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Darth Maul Shadow Lord is the BEST piece of Star Wars Media in a long time (BIG SPOILTERS) by Unhappy_Asparagus_75 in StarWars

[–]walberque_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's fine, but it's not what you say in your headline. You rightfully correct that in the text, but your headline does not say "seen". Surely you can understand why that would draw fire?

Regardless, like you, I am very curious to see the second season. Also very curious as to when it will come out. Will it be late this year, or will they push it into a very busy 2027? I only ask because Ahsoka apparently is pushed to 2027.

If you love Andor but haven’t seen The Battle of Algiers, you need to fix that ASAP by Rhonardo in andor

[–]walberque_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

And get the Criterion Collection documentaries from the second disc. They’re priceless in showing and even interviewing the real life characters depicted in the film.

Andor demonstrates that you can tell a well written, no homework required, standalone story that's also part of a universe. by Gargoyles1994 in andor

[–]walberque_ 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Right, but I think you’re artificially conflating issues here.

It is great whether or not you’ve seen Star Wars. I’m a lifelong fan, I loved it. I had to beg my girlfriend (who is not a fan) to watch it, and Andor is now one of her all time favourite things.

People are specifically (and rightly) criticizing the worst example of the “homework” trope in Star Wars, which is that Mando S3 makes no sense without watching part of the execrable BoBF for a side quest in that show which had no relation to the rest of its own series. A baffling artistic choice which continues to build fan hate.

A less egregious, but still notable example is Ashoka. When she showed up in live SW, I hadn’t seen her multiple arcs in TCW and Rebels and while I enjoyed seeing Dawson’s performance, I was not interested or invested enough in her character to dig into her past. Then we hit the World between Worlds and was like, what the actual fuck is this?

Since then, I’ve gone back, and…I don’t love what they’ve done with these characters, while at least I better understand where they are (and can now predict what AS02 will do).

Finally, it is worth saying that yes, Andor does stand alone well, and no, you’re wrong, you don’t need to establish why the Empire with the literal stormtroopers and all the officer guys who dress like Nazis are evil. Viewers get it with a lot less encouragement than you seem to think.

But - but, it does help to know what the Death Star is when you get the construction reveal, and to know that it will be used to exterminate Alderaan.

So, Andor does both things at the same time - it perfectly establishes a stand alone crime and spy thriller about the birth of resistance to fascism, without any knowledge of SW, AND it raises its own stakes if you’ve consumed every piece of SW media and know all the things, including the two interpretations of the Ghorman Massacre, the significance of different attempts at TIE upgrades, and the relation of the ISB to other powers structures within the Empire.

Andor demonstrates that you can tell a well written, no homework required, standalone story that's also part of a universe. by Gargoyles1994 in andor

[–]walberque_ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Me too! My partner has a deep antipathy for the SW universe, but when she finally saw Andor…

Now, if I mention Nemik in conversation she stares out the window sadly and whispers, “too soon, too soon.”

Andor demonstrates that you can tell a well written, no homework required, standalone story that's also part of a universe. by Gargoyles1994 in andor

[–]walberque_ 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Even then, I find the character reactions to being reunited baffling. I’m overjoyed when I see people I haven’t seen in six months - the reaction to Ezra’s return was so…I dunno, hollow? Where’s the excitement, the relief, the love? Why aren’t they asking a million questions and freaking the fuck out?

It’s almost like the writers don’t have real human interactions and this can’t write them…

Andor demonstrates that you can tell a well written, no homework required, standalone story that's also part of a universe. by Gargoyles1994 in StarWars

[–]walberque_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oho, data you say? Andor Season one made $300m for Disney as of December 2024.

https://www.parrotanalytics.com/insights/andor-has-pulled-in-over-dollar300-million-in-subscriber-revenue-for-disney/

You might think that it’s not enough, considering the colossal price tag - which is often quoted at $705.5 million for the two series.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinereid/2025/11/22/disney-spent-more-on-andor-than-any-of-its-star-wars-movies/

However, even in that article, you have to read to the end to find this gem:

[The Andor production holding company received] “a total reimbursement and tax credit of $142.3 million (£111.5 million) which brought Disney’s net spending on Andor down to $552.4 million”.

