You can watch Andor without knowing anything about Star Wars

Star Wars fans waited a long time for Andor, the Rogue One spinoff series that would tell the story of Cassian Andor’s work with the rebellion before meeting Jyn Erso. The show finally premiered on Disney+ just in time for the fall season.

The closer the series got to its release date, the more prospective viewers learned about what it would entail. It would be dark, we were told. The term “gritty” was thrown around a lot in headlines. Many were adamant that the series was not kid-friendly.

One thing that wasn’t talked about much in the lead-up to the series — and still isn’t being talked about nearly enough even now — is that Andor is an optimal entry point for people who haven’t experienced the wide spectrum of Star Wars stories released since 1977.

If you sat down to watch the first few episodes of Andor having never seen anything else that takes place in the Star Wars universe, you would be just fine.

You might have more questions about the Empire, what their motives are, the greater powers they work for. But those questions wouldn’t distract or prevent you from taking in the series for what it is. It stands on its own. It ties beautifully into many of the stories that came before it, but it does not require that you have consumed everything to appreciate what it’s trying to accomplish.

The hope is that if you’re experiencing Star Wars for the first time or very early on in your fandom through Andor, you’ll now be motivated to have your questions answered through these other stories. It isn’t that you have to read a dozen books or comics or TV episodes to “get” the show. That desire to know more may lead to you loving the series even more than you might already.

If that isn’t a sign of a highly successful Star Wars project, what is?

New episodes of Andor drop Wednesdays exclusively on Disney+.

Follow Dork Side of the Force for all your Star Wars news, reviews, and more!