Andor: The Complete First Season Collector's Edition SteelBook - 4K UHD Blu-ray

Star Wars, as a franchise and an intellectual property, has been all over the place in terms of overall quality. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, Star Wars has seen it at all. But I’m not concerned with the lowest of lows today. I’m writing a love letter to the highest of highs that the franchise has reached, which leaves a high water mark for science fiction, filmmaking, and television production as a whole. 

In fact, the original Star Wars (later given the sub-title A New Hope for home video releases) was the movie that began my obsession with home theater equipment, so it’s appropriate to have the opportunity to review the 4K Blu-ray release of Andor. I saw the original trilogy at my neighbors’ house, on their massive 1990s home theater set-up. They had one of those big screen TVs that wouldn’t work if there was any amount of sunlight present, so it was pretty much just relegated to evening hours, and even then all the lights inside had to be killed. And the speaker arrangement, all six of them, were about as tall as I was, at the ripe age of seven years old. Even now, I remember watching the trilogy fondly, and it was something I wanted to recreate for myself as I got older.

Andor is a television event worthy of a top-tier home theater. Not just in terms of A/V quality, visual effects, and sound effects (though it does feature those in spades), along with killer 4K/HDR application and overhead Dolby Atmos implementation but in the most important aspect of all: In story. The excellent production values allow us to get lost in a story that engulfs us totally. We get lost in it. For the entire runtime of the show, we’re whisked away to a galaxy far, far away.

Unlike other entries in the Star Wars universe, Andor is more serious in tone, but it’s not some grimcore excursion into misery. It’s a more mature form of storytelling that effectively conveys life under a totalitarian regime. Tony Gilroy and Stephen Schiff take the precedent set by Rogue One and go even further. If Rogue One existed solely to see what the Star Wars universe was capable of portraying in more adult tones, Andor takes the ball and runs all the way downfield with it, and scores a flawless touchdown. Rogue One was an excellent film, but Andor is in league with the original trilogy of films and represents an important entry in this era of Disney’s control over the property.

Set five years before the events of Rogue One, Andor tells the story of how Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) got involved with the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire. Furthermore, Andor shows us the Rebellion in its infancy. There are no X-Wings yet, only a small group of militiamen and terrorists using guerilla tactics to strike hard when moments present themselves.

At times, Andor feels less like a Star Wars show and more like a sci-fi twist on Gillo Pontecorvo’s Battle of Algiers, or even an episode of The Americans, where the life of an assassin or a spy isn’t some sexy James Bond-esque globetrotting adventure. It’s a lonely, sad life with unexpected danger lurking around every corner. The threat of sudden, explosive violence is omnipresent, and that fear and paranoia permeate Cassian Andor’s daily life dictating every move he makes. Every alliance, every so-called friendship is a calculation to extend his own life.

Beyond Cassian Andor, the show also follows the lives of other members crucial to the early formation of the Rebellion. Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly), who we know from the original films as an important figure in bringing down the Empire, cut her teeth as a senator who illegally funneled money into operations spearheaded by Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård). In a lesser show, when the action cuts away from our main character, the story can drag through a never-ending series of B and C stories created to pad the overall run time. In Andor, every story satellite to Cassian’s journey is essential and fleshes out the plight of the Rebellion.

Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) and Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) represent the banality of evil of the Empire.  Syril Karn works for the private enterprise arm, Preox-Morlana, echoing the capitalistic imperialism of companies like the East India Company. Meero is heading an investigation into what she believes is a pattern of uprisings, hinting at a larger intelligence behind a movement. What makes Karn and Meero terrifying isn’t some wizardry of the dark side of the Force, cackling with wicked intent; it’s that they truly believe they’re doing the right thing. And they will commit horrible deeds in the name of “justice.”

At 12 episodes, Andor feels massive in an era of television where 6-8 episodes are the norm and 10 is on the larger side of the order. Every three episodes represent a specific arc of the show. The first three episodes introduce the viewer to the main characters and the unique world set within the Star Wars universe. The next three episodes detail a specific caper, with two episodes dedicated to the logistic “what and how” with every third episode of the show representing some sort of exciting payoff. Not every episode of Andor is rife with action and excitement, but they lay a lot of groundwork to make those moments more rewarding when they do happen. We grow attached to the characters, which makes the emotional impact of seeing some of them get hurt (or yes, even die in some instances) all that more impactful.

