Uncovering the Boring American Fascism in Star Wars’ ‘Andor’ Season 2
On a farm in the middle of nowhere, some government guy is asking people questions. He’s pretending to do a census, but really, he’s looking for undocumented immigrants. He traps a young worker and tries to make her sleep with him. When she says no, he gets violent. This all happens in the second season of Andor, a Star Wars show that’s all about the Rebel Alliance fighting the Galactic Empire.
If you watch Andor and think about America’s move toward fascism, that’s not an accident. For 47 years, Star Wars has been using the Empire to talk about real-world stuff. But Andor is different—it’s the first time since Disney bought Lucasfilm that the show is pointing the finger back at the US.
In the past, Star Wars hasn’t been very political. The bad guys in the newer movies are just dressed up like Nazis to show they’re evil. The sequels don’t say much about American politics because they’re too busy trying to figure out what Star Wars means. When Disney does try something different, like with The Acolyte, it doesn’t work because of the fans and the big bosses.
Andor is a win for Star Wars. It’s the best thing to come out of the franchise in a while, and it’s trying to talk about important stuff again. Season 2 is even more intense, coming at a time when America is falling apart.
The first three episodes are out now, and they’re taking us to Mina-Rau, a planet in the Star Wars galaxy. There, rebels are hiding as mechanics and trying not to get caught. It’s a tough spot to be in because the Empire is always watching.
The show is good at showing how regular people help fascism grow. We know Palpatine is evil, but it’s the workers who make it all happen. They’re the ones who follow orders and make evil seem normal and boring. It’s a scary look at what happens when things get bad.
Star Wars has always been about America’s power. Before George Lucas made Star Wars, he was going to direct a movie about the Vietnam War. When that didn’t work out, he took that idea and made it into space battles. The Empire looks like a mix of America and other empires that did bad things.
Even when Lucas came back to Star Wars, he had a new idea. The prequels talk about how democracies fall apart, and how strong leaders take over. Lucas was trying to say something about Bush and the Iraq War. But now, Star Wars is back to talking about how America is moving toward fascism again.
