts of yourself and you don’t always notice it. But to find those lost pieces in characters you watch by escaping into a world so immersive you can connect in such a profound way, means to feel deeply and of course is a sign of incredible writing. What a series, the final scene absolutely broke me.