Andor season 2 review: "Every bit as stellar as its predecessor – at times, it even surpasses it"

Andor was one of Star Wars's biggest surprises, meaning season 2 has a lot to follow. Fortunately, the second – and final – installment in the Rogue One prequel show is every bit as stellar as its predecessor. At times, it even surpasses it. These final 12 episodes build on the foundation laid by season 1 to deliver a thrilling and uncompromising story about the strength of individuals coming together for a greater purpose.

Season 2 is split into four arcs, each consisting of three episodes that cover one year. It all leads up to 1 BBY on the Star Wars timeline, AKA one year before the Death Star goes kaboom. You'd be forgiven for being skeptical about a structure that encompasses so many massive time-skips. But season 2 hones in on one, central planet, whose story is essential to the creation of the Death Star: Ghorman.

Star Wars has mentioned a 'Ghorman Massacre' before, meaning there's a sense of foreboding churning under the surface as we get closer and closer to this painful, pivotal moment – and, even if you're not familiar with the precise details of the canon, the show's steady march towards Rogue One creates its own momentum. Thanks to this structure, season 2 feels more sharply focused than its predecessor, with each set of episodes leap-frogging us closer to the point of no return.

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In the shadow of the Death Star

Season 2 also follows a handful of returning central characters: Diego Luna's Cassian Andor, Genevieve O'Reilly's Mon Mothma, Stellan Skarsgård's Luthen Rael, Denise Gough's Dedra Meero, and Kyle Soller's Syril Karn. For the first half of the season, Cassian draws the short straw, handed the least interesting of the storylines – at one point stranded on a jungle planet, and later sent to scope out the fledgling resistance on Ghorman. Still, though, there are some poignant character moments for Cassian and Adria Arjona's Bix, along with Muhannad Ben Amor's Wilmon in a much expanded role. Though, there's nothing that quite reaches the painful emotional heights of Cassian and Maarva (Fiona Shaw) last season.

It's O'Reilly's Mon Mothma who is consistently the standout of the early episodes, particularly during her daughter's wedding, which sees her pushed into a tight corner from which Luthen ruthlessly extracts her. Again, Luthen's willingness to do absolutely anything for the greater cause is a huge theme of the season, and it greatly pays off when we eventually learn more about his and Kleya's (Elizabeth Dulau) history in an unexpectedly touching glimpse into their past.

While the show's second arc feels very much like set-up – essential set-up, but set-up nonetheless – and as a consequence somewhat slows that forward momentum, episodes 7-9 are where season 2 really excels in the same vein as season 1's Narkina prison arc. Multiple storylines brutally collide (including a delightfully but bizarrely domestic story for Dedra and Syril, which fortunately does nothing to soften Dedra's fearsome, sharp edges), with Cassian finally thrown fully into the thick of the action. O'Reilly steals an entire episode – and possibly the whole season – with a galaxy-shaking speech that will raise the hair on your arms. Andor is never one to pull its punches, but this arc goes further than ever before, and the result is visceral and stomach-churning. It's the best the show has ever been.

The shadow of the Death Star looms large over season 2, but it's not until the final three episodes that it truly takes center stage. This last stretch makes the quest to destroy the superweapon even more personal for everyone involved, recontextualising Rogue One in the same way that Rogue One recontextualised A New Hope.

Indeed, Rogue One feels closer than ever not only thanks to the season's structure, but also the arrival of two major characters. The show finally delivers on that promised "meet cute" between K-2SO and Cassian – and K-2 is a wonderfully endearing addition to the show, bringing some comforting levity. Ben Mendelsohn's Director Krennic is also a highlight of the season, and he clearly revels in returning to his cape-swishing villain, playing the Imperial director with serious (and at times terrifying) flair.

Forest Whitaker's Saw Gerrera, meanwhile, feels somewhat out of place in his few scenes. He's largely disconnected from the rest of the show, which feels like a waste of his formidable presence.

Built on hope

But minor foibles aside, Andor season 2 is a powerful conclusion that reminds us that the Death Star wasn't destroyed by one person, but by a whole fleet of people working and sacrificing in the shadows. In this way, it won't just change the way you watch Rogue One, but will also deepen your appreciation of the entire saga.

Andor has redefined the boundaries of what Star Wars can be since the shocking opening to season 1, which saw Cassian visit a brothel then kill two security guards. Season 2 never loses this fearlessness and willingness to take risks – even the time-skipping structure is a challenge few other shows would attempt, and, like so many other choices the show makes, it pays off massively.

This final installment not only firmly cements Andor's place as some of the very best of Star Wars, but it also proves the saga's vast storytelling potential is still alive and thriving, as long as there are creatives (and studios) prepared to be audacious with the galaxy far, far away. The baton for the next saga-defining series is there for the taking, after all.

Andor season 2 arrives on Disney Plus this April 22 in the US and April 23 in the UK. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows for everything else the galaxy far, far away has in store.