‘Andor’ Creator Says Star Wars Series Is Not A Commentary On Modern Politics, Any Parallels The Result Of “The Repeating Patterns Of Revolution And Authoritarianism”
Contrary to what many fans have taken away from the title character’s latest adventures, Andor creator and showrunner Tony Gilroy says that he did not intend for the Star Wars series to be taken as a specific commentary on current real-world politics, but rather as a commentary on the cycles of “revolution and authoritarianism” that have defined the human existence since its very beginning.
Gilroy, whose time working with Lucasfilms’ once great franchise has also seen him serve as the co-writer of Rogue One, offered this clarification regarding the Disney Plus series’ narrative intentions while speaking to Variety‘s Adam B. Vary ahead of the series’ May 13th finale.
Pressed by Vary as to how it had felt “to see people drawing so many current, real-world parallels to this show?”, Gilroy explained that any such commentary in Andor was purely coincidental, particularly as its tumultuous production period led to its release being significantly delayed.
“Well, the show was supposed to come out a long time ago, but for the strikes,” recalled the writer behind the first four Bourne films. “And the digestive process of bringing something from your desk to an audience is a pretty long process. Usually, you’re carbon-14 dating what happened rather than being prescient.”
Continuing, Gilroy then confirmed to Vary, “So this sounds like an ‘answer,’ [i.e. one that is pure PR fluff and meant only to dodge controversy] but it’s the truth: The repeating patterns of revolution and authoritarianism, and all of the attendant things that go with that, they just replicate.”
“Our show is about what happens when history comes knocking on your door, and if people find history knocking at their door, there’s probably all kinds of places they can look for references,” he added. “We just happen to be the pick of the litter this week.”
Per a quote shared by Vary in the introduction but not included in the full interview transcript, Gilroy also noted that when it came to Andor‘s story, he was specifically “writing about how I feel about all the revolutions, about all the insurrections [in history].”
“People legitimately fail to recognize how puny their individualism is,” posited the showrunner. “The narcissistic belief that you live in some unique time — it’s shocking. We all do it. I do it. That is not the pattern of history.”
Additionally, in offering his own thoughts on Vary’s above question, Luna opined, “I think people are really asking, ‘How can you do this material with these characters?'”
“Any piece of wonderful and honest writing becomes personal,” said the actor. “Even though we are in this galaxy far, far away, and we are using all the tools of something everyone thinks they understand perfectly, we’re showing the intimate life of people that were never in frame. The camera didn’t stay with them. That’s why I think this has become so interesting to think about, the relevance of the lives of these people to our own lives. But that’s what is supposed to happen. It’s why we do it.”
To this end, he then asserted, “What we should be talking about, you and I — because he’s not going to talk about it [Gilroy laughs] — is what’s behind the writing of this show, which is someone’s interest, context and family and all of that.”
“The specificity [Gilroy] writes with is just reflecting the richness of his perspective,” he told his host. “You and I, we go, like, ‘S–t, how did he know that we wanted to hear that?’ But it’s because he’s being honest with his own needs and reflecting what goes on in his mind.”
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