When Andor was announced, many social media comments questioned why Star Wars needed a live-action series about the "most boring character" in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
That sentiment didn't change after the first few weeks of Andor Season 1, as many fans continued complaining about Cassian Andor. As the show gained popularity and more fans warmed up to it, it soon developed a following. Critics and fans raved about each episode, week after week, and everyone had a different reason why they loved the show. Everyone agreed Andor had a lot going for it.
Andor is loved for everything, yet surprisingly overlooked for its main character and unlikely hero. Yet, Cassian is the reason I watch this show.
Cassian is the heart of Andor
Some fans loved the show's serious tone, dialogues, and performances by side characters, including Stellan Skarsgard, Genevieve O'Reilley, and others. Many loved it for its amazing visuals and use of real-life locations. Rarely did I ever stumble across a comment about Cassian Andor being the reason anyone enjoys the show, even as Diego Luna's performance remained consistent throughout its first season. Cassian is the show's consistently compelling character, who dives head first into the Rebellion and becomes its biggest asset.
Luna deserves to be praised for giving a performance where he still has enough of Cassian in him somewhere. It's not an easy job to show him when he's far from the leader he is in Rogue One, and yet, Cassian Andor is the best part of Andor. If the show weren't about him, I wouldn't be as interested. Cassian is the glue that holds it all together, and his heartbreaking fate is always on the back of my mind as I watch his growth.
Cassian is the emotional anchor that grounds a series that's sometimes too serious for its own good.
Andor is a departure from what we're used to in Star Wars. However, when it tends to feel too serious and dry, Cassian's journey helps ground it. He's the Star Wars hero who's more of an underdog. Never touted as the Chosen One, and as someone who wasn't royal or rich, his heroic rise to the top sets him apart. He doesn't have the Force or sophisticated weapons. Still, Cassian goes from someone who doesn't care about anyone besides himself to dying for the entire galaxy. His sacrifice doesn't go in vain, and he proves the Rebel Alliance was right to place so much trust in him.
Cassian is the main reason I'm watching Andor. I'm emotionally invested in the series because it's mainly about him. Without him, the show would've been a good one-time watch for me but not something I would revisit.
At the end of his life, it won't take a fancy speech, money, or political ties to help Cassian achieve his life's purpose; It will take the tiny glimmer of hope that Rebellions are built on. That hope is what Star Wars is about, and it's all he'll have left during his final moments on Scarif. His pure purpose and ultimate sacrifice elevate Andor's narrative. Hopefully, Season 2 will focus on Cassian more than last season did.
I'm excited to watch him become the guy who volunteers to help Jyn on a suicide mission the Rebel Alliance rejects. Re-watching Rogue One will be an even more poignant experience, knowing that Cassian's heroic sacrifice will save the galaxy, but he won't survive to see the Empire's destruction.
So here's to the last time we'll see Cassian Andor, aka "Kassa," "Clem," "Keef Girgo," and always, "Fulcrum."
Andor: A Star Wars Story premieres April 22 on Disney+.