Why You Should Be Watching "Andor" Right Now
A galaxy far, far away is holding up a mirror to our world.
I found myself thinking about it at odd times.
During a walk.
Driving in silence.
Texting in the group chat.
No. It wasn’t some heavy topic pertaining to justice or politics.
It was the television series Andor streaming on Disney+.
Andor resonates so deeply because, even though it is set in a distant galaxy, it tells the truth about our own—how empires rise and what it costs to resist them.
The series focuses on a man named Cassian Andor who becomes part of the resistance to the rise of imperial power in the years leading up to the Luke Skywalker saga of the main Star Wars films.
For more detail about the series, check out the trailer.
I didn’t want to like Andor.
As someone who spends most of his days studying authoritarianism, empire, and the rise of fascism in historical and contemporary contexts, the last thing I needed was a television show mirroring the same themes.
When I watch TV I want escape, not another dramatized documentary on despair.
But Andor surprised me. I daresay, it moved me.
And it just might be one of the most persuasive pieces of political art on screen right now.
Yes, it has aliens, droids, and the looming presence of the Empire.
But at its core, Andor is not about space battles or serving up another series for fans and finances.
It’s about how authoritarianism creeps in quietly—through bureaucracy, surveillance, fear, and a thousand small compromises.
It’s about the slow corrosion of freedom and the moral cost of resistance. And in that way, it feels less like fiction and more like a mirror.
Between the Empire and ICE
Voter suppression, state surveillance, anti-protest laws, white Christian nationalism.
All of this is happening in real time in the real world, but Andor illustrates these dynamics in fresh and compelling ways.
Who can miss the parallels between the ISB (Imperial Security Bureau) and ICE?
The ISB constantly monitors behavior, and when anyone deviates or is deemed a threat, they swoop in—armed and anonymous—to disappear people from their communities.
The Empire and the White House both understand the power of shaping people’s perceptions.
Misinformation fuels fascism in both Andor and the United States.
Peaceful protestors are misrepresented as terrorists. The main channels of news are co-opted for imperial propaganda.
Principles such as freedom and security are twisted and drafted into the service of state violence and control.
Andor shows us that empires don’t rise overnight.
They build themselves on people’s desire for safety. They exploit our fatigue, our distractions, and our silence.
They weaponize fear. And slowly, almost imperceptibly, they normalize cruelty.
Ordinary People
But here’s what truly resonates and inspires about Andor.
It tells the story of resistance not through superheroes, but through ordinary people.
Farmers, mechanics, shopkeepers, politicians, prisoners, peasants.
People who have every reason to keep their heads down, but instead choose courage.
But not the courage in traditionally heroic ways.
This is the messier, more truthful version of courage—reluctant, flawed, and uneven.
These are people who don’t always know what the right decision is, but take the next right step down the path of integrity, principle, and solidarity.
It is a tragic truth that many of the stories presented in Andor end in failure, setback, imprisonment, and even death.
The good guys don’t win every battle.
And yet, Andor is also about hope.
It’s about a diverse coterie of everyday folks who all, in their own large and small ways, take actions that communicate the belief that tomorrow can be better than today.
That’s why Andor is a show for our times. It helps us not just to understand the Star Wars universe more deeply, but to understand our own world more clearly.
We are in a time when fascism is spreading, and many people seem unaware or uncaring. The times are dire, yet people go about their business as usual.
This is not business as usual. These are not ordinary times.
But when facts don’t seem to be getting through, maybe fiction will.
Stories like the ones presented in Andor may go further in helping us see our reality than the books on fascism, the video clips of Congressional hearings, or the selfie videos explaining concepts and current events.
Andor doesn’t preach. It shows.
And in so doing, it gives us something rare—a compelling, dramatic, and artistically persuasive reminder that what we do matters—even when no one’s watching.
Especially then.
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I will continue to speak, write, and teach about faith and justice from a historical and theological standpoint.
But Andor reminds us that stories—even those set among stars and stormtroopers—can tell the truths we’re too weary or too afraid to name.
In a time of deepening disillusionment, we do not need escapism, but we do need imagination.
Maybe what wakes us up won’t be another headline, but a story that stirs our souls.
So yes—watch the show.
Because sometimes, seeing resistance in a galaxy far, far away helps us find the courage to resist right here in our own world.
Thanks for the recommendation! I found Rings of Power to be a mirror to our current times.
I agree! There are so many layers and themes in Andor that resonate with our present situation. I too, am seeking shows that entertain and allow an escape from our miserable situation. Though it is all too resonate with today, it provides inspiration…hope … and valuable insights.