Despite a fandom that has shown to be toxic at the mention of diversity and inclusivity, “Star Wars” has always had a political undercurrent throughout the franchise. I mean, it’s really about Rebels fighting against an evil Empire, huh? Remember those overt political in the prequels? Sure, there are laser sword fights and space battles for those who just want that, but “Star Wars” has a long track record of trying to be a socially-conscious, political franchise. And apparently, that tradition is continuing in the forthcoming series, “Andor.”
In a new interview with Empire, actress Fiona Shaw, who plays Maarva in “Andor,” opened up about the political undercurrent that can be seen in the upcoming Disney+ “Star Wars” series. Apparently, series creator Tony Gilroy isn’t trying to hide his political commentary at all in his tale about Cassian Andor and the rebels fighting back against the Empire.
“Tony has written a great, scurrilous [take] on the Trumpian world,” teased Shaw. “Our world is exploding in different places right now, people’s rights are disappearing, and ‘Andor’ reflects that. [In the show] the Empire is taking over, and it feels like the same thing is happening in reality, too.”
She added, “I was impressed by Tony’s social-realist intentions,” Shaw continues. “He’s created a whole new morality. It’s very deep and humane – there is grief, mourning, hope, fear. It’s not just primary colors here.”
As mentioned above, whenever politics or social movements find their way into “Star Wars,” there is a (very loud) segment of fandom that gets upset. These folks seemingly want their “Star Wars” stories to be more about the aforementioned laser swords and whatnot than about any sort of deeper meaning. Aliens should be aliens. Jedi should be Jedi. And anything that looks different than the Original Trilogy is immediately bad.
Tony Gilroy has gone on record many times saying that he doesn’t have much interest in “Star Wars” lore. And it’s clear his main intention with “Andor” is to tell a story filled with political intrigue and thrills, with apparent allusions to our current world. You know, the types of things that make sci-fi storytelling rise above being just shallow garbage.
Alas, we’ll see how all of this comes together when “Andor” arrives on Disney+ on September 21.