Rob's Review: Andor

Jonah and I finally got a chance to finish watching the first season of Andor last week.

Wow.

It's a slow burn, to be sure. There are a lot of character moments and development punctuated by the occasional battle. But it's not about the action as much as it's about the people, and Andor has some great writing and compelling characters. 

I'm really glad that they are allowing the storyline room to breathe over two whole seasons - and over 12 episodes (at least in the first one)! It great to be able to explore sections of the Star Wars universe that have been underrepresented in live-action series. Now the only problem is that we have to wait until the second season for the storylines to resolve (or at least lead into the events of Rogue One). I'm excited about what is to come.

If you're a Star Wars fan at all, I'd highly recommend this series. And even if you're not, there's not a lot of backstory necessary to follow along.

My grade: A+

Why You Gotta Be Hatin?

There's been a lot of discussion online recently about Star Wars in general and the new series Obi Wan Kenobi in particular. A lot of that discussion is critical of the new Star Wars shows like Obi Wan and The Book of Boba Fett. Some of it has gone beyond simple dislike and gone into hate, and much of it has gotten personal and ugly. (I won't go into the details here because it's not relevant to my point.)

I understand why people may dislike something new, especially when it doesn't line up their perception or seems to contradict something done in the past. There are all kinds of examples dealing with canon and what is considered canonical and so forth. There are books that could be written about such debates.

Of course, Star Wars is not the only intellectual property to deal with this kind of animus. Newer iterations of Star Trek have likewise been panned by elements of fandom for not living up to certain expectations or seeming to violate what has been shown before. 

I personally have enjoyed the new Star Wars and the new Star Trek shows. Are they perfect? No. What is? Are they entertaining? Absolutely. Are they for everyone? Probably not.

It's the time and energy that certain elements of "fandom" have dedicated to criticizing current iterations of these properties that is so puzzling. If you don't like it, just say, "Well, that's not for me," and move on. There is an unhealthy level of "ownership" by some who feel entitled to their own versions. 

But we tend to do that in a lot of areas, don't we? We spend inappropriate amounts of time and energy criticizing and critiquing things (political opponents, companies, opinions, etc.) Instead, what if we just said, "That's not for me," and moved on? Then we could spend our time building something we value instead of trying to tear something else down.

Star Wars at the MN Science Museum

A new exhibition is coming to the Minnesota Science Museum!

Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination is an exciting exhibition featuring more than 80 costumes, models and props from all six Star Wars films that invites visitors to defy gravity, manipulate robots, engineer droids, and journey into that galaxy far, far away that has captivated audiences for more than 30 years.

Though still nine months away, starting today avid fans can log onto the museum's special website (www.smm.org/starwars) and join the priority e-mail ticket club.

I'm on the e-mail list. My family is going to love this!!