Andor manages to feel both new and visually beholden to the stage set in its cinematic universe before it. The dangers feel more palpable and real, but in an aesthetic we know well, and feel comfortable in. Andor has gone beyond the simple promise of “Star Wars for grown-ups” and has given us something truly special: A sci-fi show that makes us think.

Andor is a masterpiece. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 

Andor: The Complete Series comes home with a three-disc 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray SteelBook release. All twelve episodes are spread out over three BD-100 discs. Each disc loads to the standard Disney language menu before letting you choose to move on to the main menu or dive into the series outright. The discs are housed in an ornate SteelBook with individual trays for each disc, none stacked. Also included is a packet of three art cards. No SDR Blu-ray discs are included.

NOTE - We haven't been able to pull images from the 4K discs yet, when we can, we'll circle back and update this review. 

While I lament the decision not to include a Dolby Vision HDR layer like what we get on Disney+, it’s impossible not to sing the praises Andor: The Complete First Season on 4K disc. The improvement in fine details thanks to the notably higher bitrate is immediately appreciable, even for the darkest scenes. The sense of depth and dimension in each shot is more noticeable as well. Facial features, fine lines, the details in the practical creature effects, or that little red robot are all on display. I was really impressed with how well the CGI backgrounds held up. The HDR grade might not have the color and black level nuance as the Dolby Vision grade on Disney+, but it’s no slouch here either. If anything, with a more robust bitrate (often peaking north of 90mbs) and not subject to data stream limitations, the HDR grade works even better. Black levels are cleaner, especially with low-light scenes and dark shadows (of which there are a lot). Whites are brilliantly crisp and colors are vibrant with healthy flesh tones. If only we could have gotten the DV grades on disc too this disc might well have been perfect. As it stands the on-disc transfers are genuinely excellent.

Keeping up with the great video transfer, each episode of Andor packs an impressive Dolby Atmos mix that sits right where it should without needing to compensate the levels. Blaster fire, rain falling, people clanging metal in the streets in the third episode - the sound design is rich and dynamic. While key elements rest in the Front/Center channels, the surrounds and heights get plenty of action for a nice immersive experience. Heights are also well prioritized letting some excellent pin-point activity depending on the action scene in question. Imaging for ships flying across the screen is equally lovely. Some episodes are a bit more quiet than others. After all, the series is a Tony Gilroy spy thriller that plays more like Le Carre than Lucas's standard space opera, so we get quite a few quiet plot-building moments. But even when it’s not wall-to-wall sound, the soundscape has plenty of elements working to keep those channels active. My only gripe is that at times LFE can feel a tad thin, sound effects of heavy impacts, explosions, or the pulsing bass of a nightclub don't quite rumble as loud as I'd have hoped. But in terms of flaws, that's a relatively small one when stacked with how great everything else about each episode sounds. Not quite reference quality, but it gets damn close. 4.5/5

As for extra features, there’s some nice stuff here, but nothing exactly mind-blowing either. These few featurettes offer some insights into the production, the approach of creating an origin story for the character, creating the look and feel of the series. But at about 40 minutes, you breeze through these extras very quickly. 

Disc One

• Ferrix Part 1: Imperial Occupation (HD 8:18)
• Aldhani: Rebel Heist (HD 7:42)
• Coruscant: Whispers of Rebellion (HD 8:44)
• Narkina 5: One Way Out (HD 7:30)
• Ferrix Part 2: Fight the Empire (HD 7:35)

Andor: The Complete First Season is a breath of fresh air for the sprawling Star Wars universe. Tony Gillroy’s Rogue One prequel series not only gives an origin for the titular character but dives deep into the exciting gritty world of spycraft within the galaxy far, far away. Unlike any franchise show on the streamer, this series stands apart from the lore of Jedi and Sith and Skywalkers while feeling part of that fantastic universe. Disney continues their excellent run of giving their best shows amazing 4K UHD Disc releases. The HDR10 grade is spot-on letting those dark shadowy underworld locations come in with crystal clarity while the Atmos mix is an excellent active accompaniment for the entire run. Bonus features may be thin but they’re at least informative. Highly Recommended