In a galaxy far, far away…
After the release of the sequel trilogy films that concluded the Skywalker Saga in 2019, “Star Wars” pivoted to television – and the results have been a mixed bag.
Some of the Disney+ shows, including “The Mandalorian” spinoff “The Book of Boba Fett” and the Leslye Headland series “The Acolyte,” failed to win audiences over.
But “Andor” has been a much needed hit for the “Star Wars” universe. The first season of the Diego Luna-starring series (a prequel to the popular 2016 film “Rogue One”) generated critical acclaim and was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the 2023 Emmys. It returned for its second and final season on April 22.
Jimmy “Mac” McInerney, host and producer of the “Rebel Force Radio” podcast, exclusively told The Post that “Andor” is his favorite “Star Wars” TV show.
“For the longest time, I believed ‘The Mandalorian’ seasons 1-2 were the apex of Star Wars television. My opinion changed after a recent re-watch of ‘Andor’s first season,” he said.
“Each character fits perfectly into the story, and their motivations are clearly defined,” McInerney continued. “Most importantly, in ‘Andor,’ unlike other Disney-era ‘Star Wars’ storytelling, each character clearly EARNS their victories, losses and situations. No shortcuts in the storytelling. The acting, writing, and overall mature approach make ‘Andor’ the highest quality ‘Star Wars’ show.”
The hosts of the podcast “Children of the Watch: A Star Wars Show” agreed that “Andor” deserves its flowers.
“‘Andor’ is absolutely one of the best — it’s ‘Star Wars’ at its most mature and thematically rich,” they exclusively told The Post. “But the beauty of the current era is that it doesn’t have to be either/or. ‘The Mandalorian’ redefined ‘Star Wars’ TV and introduced a whole new generation to the galaxy, while ‘Ahsoka’ continued the legacy of beloved animated characters with cinematic flair.”
But the “Star Wars” experts also recognized that some of Lucasfilm’s shows have fallen flat.
“Despite my love for the character, ‘Ahsoka’ was the most frustrating viewing experience for this hard-core ‘Star Wars’ fan,” McInerney told The Post about the Rosario Dawson series.
“It was the perfect opportunity to give the character a fresh start in live-action, but instead, Lucasfilm used it to expand on a story told in animation via 4 seasons of ‘Star Wars Rebels,’” McInerney continued. “As a result, the series gets crushed under the weight of the past and provides zero point of entry for a new fan.”
McInerney also called “The Acolyte” “an obvious swing-and-miss” because of its “less-than-acceptable acting, poor direction, cheap-looking, mundane location shooting, and no solid protagonist to actively root for.”
“Star Wars” Celebration 2025 recently took place in Japan and featured several big announcements about the franchise’s future.
Ryan Gosling was confirmed to be cast in “Deadpool & Wolverine” director Shawn Levy’s upcoming film “Star Wars: Starfighter,” set approximately five years after the events of 2019’s “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.” Disney also shared a new glimpse at “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” the 2026 film featuring the characters from the series starring Pedro Pascal.
There were no announcements about new “Star Wars” shows at the event — signaling that Lucasfilm is finally pivoting back to making movies.
“TV has given Star Wars room to breathe — to tell slower, character-driven stories that wouldn’t fit in a two-hour runtime. But ‘Star Wars’ is also built for the big screen,” said the “Children of the Watch” hosts, who argued that “Star Wars” should keep making both movies and shows.
McInerney, meanwhile, told The Post that while he’s “optimistic” about the future of “Star Wars,” he thinks the franchise is “currently going through something of an identity crisis” that “needs to be resolved” soon.
“I believe better management and leadership at Lucasfilm is needed immediately, otherwise the same issues will sadly keep recurring,” he explained. “Currently, their studio heads don’t seem to understand ‘Star Wars’ nor their audience, thus all the inconsistencies.”
McInerney even proposed an idea for how to perfect “Star Wars” TV.
“I want to see ‘Star Wars’ succeed and I think the best way to make that happen is for Lucasfilm to commit to only one annual series that tells an ongoing story from season-to-season featuring longer episodes closer to an hour each,” he said.
He added, “For Star Wars to continue, it needs to find focus.”
