Andor is a gem, an experiment, and a great piece of media. I recommend it to non-fans all the time.
But it's not Star Wars. It's a political thriller with a Star Wars skin. A strange paradox for a franchise with war in the name.
Star Wars...is for kids. At the end of the day, the narrative needs and should be accessible to kids. It has a wonderful ability to transcend age, but the man himself said it.
And that's why Andor...fell a little flat in the big scheme of things. No kid wants to be Cassian. But they do want to be Ahoka or Luke or Han Solo.
I suppose we are at a pivotal moment for Star Wars, much like it's sister franchise, Marvel. Is there room for family friendly AND mature content? To this I say yes. And I think Kenobi and BoBF should have had that very target.
Movies: all audiences
TV shows: All audiences (Ahsoka) - Adult audiences (Mando)
Limited series: Mature audiences OWK, BoBF, Andor
I don't disagree with you
@jaztermareal, just because we did it before doesn't justify imitating it, that's what I tried to convey with my opening statements. But it should lend leeway to the tightness of our narrative and maybe loosen the grip on holeless plot in favor of a more accessible story.
Like the puzzle thing you mentioned. It's the whole point of suspending disbelief I guess. To us that seemed trivial, but the narrative told us it wasn't. From there we know Sabine is techy and it gave a reason to get characters in the same room. But that's all impressive....for kiddos. It's very black and white storytelling that's accessible.
Andor isn't that though, and I think it's strengths are a cautionary tale on how to manage Star Wars. Too much Andor in the mix causes Star Wars to no longer be for everyone, and that's a bad thing.
Honestly, what I'd like to see is some of these big animation houses get a chance at writing live action Star Wars. These days the big animated movies have very strong plots with quality writing and dramatic, meaningful undertones. I think that would be a recipe to meet in the middle between improved writing and the whimsicalness needed for Star Wars.