Because Rebellions are built on hope

The Andor series on Disney Plus is great television.

I like the parallels to reality.

I like we do not see any Force users, except for that one healer which is a very minor character. 

I like that we see the sacrifices regular people make when trying to resist and challenge tyranny. But we don’t call Saw, Luthen or Andor terrorists. Only the Empire does.

I like the ISB scenes - aesthetics are great, the cinematography is a pleasure to watch.

I like the writing - both Season 1 and Season 2 have incredible moments. Without spoiling anything, I think this is the best writing Star Wars has seen. Luthen, Kleia, Cassian, Vel, Cinta, Bix; are fascinating characters. The Imperials/ISB are a treat to watch as well. It is the sort of series that could well be outside of the Star Wars universe and nothing would change - it would still shine bright as an example of good TV in the current era of slop.

This series is a prequel to Rogue One, which itself is kind of a direct prequel to A New Hope.  Watching Andor, then Rogue One improves the experience and understanding of how the Rebellion came to be - and how much impactful the lives of the little non-Force users are compared to the celebrated heroes of The Original Trilogy.

It shows that in order to bring change, good people are not enough. The perseverance of people that, outside the context of the Empire, would be seen as criminals or terrorists; is what gets the Rebellion to what we see in the Original Trilogy. This is probably best understood from Luthen’s monologue in Season 1:

I’ve given up all chance at inner peace. I’ve made my mind a sunless space. I share my dreams with ghosts. I wake up every day to an equation I wrote 15 years ago from which there’s only one conclusion, I’m damned for what I do. My anger, my ego, my unwillingness to yield, my eagerness to fight, they’ve set me on a path from which there is no escape. I yearned to be a savior against injustice without contemplating the cost and by the time I looked down there was no longer any ground beneath my feet. What is my sacrifice? I’m condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else’s future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see. And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude. So what do I sacrifice? Everything!

Another gem that we find early in Season 1, and we feel the echoes of all throughout the series - is Karis Nemik’s manifesto. An otherwise minor character, his words carry the spirit of the Rebellion, and in many ways - the spirit of humanity, liberty and justice against tyranny, be it in the form of Palpatine, the Empire, or the many parallels from our lives in a galaxy not so far away:

There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already. Alone, unsure, dwarfed by the scale of the enemy. Remember this. Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction. Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly throughout the galaxy. There are whole armies, battalions that have no idea that they've already enlisted in the cause. Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward. And then remember this. The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that. And know this, the day will come when all these skirmishes and battles, these moments of defiance will have flooded the banks of the Empire's authority and then there will be one too many. One single thing will break the siege. Remember this. Try.

In A New Hope, Yoda tells Luke that “do or do not, there is no try”. People that can't use the Force don’t get this luxury. Trying is their only option. There is no other escape, and chances of failing are extremely high. And many will fail.

Rebellions are built on hope…and spies that get their hands dirty. And they have friends everywhere.

I'm done nerding out on Star Wars. Thank you Tony Gilroy.