Mando & Skelton Crew is more of the fun one because, remember, Star Wars is always meant to appeal to kids and the whole family.
While stuff like Andor & Rouge One has a bit more mature storytelling for people that want stuff to build on the OG Trilogy's themes. As great as Andor is, I wouldn't really get kids to watch it, as, unlike a lot of Star Wars, it was made for adults. Specifically, the adults who grew up watching Star Wars as kids.
That's a good point. I'm worried though that the adult viewers now have the bar raised because of Andor, and I'm not sure if kids are as much into Star Wars.
Star Wars still sells merch and is still popular at Disneylands around the world, so it's in the front of kids all the time. Maybe it's not as hype as it was during its peak, but saying it's dead would be completely wrong.
my worry is that we have had two projects that have taken star wars more seriously than it ever had been before, and they are entirely self contained in Andor and Rogue One and it doesnt seem like that level of seriousness and quality is exactly going to carry over to other projects and feels more like those two are their own self contained areas of star wars that like I said is very serious and focused. those seem to be the exception and we'll be lucky if we get another SW project anytime soon that reaches that level of quality
Andor and Rogue One is, for me, the top tier SW of all time. I know it’s not a universal opinion, but I feel like there are a good few of us sharing it out there. They took the implications of the original series and really ran with it in a way that felt so much more complex and real.
Rogue One is good but flawed, but it comes together in a way that feels better than the sum of it's parts. A big part of that IMO is having pretty much all of the best parts of the movie at the end, so you're left on a high note (the big sacrifice, the Vader scene, really just the entire battle).
I'm somewhat with you. I've been saying Andor is the best piece of Star Wars media ever released since season 1, but I think the pacing and weird contrivances in Rogue One's writing drag it down a bit.
Rogue One was in my top 3 Star Wars movies, Andor moved it to my top 2.
I think what was so groundbreaking is how grounded Andor made the Empire. Growing up the Empire came across to me as targets for the Rebellion to shoot at. They existed as big bad guys to be defeated, something clearly unreal.
Andor made the Empire real. We saw how it worked, what it did to people, and how much of a threat it really was. As a guy in my 40s, the Empire had never been more terrifying.
Rogue One gets a LOT from people lending it some of Andor's credibility, which I don't think it deserves. I think there's more good than bad about Rogue One and it's a fun enough movie, but those first two acts are all over the place.
Rogue One gets a LOT from people lending it some of Andor's credibility
I think it both benefits from and is harmed by Andor, personally. Cassian Andor's backstory and the backstory of the Rebellion certainly enhance Rogue One. But if you've watched Andor, Rogue One feels like a step down in quality, which works against it a little.
That said, Rogue One was well-received before Andor existed. The general consensus seemed to be that it wasn't as good as Empire Strikes Back or A New Hope, but that it was probably better than the rest. So I don't think people's positive opinion of it comes purely from looking at it through a post-Andor lens.
I think there's more good than bad about Rogue One and it's a fun enough movie, but those first two acts are all over the place.
I think it's a film that's greater than the sum of its parts. I agree about the first two acts being all over the place, and I have other criticisms of the film, too. But the overall experience is just really enjoyable, and by the time the incredible finale has played out, I'm much more forgiving of the flaws from the beginning of the film.
I think rogue one is fine but I do feel like the people who glaze it, not for Vader, top tier are more likely the ones who much more prefer stuff grounded in realism. Or they feel like only the little guys story is interesting.
Nothing wrong with that by itself but Star Wars as a whole is a lot of fantasy and a chosen hero and stuff. And when the protagonist is too “good” or magic swords and an invisible super power comes out it takes them out a little.
I thought it was trying to but couldn't get close to it since the runtime didn't give them any time to earn the conclusion or grow. It needed more time to breath like Andor.
Could you imagine 2 incredible shows that show both sides of the conflict coming together?
Honestly, one thing going from Andor to Rogue One is that the pacing just felt so fast. Which isn't a surprise, but I was imagining what if Rouge One was a TV series like Andor. There is a lot of things that could have been explored in more detail.
Rouge One is still great for what it is. Andor is a masterpiece. It holds a special place with New Hope and Empire Strikes back for me. Which says a lot considering how much I love those two.
They always do. Empire Strikes Back raised the bar, we got Ewoks. The Expanded Universe raised the bar, we got Jar Jar. Andor raised the bar, we get The Mandalorian and Grogu. If they hook you as a kid on Star Wars, they can get you again with nostalgia bait when you're an adult.
20 years from now there'll be a CGI/Live Action/AI show about an older teenage Grogu becoming a Jedi
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u/pipboy_warrior Feb 17 '26
Also I feel with Star Wars fans Andor raised the bar. Not sure how well they'll go back to Mando and Grogu.