#rhydonium

You think I'm crazy? Yes. I am. Revolution is not for the sane. Look at us. Unloved. Hunted. Cannon fodder. We'll all be dead before the Republic is back and yet... here we are. Where are you, boy?

FOREST WHITAKER & MUHANNAD BHAIER

I saw Andor Season 2 a while ago so here is my critique of it.

Andor's character arc doesn't match with Rogue One. I know because I rewatched Rogue One after Andor season 2 and his character arc does not lead up well to it despite the ending of season 2 occurring right before the events of Rogue One. In Rogue One Cassian Andor is presented as a very experienced agent for the Rebellion and has no trouble killing people for the cause. Even people who are innocent. He is portrayed as a man who is so dedicated to the cause it has started to chip away at his humanity given all the dirty work he had to do. While in Andor season 2 he is presented as far more reluctant. Even though he works for Luthen Raiel he still doesn't like having to do jobs for him. And everytime he tells Luthen this is his last job and he's done with the Rebellion. This doesn't match his characterization in Rogue One. The only counterargument to this I can think of is the Ghorman massacre is what truly radicalized him, but that massacre was like a year or two before the events of Rogue One and he seemed radicalized for much longer than that. I feel like they could have portrayed him as someone so dedicated to the cause that he winds up becoming more like Luthen. I feel like Luthen should have died off earlier so Cassian could take Luthen's place. And become as brutal as Luthen at the cost of his own humanity.

Saw Gerrera becomes more of a caricature in this show. It's a broader trend in Star Wars since they often use him as the "bad rebel", but they make him a gibbering lunatic in this show. He just goes on about inhaling Rhydonium. It's a shame because you could do a great character study on him. On how he starts off as driven and ruthless but over time becomes more paranoid due to his experiences with betrayal. You really could do something interesting with Saw but instead he has to huff the Rhydo. It feels like they don't take the character that seriously. His descent into paranoia and madness is meant to be tragic, not something to laugh at. It's a shame because season one seemed to have a better understanding of him.

The Coruscant Senate building looks off. It's too white and clean. Especially, when compared to the Prequels where it had more color and had more life to it. Now I get the idea they want it to be soulless looking since the Empire took over, but the way it's done is wrong. The Imperial look is soulless and oppressive. The Imperial design tends to be black, grey and angular. It's usually very dark and depressing. While the Senate interior looks bland, rounded and white like an airport. It just feels so meh.

I think a lot of the problems of this show stem from the fact it is 4 years compressed into one season. So, they have to skip over a lot of character development and history. Which is a shame compared to season one which felt more tightly written and purposeful. Here it feels like they don't quite know how to refine it despite having to cram so much stuff into one season.

Dear Desert Dweller,

Barren worlds are very common across the galaxy, and I’ve survived countless skirmishes in such locales—but one in particular comes to mind for the sheer scale of the war being fought. While stranded in a distant corner of the multiverse, I briefly set down on a remote desert world to refuel. No sooner had I landed, however, before I found myself under attack from an army of hovering tanks, who transformed into Cybertronian-sized mecha! I soon realized that these were merely non-sentient mechanoids; instead, they were piloted by much smaller robots with unusual elongated heads and skeletal bodies.

As my energon supplies ran low, it looked like the end—fortunately, however, I was rescued by a pair of humans, who piloted their own transforming exo-suits into battle! These ones, however, transformed from sleek, triangular starfighters into enormous facsimiles of their inner pilots, wielding massive lightsabers that made short work of my attackers. Working together, we were able to repel the invaders and strike a decisive victory. While energon did not seem to exist in this universe, I was able to find a suitable alternative—a particularly pungent fuel the locals called “rhydonium”—and before long I had repaired my Critias Gate and escaped that particular dimension.

Anton Grandert, concept and end credits art for The Mandalorian, chapter 15, “The Believer” (December 11, 2020).