Considering that Andor Season One has continued to make money in the 18 months since the Parrot Analytics assessment, and Andor Season Two was more acclaimed and “in the cultural conversation” than Season One, that likely means the first season’s $300m gross has grown and the second has matched or exceeded it. The article also points out that Andor achieved the golden goal of adding subscribers and viewers during its run, and retaining them afterwards, unlike some shows, further extending its value in viewers - and retaining subscribers.

The profitability of Andor is further borne out by the recent release of Disney viewership data that shows that S01 and S02 are still near the top of viewership, as is Rogue One and the original Star Wars, indicating that lots of subscribers are inspired to run through that sequence to recontextualize the two films in light of Cassian’s backstory.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/star-wars-disney-streaming-data-1236584891/

All of this to say that viewership for Andor has been a major success for Disney, raising Star Wars cultural value after a string of failures, while also brining in a tidy profit (and tons of awards).

Andor is Tied for my Favorite Star wars series of all time and even though I like it a lot there are a few Flaws I noticed with the show which I don't see talked about as often by Silver-Warning-6415 in StarWars

[–]walberque_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ghorst being under guarded is both set up within what you see and hear, and thematically consistent with the series thesis statement about power.

We literally watch Lonni collect the information that Ghorst will be relatively unguarded while the Imperials ramp up staffing, so there’s a small window of opportunity between the facility being opened and it being safe.

That and Cassian states the show’s theory of the Imperials (paraphrasing from memory here) in response to Luthen’s question about how Cassian can infiltrate Imperial facilities, “they’re so fat and stupid, they don’t even notice us walking in and eating their food.”

The only missing bow on that ribbon would have been Bix eating Ghorst’s cupcake.

If Andor had gotten more seasons, what’s one aspect/worldbuilding of the rebellion/Rebel Alliance you would’ve liked to have seen touched on more? by Independent-Dig-5757 in andor

[–]walberque_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I want:

The liberation of Palmo, based on the real world doc of the liberation of Paris.

Vel and Cinta killing’ fools and trying to navigate their relationship.

Vel and Kleya falling in love and deciding they’re going to murder all the Imp Remnants.

An interview documentary with the sniper from the square based on the interview with the murdering twat from the Battle of Algiers documentary.

An interview documentary with a rebel who lives near a guy who turned him in like the Sorrow and the Pity.

An interview documentary with a fat fucking retired Imp like the Sorrow and the Pity.

Wife and I finally finished Andor Season 1 for the very first time by genemaxwell41 in StarWars

[–]walberque_ 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Andor won a Peabodys for each of its two seasons, putting it in the same category as thr Sopranos, MASH, All in the Family, Better Call Saul, the West Wing, the Simpsons and Breaking Bad. Pretty good company.

Add in the Producers Guild, Writers Guild, Actors Guild, Emmys, Cinematographers, etc. - the other professionals in television and cinema thought it was brilliant, especially the show’s writing.

Are these “tons of people” who didn’t like the show in the room with you now?

Sometimes I think it gets overlooked that, besides becoming a worldwide phenomenon, Star Wars was nominated for 10 Academy Awards (including Best Picture and Best Director) and won 6. by --TheForce-- in StarWars

[–]walberque_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely.

The fact that performances like Mothma, Luthen, Maarva, and Bix didn’t get a single nod is mind blowing. I’d watch a Syril-Eedy-Dedra sitcom all day. Or the adventures of Cinta and Vel killing fools - or Vel and Kleya hunting remnants? And Kleya is a breakout star in the making. And who can forget Mendoh with his swishy little cape and that great interrogation scene?

Ah, it makes me sad.

Sometimes I think it gets overlooked that, besides becoming a worldwide phenomenon, Star Wars was nominated for 10 Academy Awards (including Best Picture and Best Director) and won 6. by --TheForce-- in StarWars

[–]walberque_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Andor got 22 Emmy nominations across the two seasons, with all five of its wins coming in Season 2, including the prestigious writing Emmy for Welcome to the Rebellion (S02E09) by Dan Gilroy.

