“My primary responsibility is to the characters”: Tony Gilroy Had No Intention of Making Andor ‘Political’ and That’s What Made it the Best Star Wars Project Without Going Full Woke

Andor serves as a prequel to Rogue One and follows the titular character’s story as he becomes the Rebel hero we see in the 2016 film. The series is widely regarded as one of the best entries in the space opera saga, especially on the streaming side of things where most of the recent installments have been a misfire.

During an interview, creator, and showrunner Tony Gilroy spoke about the show’s political angle, revealing that the story wasn’t intended to be political in nature. However, as development progressed allusions to real-world politics became inevitable. Nonetheless, Gilroy’s approach benefitted the series as it did not have unnecessary woke elements.

Andor Creator Tony Gilroy Admits the Star Wars Series Wasn’t Intended to be Political

After helping with the reshoots of 2016’s Rogue One, Tony Gilroy returned to the galaxy far, far away as the creator and showrunner for Andor. The series focuses on the titular character, played by Diego Luna, and is slated to return with a second and final season soon.

During an interview with IndieWire, Gilroy was asked about the series’ political allusions, especially regarding the Trump administration. In response, Gilroy admitted that the series was never intended to be political, at least not consciously.

My primary responsibility is to the characters and to make an adventure story.

Gilroy made the above statement, explaining that his main focus while writing the series was crafting the adventure aspect of it, which is a staple of the Star Wars universe.

Furthermore, Gilroy appreciated fans reading into the story and finding parallels with real-world politics. However, the showrunner also noted that it was futile to sit down and plot political statements that the series would convey, confirming that the intent was to simply tell a good character-driven adventure story.

Tony Gilroy’s Words Prove Why Andor is a Step Above Other Woke Star Wars Shows

During the same interview, Gilroy laid down his approach to telling an adventure story through Andor, which also has an undercurrent of evergreen political themes. However, the showrunner was adamant that these themes cannot be crafted on purpose. He said:

You can’t sit there and hammer out a political strategy on character. You just can’t do it.

From Gilroy’s words, it is evident that the series never intended to cater to a certain section of the audience with specific political views. As a result, the series isn’t a full-blown woke-fest like some of the other Star Wars shows, such as The Acolyte.

The Acolyte was heavily criticized for its necessary inclusion of woke ideas, which ultimately hampered the show’s overall quality. Furthermore, the series’ overall narrative received major criticism, making it one of the worst Star Wars entries. In contrast, Andor proved infinitely better by focusing on character and neglecting politics.

Andor is streaming on Disney+.