Andor is officially one of the best Star Wars series to exist. Aside from the storyline showing the rise of the Rebellion that leads to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), the aesthetic of this season is different and has enhanced the storytelling in a manner that has captured the attention of longtime fans, who believe this is one of the best stories in the Star Wars franchise in the past few years.
Since the second season premiered, fans have noticed that it feels different, and Episodes 4, 5, and 6 have led many to compare the visuals and thematic style to Blade Runner. The most significant indicator was Cassian Andor’s (Diego Luna) and Bix Caleen’s (Adria Arjona) apartment in Coruscant, which seemingly embraced the cyberpunk aesthetic associated with Blade Runner. This isn’t the first time a Star Wars project has nodded to Blade Runner‘s pioneering visuals, but it’s the latest project to do so and did it well.
Season 2 of Andor continues to follow Cassian Andor’s (Luna) journey to become a key figure in the Rebel Alliance, which leads to the downfall of the Empire. His character development has come far, from disinterested to someone motivated enough to challenge the repressive autocracy from the ground up. There’s a time jump in this season, so it picks up one year after the events of Season 1, and fans see Cassian fully immerse himself in the Rebellion as it gains more momentum against the Empire. The stakes are high as this season leads Cassian closer to the events in Rogue One, which is the beginning of the end for Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), and he faces more betrayals and sacrifices on his journey to becoming a rebel leader.
‘Andor’ Is the Latest ‘Star Wars’ Project To Refer to ‘Blade Runner’
Season 2 of Andor has already differentiated itself from other Star Wars projects by fully embracing Scott’s sci-fi cyberpunk aesthetic. The Coruscant apartment, which serves as a safe house for Cassian and Bix (Arjona), is reminiscent of Rick Deckard’s (Harrison Ford) apartment in Blade Runner. The apartment is spacious yet constricted. The structure of the apartment, like the paneled walls, is a nod to Deckard’s apartment. Even the 2017 film, Blade Runner 2049, was a point of reference, specifically Officer K’s living space.
The lighting played a major role in recreating the Blade Runner vibe from a Star Wars perspective. The apartment’s architecture allowed for contrasting lighting where, at one moment, Bix and Cassian would be engulfed in shadows; the next, they’d be exposed to harsh lighting.
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This allowed the show to achieve the illusion of otherworldliness while making it feel real to viewers, as if they could easily be there with the characters. The rain is also worth noting, as it’s a pretty straightforward tribute to Scott’s genre-defining film. It’s always raining in Blade Runner, an intentional creative decision by the director, and in the scenes where Bix and Cassian are together in the apartment, the clear view of the planet’s skyline always shows it to be raining. The two sci-fi projects have redefined the genre, and Andor is continuing that legacy by taking what its predecessors have done and enhancing it for modern film and TV.
George Lucas Drew Inspiration From ‘Blade Runner’ While Filming ‘Attack of the Clones’
For Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, George Lucas stepped away from the Mos Eisley Cantina aesthetic and infused Star Wars with cyberpunk. The second prequel was the full debut of the planet Coruscant, which was heavily inspired by Ridley Scott’s 1982 film Blade Runner, as it embraced the dystopian vibe. The planet resembles the city of Los Angeles, where Scott’s film takes place, and the chase scene across Coruscant could easily be a sequence in Blade Runner. The industrial elements of Coruscant are a call back to Blade Runner’s opening scene, with the long pipes shooting fire in the polluted area.
Aside from the visual inspiration, Lucas’ prequel trilogy was heavily influenced by the similar themes and philosophical questions explored by Scott in the 1982 film. The clones, for example, are similar to the artificial beings in Blade Runner and share similar purposes. In both films, these artificial beings are created as tools to perform a specific task, and they both have accelerated lifespans, meaning they live shorter than humans. Throughout the Star Wars franchise, Lucas has been known to dip into different genres and cultures to draw inspiration from the aesthetic and spiritual elements associated with the iconic films, so it’s no surprise that he would turn to Blade Runner for more inspiration.
Despite the Point of Reference, ‘Andor’ Still Stands on Its Own
Andor Season 2 is already considered the best Star Wars project of the last decade by many fans and critics. Its grounded approach to storytelling has set it apart from the other films and TV shows in the universe, and it isn’t afraid to adopt a grittier, darker tone necessary to tell the story of the rise of the Rebel Alliance and the atrocities committed by the Empire.
While the wonder and lighthearted nature of other Star Wars projects is celebrated and appreciated, there also needs to be storytelling that translates the high stakes and danger effectively to remind the audience of the overall story and realistic themes. This story explores important themes like rebellion, resistance, and the nature of oppression, and its realism allows the viewer to integrate themselves into the story and question what they would do and how they would respond if this were their reality.
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Yes, Blade Runner and Andor share similarities, both visually and tonally. However, the Disney+ series stands out from Scott’s film and other Star Wars-related projects. It’s a truly exceptional series that the universe needed and will hopefully set an example for other projects as fans hold it in such high esteem. It’s a story that Star Wars and the world needed. Andor is streaming on Disney+.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
