ANDOR: It's Been One Week Since the Best Star Wars Show in the Disney Era Came to an End...

So last Tuesday, the final three episodes for Season 2 of Andor premiered on Disney+...and all I can say is: Well-done, Tony Gilroy!

The Star Wars streaming series began with Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) infiltrating a top-secret Imperial facility to steal a prototype TIE Fighter, and concluded with Andor walking amongst his fellow Rebels at the base on Yavin 4 to embark on a mission that would directly lead into the events of 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

In the 12 episodes that graced Andor: Season 2, we returned to the storylines of such formidable characters as Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård), Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona), Dedra Meero (Denise Gough), Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), Kleya Marki (Elizabeth Dulau), Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay) and of course, Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) and Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker). In Season 2 specifically, Rogue One characters Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), K-2SO (once again voiced and motion captured by Alan Tudyk) and Bail Organa (portrayed by Benjamin Bratt and not Jimmy Smits, respectively, on this show) made memorable appearances as well.

There are so many things to discuss about Andor: Season 2, but all I will say is that this show truly is The Empire Strikes Back of Star Wars Disney+ series. Andor's grittiness and extremely-grounded themes are things that we probably won't see much of in future Star Wars projects (especially in regards to the use of profanity like in Andor), unless an apt showrunner like Tony Gilroy has a major involvement in those productions.

The themes of both seasons of Andor definitely resonate in the real world...with Mon Mothma's brilliant Senate speech about the Ghorman Massacre in Season 2's Episode 9 (titled "Welcome to the Rebellion") lamenting about how we all fall victim to monsters who "scream the loudest" when truth is buried in the public discourse. Emperor Palpatine is the monster who Mothma was referring to on Andor, but in real life, the majority of the world who aren't right-wing radicals know who the monster is that's currently residing in the White House.

While the closing minutes of Season 2, Episode 12 (titled "Jedha, Kyber, Erso") focuses on the fateful mission that Cassian is about to embark on that will lead to his sacrifice in the climax of Rogue One, the final scene of Andor is a hopeful one: With Bix, Cassian's wife, walking in a wheat field of the planet Mina-Rau while cradling their newborn infant. It is sad to know that Cassian will never meet his offspring, but it is reassuring to know that he and Bix have brought a child into the Star Wars galaxy who will be able to see the sunrise that Cassian—and fellow Rebel heroes like Luthen Rael—won't get to see on their own.

Once again: Well-done, Tony Gilroy!