At the heart of any Star Wars film is a coming of age story. These have played out across a trilogy of trilogies, with Luke’s coming of age in episodes IV through VI, Anakin’s coming of age in episodes I through III, and primarily Rey’s coming of age in episodes VII through IX. The same could be said of Jyn in Rogue One, and could be loosely applied to Han in Solo: A Star Wars Story, although that was more about a smuggler’s origin than Han’s coming of age.
It might even be argued that the animated Star Wars stories had coming of age themes in Ahsoka and some of the clones, despite The Clone Wars being a very long train of short episodes, each one with its own beginning, middle, and end. But when Disney took the Star Wars reins and steered it toward a format of streaming seasons on Disney+, something wonderful started to happen, and it almost seemed as if by accident.
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Star Wars Starts to Grow Up in The Mandalorian
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It began in The Mandalorian, when the coming of age story of Grogu was not only abbreviated, but took a back seat to the compelling story of survival and the search for meaning of Din Djarin, the Mandalorian. The thrust of the story gave the audience a peek into what ordinary life was like in the aftermath of the extraordinary events of the films. Following the Mandalorian through the wake of the rebellion revealed that the people of many star systems were in a chaotic and confusing place. The Book of Boba Fett also emphasized average people trying to navigate in a world of unsure lines of authority, leaving them vulnerable to poverty, exploitation, and oppression.
This idea of the unglamorous chore of daily survival gained momentum in the series Obi-Wan Kenobi. Not only was the grind of post-Republic life on Tatooine seen all around Obi-Wan, he was actually living it, humbly riding mass transit to a poorly-paid production-line job to keep from Imperial notice and to stay alive. He is pulled from his bleak routine and his doubts into the earliest beginnings of Leia Organa’s coming of age story, which, like Grogu, stops shortly after it starts, with Leia returned to her mountaintop life of royalty, and Obi-Wan thrust back into hiding in the deserts of Tatooine. Obi-Wan’s relief comes from the dispelling of his doubts, not an escape from the routine of his survival.
Star Wars Has Grown Up in Andor
In the new Star Wars series Andor, a jump even further backwards in the timeline — to when the Empire was securing its stranglehold on the universe — only heightened the real-world sense of crushed idealism that comes after youth is gone. Some might call this maturity, and that might be the perfect word to describe what creator Tony Gilroy has brought to the Star Wars universe in Andor; it’s the same kind of maturity Gilroy brought to the spy genre with the Bourne films. The fantastical world of Star Wars is being seen through the lens of human realism, and it’s not just a breath of fresh air — it’s a metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly.
The idea of a Star Wars series without a Jedi sounds like it should be a tremendous bore, if not an outright crime against the franchise. But as a world that is barren of The Force unfolds in Andor, the magic of human drama begins to shine much brighter than any lightsaber. There are still blasters everywhere, and they get used, but the glimpse of a single, looming Star Destroyer, or the genuinely frightening scream of a lone Twin Ion Engine fighter, are so rare in Andor that their impact is magnified tenfold. Instead of being overloaded by dazzling effects, viewers have time to get to know each character intimately, and feel the tension of the high-risk situations. Perhaps there have been a few too many duels of the fates in the films that keep trying to top themselves.
The Mature Genius of Andor
The Andor series feels different. It feels very real-world, and it’s a riveting feeling. It begins with the writing, which honors the Star Wars legacy but isn’t enslaved to the Star Wars litany. There are no lofty Jedi dialogs, no repetitive one-liners, and no blatant marketing opportunities in this script. The motives of individual characters don’t coincidentally line up; they need to be exposed, and then finessed, or crushed, depending on what’s discovered. The story takes its time to develop, and the complexity and the tension build up to heart-pounding moments at just the right pace.
The Andor series also looks different. It makes both busy scenes and stark scenes look normal, and balances them in perfectly natural ways. Perhaps following Denis Villeneuve’s inspiring direction with the 2021 Dune film, Andor relies heavily on physical sets and real world locations, not giving in to the temptation of digital backgrounds that have to be more breathtaking than the one before (a temptation Obi-Wan Kenobi couldn’t resist, and it shows.) The result is a look so well-grounded that it never distracts from the story, but rather supports it in the best possible way.
The Andor characters are entirely believable. The roles of clowns, fools, and toadies have been carefully avoided, and the talent of the actors and directors gives every character a crisp and riveting performance. From the most present to the least, there is no break in character quality and continuity. It’s almost a shame that anyone who has seen Rogue One knows how it all ends for Cassian Andor down the road; Diego Luna gives him such life that, despite his uncomfortable predicaments and questionable decisions, he feels like a good friend no one would ever want to lose.
More Mature Star Wars, Please
It can only be hoped that Star Wars fans get more of this new, sophisticated realism in Star Wars storytelling. Tony Gilroy (who perfected suspense with political themes in the great film Michael Clayton) has found the sweet spot that the franchise both required and deserved. And hopefully, this masterful sprinkle of grit won’t be taken too far in the direction of maturity by dumping in handfuls of unnecessary violence, sexuality, and crude language. More of exactly what Andor has delivered is just what the franchise needs, because most of the audience understands that overcoming the challenges that come with age is just as important as coming of age.
That’s not to say that the over-the-top fantasy of the Star Wars films are a poorer form of art than the compellingly mature Andor. On the contrary, there’s an important part of every person that longs to use imagination, that wishes he or she could be part of a heroic journey, to wield a lightsaber against a host of armored villains, or pilot an X-wing with impossible competence through a storm of enemies. Keeping the inner child awake and alive is as healthy and as necessary as facing the adult problems of real life.
Nor is it to say that coming of age stories are only for children. From the most timeless literature (like the classic Dickens novel Great Expectations), to the most popular tales of modern fiction (like the films of the Star Wars universe), coming of age stories speak deeply to all people. They unite us as human beings, and remind us that something people have in common as brothers and sisters is the tremendous challenge of learning and growing.
In the end, it could be said that Star Wars fans could use a little more of everything. But they could especially use more of what they’ve had the least of: a grown-up Star Wars, which can be found in the genius of Andor.