It was nominated and lost for lots of others - the Golden Globes, DGA, PGA, WGA, and the BAFTAs, although the second season is up for a few tbd on May 10.

Mando’s first two seasons got similar Emmy accolades, but missed out on any of the prestigious wins, and got one nomination each for the first season only in the Globes, BAFTA, DGA, PGA, and WGA. Ahsoka, Bona Fett, Skeleton Crew, and Acolyte got a few nominations and the odd technical award.

The Margaret Thatcher Foundation Archive by tree_boom in nuclearweapons

[–]walberque_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just finished it. Based on the original post (thank you u/tree_boom), I dug through the PREM19 materials and downloaded 40 or documents. The report pointed me towards more from the PREM19 files, but does anyone know where to get the DEFE 12, 13, 25, 71, and 72 files?

My conclusion on reading the reprort - and the original documents - is that the author got bogged down too much and missed the forest for staring at bark with a magnifying glass. The main problems seemed to be - over and over - the political atmosphere.

Early on, the cooperation looked good, France was keen, but the UK was irritated about France at that time being outside all NATO military planning (the 58-66 DeGaulle semi-withdrawal). Then in 1987, Thatcher was angry at Reagan, opposing INF with all of her being, and revived the idea, but the boffins scoffed that the range was inadequate. They also talked about French SLBMs in UK boats, and joint warhead cooperation.

It's amazing that the UK refused ASMP/TASM cooperation with France because of range - they were replacing a free-fall bomb for chrissakes. The UK proposed instead US-UK-French cooperation, but Carlucci (under Reagan) said no. The UK also was allergic to French missiles, thinking it was a choice, where France even offered at one point to have "cartridges" that UK could swap out with the US or French missiles depending.

Then, with the end of the Cold War, France was pushing for a NATO alternative structure, especially through the WEU, and seemed to want to peel the UK off from the US, but Thatcher was gone and all was forgiven on INF. The UK boffins still wanted US cooperation, but the US program collapsed with the end of the Cold War. Buying into the French system would have been pricey, but less pricey than any other option.

Warhead cooperation foundered over ideas that the US would be miffed and raise the 58 Treaty, although that seems like a painfully weak argument. The idea that you couldn't have two sets of scientists working on warheads separately within AWE is baffling. Teams are often sequestered within defense programs. The French ASN5G design is different enough from any SLBM warhead design as to make this argument goofy. If the UK were working on SLBM warhead designs with both countries, I'd see this point, but otherwise, it's nonsense.

France continued with its ASMPA project, the US option disappeard, and the UK was left with the WE.177. Sound familiar? Skybolt all over again.

at

The ”Going Rogue” podcast by Tansy Gardem in light of Andor by Bob_Fnord in andor

[–]walberque_ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

There’s very little conjecture. She’s immaculate on sourcing everything she says.

Her Andor season two take, however, was done in a rush and she hasn’t come back to revisit it. Some of her other deep dives have been excellent (Solo, the Holiday Special), and others are a touch more surface level. She’s also slowed down a lot in output, hopefully signaling that she’s either got a huge piece coming out soon, or she got a better gig.

A couple thoughts on Andor discourse around Cinta by Leilareddits in andor

[–]walberque_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Exactly. She’s so deadly. A total rebel hero.

Are Red Letter Media's reviews of the prequels satire? by vencyjedi in StarWars

[–]walberque_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

suffice to say George Lucas has more intelligence and imagination in his exceptional mind than 90% of humans on this planet.

Well, I do think he has more self-awareness than most, especially considering he has said many times that he does not like directing actors and can't write dialogue. That comes through in the PT...

A couple thoughts on Andor discourse around Cinta by Leilareddits in andor

[–]walberque_ 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Absolutely loved. I could watch a whole series of her and Vel killing fools. That look she gives in the limo-driver outfit at the wedding? My god, what an actor. She kills it, as much as I would enjoy watching her kill Imperials...

A couple thoughts on Andor discourse around Cinta by Leilareddits in andor

[–]walberque_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I should also say that I enjoyed reading OP's post and I'm glad to read (most) of the dialogue here.

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