Andor has thrived on its own terms. It has told a compelling Star Wars story without any Jedi or lightsabers. It hasn’t even made reference to anyone from the Skywalker family. But in season two’s incredible BBY 2 arc the series showed it has always understood what makes the franchise special. It did so in a way that fully embraced Star Wars while staying true to Andor‘s own spirit. The show’s emotional and gorgeous Force healer scene stands as one of the very best in the history of the galaxy far, far away because it beautifully captures the heart and soul of Star Wars.
One of the things that has made Andor stand out from the franchise’s other entries is also why some (not all) viewers don’t think the show “feels” like Star Wars. It’s a deep exploration of the ground-level work normal people do, building a rebellion so a Luke Skywalker’s heroics are possible. Only the Luke Skywalkers of the galaxy are totally absent from the story. Without mystical magic users, Tony Gilroy’s show is unlike anything else we’ve seen in the franchise, even Rogue One. Andor has far more in common with a gritty, realistic HBO drama than George Lucas’s hero’s journey fantasy full of laser swords.
That changed in season two’s seventh episode. The series delivered a truly powerful moment that shows Andor is not only very much part of the galaxy far, far away, but that it fundamentally grasps why Star Wars has endured across generations and always will. It perfectly captured the idea that has defined the franchise from the start, the one that separates it from similar stories. Andor understands it is part of something bigger than itself, just as we are all part of a Force that connects us all.
Obi-Wan Kenobi was the first to tell us about “an energy field created by all living things” that “surrounds us and penetrates us,” about something powerful that “binds the galaxy together.” That is what makes Star Wars “feel” like Star Wars far more than any Jedi or Sith wielding a lightsaber. The Force is the wonderful idea all of us are intertwined in ways we can never fully appreciate or understand. That we are all part of something more important than ourselves. It’s the idea that there’s more out there and it’s better than what we know. That is what binds all Star Wars stories.
The Force is why hope endures even during the darkest of times, including in a secret rebel base full of people willing to give their lives to a cause greater than all of them. The hope we can make things better brought Cassian Andor to Yavin IV. It’s also what brought a woman there, who, despite being Force-sensitive, had begun to lose her faith in the power.
We, as viewers, know more about the Force in Star Wars than Cassian Andor ever will. We also know what awaits him at the end of his story. And we know what his story will mean for every living creature. That knowledge made his encounter with the healer meaningful beyond the few words they exchanged. She senses “the weight of things,” and when she touched Cassian she sensed the heavy weight he carries. There’s something special about him. He has a purpose and a burden few will ever know. Cassian Andor is a “messenger” and he has “some place he needs to be.”
That Andor moment—both sad and beautiful—and the feelings of those who experienced it, said so much to everyone who has ever loved Star Wars. We know where Cassian has to be. He carries the weight of the galaxy. He has to be on a beach in Scarif, sending a message of hope that will save every living creature from evil.
In this moment on Andor, none of them know any of that, but it moves them all. It scares Cassian, a man who relies on wiles and bravery, not magic power. Meanwhile, it restores the Healer’s faith and gives her clarity of purpose for her own role in life. And it reveals a truth to Bix about her own responsibility to others, the reason she will soon leave Yavin behind. Bix will not allow her presence to be what stops Cassian from going where he is needed. The Force runs through him.
Cassian Andor has not survived because of good luck but because something more powerful has protected him throughout his Star Wars journey. It’s the energy of life that connects him to everyone else. The Force has allowed him to continue “gathering” everything he will need to arrive where the galaxy and everyone needs him to be. He will be there.
Obi-Wan Kenobi had to tell us about the Force. But in true Andor fashion, the series showed us the power of the Force. Cassian’s “strength of spirit” restored the healer’s faith. He reminded her that we truly are all part of something more important. That our struggles, fears, and even our own fates are not ours alone to carry. That we can and defeat evil empires together. He reminded her that our lives matter in ways so much greater than ourselves, that we are capable of anything because we are all part of something bigger and more powerful.
That idea is not just the best of Star Wars, it’s the very soul of Star Wars. It’s what makes Star Wars “feel” like Star Wars, no matter where in the galaxy we go. And in its own quiet, beautiful, moving way, Andor showed why that idea is forever the heart of Star Wars, even when Jedi aren’t around to tell us why.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. Andor’s Force healer scene might be his favorite in Star Wars history. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
Content shared from nerdist.com.