Star Wars creator George Lucas has more to do with Andor’s success and critical acclaim than you might think. In some ways, Andor feels different from any other Star Wars media ever created. Though it’s built on an essential Star Wars story – Rebellion vs. Empire – it’s grittier, more mature, and more forthright than Star Wars’ previous movies and shows. The franchise has always been inherently political, as George Lucas intended, but no other Star Wars story has ever felt quite so overtly radical, and it’s all the better because of that.

Showrunner Tony Gilroy has previously confirmed that, despite Andor’s immense budget, he dealt with very little narrative oversight from Disney and Lucasfilm. The overall look and feel had to be consistent with Star Wars, of course, and certain story beats needed to remain close (enough) to the franchise’s established timeline, but Gilroy’s approach to Andor feels a lot like George Lucas’. Yes, continuity matters, but the story matters more.

Tony Gilroy’s Approach To Star Wars Is Very Similar To George Lucas’

When George Lucas first pitched Star Wars to studio executives, he was met with little fanfare. Yet he persisted, believing in his vision and the galaxy he created. The results, of course, speak for themselves. With a modest budget and a special effects team hidden in a run-of-the-mill warehouse, Lucas and his crew created one of the most beloved movies and franchises of all time. Every minute detail and every design mattered. Those intricate choices made Star Wars’ world feel lived-in and magical. It made the galaxy feel tangible.

Gilroy employed a similar approach during Andor’s production. Every single detail had a reason for being included, whether it was something said within the dialogue – Mon Mothma’s steadfast use of the word “genocide” during her Imperial Senate speech comes to mind – or a piece of storytelling, like Nemik’s manifesto. He was also set on using practical sets and location shoots, unlike some of the other Star Wars live-action shows, and the result is one of the most beautiful Star Wars productions to date.

Decisive Storytelling Makes For Higher Quality Star Wars Stories

Much like Lucas, Gilroy didn’t treat Star Wars canon like an untouchable bible, either. The Darth Vader twist wasn’t planned from the beginning, nor was Leia being Luke’s sister a firm fact from the start. Lucas allowed the story to progress and develop naturally. Sometimes, to create the best narrative, a storyteller needs to be able to bend and manipulate what came before. That doesn’t mean they should outright ignore everything else, but there needs to be a certain level of freedom.

Gilroy realized that pandering to canon is limiting, too. Certain plot points within Andor do not 100% line up with what was established in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story or Star Wars Rebels, and that’s okay. Mon Mothma’s speech in the wake of the Ghorman Mᴀssacre and her escape from Coruscant don’t completely mesh with her story in Star Wars Rebels, for instance, but Gilroy left enough up to interpretation that Mon’s experience with Star Wars Rebels’ Ghost Crew hasn’t been entirely rewritten. They work in tandem, and both give us a better idea of Mon Mothma’s character.

Can you imagine if Gilroy and Co. hadn’t been allowed to rework that part of Mon’s journey? We never would have gotten that incredible speech in the Senate, and we never would have seen her share the screen with Cᴀssian Andor, either. That would have been a tragedy.

Retconning Can Be Controversial, But Creators Can’t Limit Themselves

Yes, retconning canon can be controversial, but Star Wars has been doing it for decades. Stories that are canon within the comics and novels are often overwritten on screen, so it stands to reason that some on-screen stories can be manipulated and changed to suit the current narrative, too. If it works in Andor, why not elsewhere?

Star Wars is a sprawling, epic franchise. If it wants its storytelling to remain relevant and exciting, and if Lucasfilm wants to entice interesting creators to tell the stories that are most important to them, it can’t always allow itself to be bogged down by the smaller details. Tony Gilroy’s Andor is a perfect example of how to work with canon, rather than be tied down by it.