Disney’s Andor remains one of the most politically audacious and mature works within the Star Wars universe. With Season 2, the critically acclaimed series transcends its galactic setting, becoming a chilling reflection of the real-world mechanisms of authoritarianism. Beneath lightsabers and starships lies a sharp critique of modern fascism and how it thrives through systemic normalization and public complicity.
The Empire’s Banality Revealed
Unlike the cartoonishly evil depiction of the First Order in the sequel trilogy, Andor drills down into the banality of the Empire’s tyranny. Fascism here isn’t represented by grandiose speeches and melodramatic villains but by pencil-pushing bureaucrats and ordinary citizens complicit in oppression.
One of Season 2’s standout moments encapsulates this perfectly. An Imperial official posing as a census taker uses his position to target undocumented workers on a remote farm. His abuse of power is disturbingly mundane yet rife with terror, mirroring systemic harassment faced by vulnerable populations in the modern world. It’s not Emperor Palpatine or Darth Vader enacting this atrocity but a mid-level functionary fully embedded in the Empire’s machine.
Historian Chris Kempshall aptly describes this as “the grassroots elements of fascism.” The Empire’s evil extends beyond its figureheads, stemming instead from everyday individuals performing routine tasks, filing paperwork, or enforcing discriminatory policies. Through these unremarkable actions, oppression becomes systematic and terrifyingly effective.
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Consequences
Season 2 also highlights the complicity of civilians and minor collaborators in sustaining authoritarian power. Residents of Mina-Rau, the agricultural planet introduced this season, illustrate this principle. When Imperial troops arrive under the guise of conducting a supply audit, fear ripples through the farming community. We see firsthand how survival pressures and moral compromise foster complicity.
For instance, a farmer who initially sympathizes with the Rebel cause later betrays their location to the Empire. It’s an intimate portrayal of how fascism worms its way into people’s lives, forcing them to make grim choices. Those “just following orders” or seeking to protect their own families unknowingly perpetuate the cycle of oppression.
This narrative explores how a society slowly cedes its freedoms and values in exchange for perceived stability. Surveillance tightens, liberties erode, and neighbors turn against one another. The ISB (Imperial Security Bureau), with its meticulous data collection and Orwellian infrastructure, is particularly haunting, evoking parallels with modern intelligence agencies.
Historical and Political Resonance
Fascism’s creeping normalcy is not just a science-fiction trope but a sobering reminder of real-world authoritarianism. From ICE crackdowns on immigrants in the U.S. to the ways modern surveillance states operate, Andor draws unsettling parallels to contemporary politics. Tony Gilroy, the series’ creator, constructs a world where viewers can’t help but recognize the real echoes of tyranny in their everyday lives.
Andor reminds us that authoritarian regimes thrive not because they are inherently exceptional but because ordinary systems make them functional. The Empire isn’t evil solely because of Sith lords but because its everyday machinery enables evil to flourish in plain sight. This echoes historian Hannah Arendt’s concept of “the banality of evil,” where acts of immense cruelty are committed by unremarkable individuals within rigid systems, normalizing atrocities through familiar routines.
Why Andor Matters Now
The brilliance of Andor lies in how it uses the Star Wars universe to comment on these urgent contemporary issues. With the prevalence of surveillance technology, increased political polarization, and undermined democratic institutions globally, the show feels painfully relevant.
Season 2 does what few mainstream franchises dare to do in the modern entertainment landscape. It moves away from commercial escapism to tackle prickly sociopolitical questions. It asks its audience hard truths, including how they might unwittingly participate in or be complicit with oppressive systems.
For Star Wars enthusiasts, it’s a fascinating reinterpretation of the franchise’s long history of political allegory. George Lucas originally designed the Empire as a stand-in for American imperialism during the Vietnam War. Later entries like the prequels critiqued the erosion of democracy into dictatorship, while more recent iterations remained politically muted. Andor, however, revitalizes the saga’s edge, delivering biting commentary that resonates beyond its galaxy far, far away.
Lessons from Andor: A Call to Vigilance
Andor teaches us that resisting tyranny is not limited to epic battles or grand gestures; it begins in the quiet acts of courage and defiance in everyday life. By highlighting the dangers of normalization, complicity, and apathy, the series urges its audience to remain vigilant and engaged.
Beneath the character development and gripping storytelling lies an emphatic reminder relevant to all generations—we cannot take democracy for granted.
Season 2 of Andor cements its place as one of the most indispensable pieces of modern science fiction. Beyond its Star Wars branding, it stands as an urgent narrative of politics, ethics, and human agency.
