More than three months after the series finale of Andor, the Mandalorian himself, Pedro Pascal, finally caught up with The Rogue One prequel series. Fans who follow The Fantastic Four: First Steps star on Instagram saw his comments in a “story” where he revealed he only just caught up to the Star Wars series that captured the zeitgeist earlier this year. Interestingly, Pascal didn’t just compare Andor to other shows or films in the saga, instead he singled out the Tony Gilroy-led show as one of the “best” of all time. When Andor first premiered in 2022, it didn’t quite attract the attention that other shows, like Pascal’s The Mandalorian, would. The series was such a departure from the traditional Star Wars formula.

The first episodes may seem “slow” compared to the pacing found in the films or other Disney+ original series. A key reason for this shift is that Andor is the first project of any kind in George Lucas’s universe that’s not meant to be primarily accessible to children. Cassian Andor’s introduction to the Rebellion is what Star Wars for adults looks like. This changed with the debut of Andor Season 2 to rave reviews. Hyperbole can be a problem when it comes these generational franchises, where a new show or film is either “the best ever” or “trash.” Ironically, the effusive praise for the 24-episode series mostly avoided that trap, because the reactions were so sincere. Whether not expecting Diego Luna’s Rogue One character to be so captivating or merely shocked by the show’s maturity, people are genuinely taken aback by the way Andor makes them feel. Pedro Pascal’s Instagram post is just the latest example of how those who understand and appreciate this show feel compelled to tell others about it.

Pedro Pascal Was ‘Late to the Party,’ but He Has Nothing but Praise for Andor

Image via Lucasfilm

In the Instagram story, Pascal posted a promotional image from Andor showing almost all the significant characters from Season 2. “Unforgivably late this party,” he wrote. “The best political thriller series, maybe ever?” he added. It’s a real “stars are just like us” moment, because during his time promoting The Last of Us Part 2 and The Fantastic Four, Pascal fell behind on the all the latest shows. Unlike The Mandalorian episode runtimes, Andor episodes typically run closer to an hour. It’s also a dense series that encourages viewers to take some time between arcs.

Along with rave reviews from critics, Andor earned similar praise from Star Wars fans with many calling it “the best” of the Disney era or the entire saga. Many times, “best” simply means “favorite,” and it makes sense that a show designed for adult fans first would resonate so strongly with that audience. Because of this, Andor is more explicit with what the storytellers use the galaxy far, far away to say about the world right here. Pedro Pascal was more specific when extolling the show’s virtues, pointing to the way it employed galactic politics to create drama.

Most streaming shows, Star Wars or otherwise, experience a surge of viewership upon release and the audience dwindles over time as they move onto the Next Big Thing. Andor was different, with its viewership mirroring the slow-burn style of storytelling in the show. With almost three years between its first and second season, conventional wisdom suggested the show would lose momentum not steadily gain it over that time. Whether because of the sheer volume of new releases or the increased buzz ahead of Season 2’s debut, the audience for Andor only grew. If Pascal’s comment is any indicator, viewers will continue to discover and love the show even though it’s finished.

Andor Excels as a Political Thriller by Avoiding Explicit Force-Related Philosophy

Image via Lucasfilm

With both the Original and Prequel Trilogies, George Lucas used mythological archetypes in a space fantasy setting to tell a timeless story about good and evil. He made those movies, and the subsequent animated series The Clone Wars, primarily for children. The stories are rooted in anti-authoritarian political themes, but the politics are left mostly to subtext. Kids (and many adults) cared little for bad-faith trade negotiations, legislative gridlock and other elements of galactic politics. The philosophy of the Light and Dark Sides of the Force is easier for fans of all ages to latch onto, and this informs the political story for those looking for it. Andor swaps this dynamic.

The Star Wars universe lends itself quite well to political intrigue of all kinds. Cassian Andor was the perfect character to anchor a story about how the oppression of tyrants can radicalize someone to rebellion. Mon Mothma’s role in the series highlighted the way those tyrants can rig the system so that any “legal” opposition is mere lip service. Luthen Rael bridges both sides of that struggle, including how to inspire rebellion a “hero” sometimes has to do unheroic things. As Pascal noted, politics drives the drama and conflict with clear allegories that don’t undermine the excitement one expects from Star Wars. Meanwhile, the morality of the Force is left to subtext in Andor.

The simplicity of the Light and Dark Sides of the Force is one reason why Star Wars resonates so strongly with viewers of all ages. Those who understand the interplay between the selfish and the selfless can easily identify the heroes and villains in a given story. Andor masks that moral simplicity, largely because none of the characters are Jedi or otherwise attuned to the Force. The political conflict between authoritarians and antifascists draws clear battle lines. Yet viewers are left to wonder about the morality of how Luthen, Mon Mothma, Cassian or others in the rebellion wage that fight. Unlike the Jedi or Sith, the characters in Andor can exist in the “gray” spaces between Light and Dark.

The Mandalorian & Grogu Star’s Comments Further Dispel Any ‘Rivalry’ Rumors

While Pedro Pascal isn’t the only Star Wars celebrity to praise Andor, his comments are noteworthy in the context of the larger universe. Because Tony Gilroy’s series is so divergent from the others in the saga, a false notion that they compete with one another arose. The Mandalorian was the first of the Disney+ Star Wars series, and its success led to everything from Andor to Ahsoka to Skeleton Crew. Each show has its own approach to tackling the political and philosophical themes that define this universe. Just because each one has political elements in its narrative doesn’t mean they are all defined by them. What sets Andor apart is that it is first and foremost a political thriller in a Star Wars setting.

Pascal’s own series, The Mandalorian, clearly has political elements from the Imperial Remnant to the way characters react to New Republic scrutiny. That doesn’t mean the show is trying to tell the same story as Andor. Din Djarin doesn’t care much about the politics of the galaxy in a larger sense, but he cares about individual people. When Din first meets Carson Teva, the X-Wing pilot, he runs from him. After Carson helps him, Din grows to trust him and, by extension, the idea of the New Republic he represents. Similarly, every Imperial Din meets is rotten to the core. Andor takes a different approach, where different factions of Rebels are more fearful of each other than the Empire.

From the writing to the performances to all levels of production, Andor is a high-quality series. Whether it’s the “best” of Star Wars is a matter of individual taste, because each story tries to do different things. Star Wars: Rebels tells a similar story to the one in Andor, but the animated series is aimed at kids and centers on Force philosophy rather than political intrigue. Rogue One is a war story which invariably involves politics, but that’s left to the background. Because of its target audience and the narrative space 24 episodes provides, Andor is able to examine the political side of rebellion with depth, nuance and maturity. It’s not the only political thriller to do this, but is the only that gets to do it with Stormtroopers, TIE Fighters and all the other stuff that makes Star Wars so cool.