Heirs to the Wreckage

In the only creative writing course I ever took in college, I found myself in constant conflict with the professor on the nature of writing. He staunchly believed good writing should extract intrigue and thematic value from the benign, quiet moments of life. I, on the other hand, have always been a proponent of fantasy and sci-fi, which expressly seek to test the limits of our everyday reality. Needless to say, we did not get along, and not solely due to this one disagreement. Fantasy, for me, is not only creatively riveting in terms of its imaginative power, but it is capable of communicating very human themes in a manner distinct from any other genre. Through The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins taught teenagers a basic but timeless lesson in digital propaganda and spectacle, and how they serve as a means of control. Everyday I see more quotes from 1984 circulating online, and there can be no doubt as to why that is. The Lord of the Rings, The Hunger Games, Divergent, these were my classics- not your Harper Lee. 

Suffice it to say that I was disappointed that Andorwas not featured in this year’s Golden Globes, or in any mainstream Hollywood discourse beyond the Emmys. Simply put, Andoris a masterpiece. It is a compelling, dedicated study of revolution and authoritarianism; and it recursively seeks to question how far a tyrannical regime must go in order to spur its subjects to the altar of rebellion. How does fascism manifest within the lives of people such that death and destruction are preferable to the eroding stability within it? And it came from the most unexpected place much as elitist academic institutions are the sanctuary for radical political thinkers, it came from the Disney-owned Star Wars franchise, one of the most corporately managed IPs under one of the most bloated corporations. 

Perhaps it serves to mention that I’ve been a longtime fan of Star Wars. It’s been a constant presence in my life and interests since childhood, and even the most panned lines of the prequel trilogy are appreciated and quoted by me and my ilk. As a Star Wars fan, explaining why Star Wars is popular to those outside of the cult is a convoluted process. Perhaps it’s the novelty of the worldbuilding, the toys and merchandise sold, the filmmaking advances, the charisma of the actors. There is an entire documentary explaining away the process by which George Lucas filmed the original Star Wars and how he handled its unexpected popularity. Regardless, Star Wars has always been somewhat of a mixed bag, despite being a titanic cultural phenomenon. It only has two or three movies that are universally liked, an assemblage of games and comics, and the occasional TV show here and there with a cult following. Since Disney acquired the franchise, an overemphasis on marketing and fan-service have produced a train of derivative and creatively lackluster projects. It seemed unlikely that I could experience this unique pleasure of seeing a story I already like be reinvented in such a fashion. 

Andor leads with a relatively simple premise: what if the setting of Star Wars was taken seriously? What if the Empire, far from the pulpy space goons from the movies *cue Han Solo wahooing as he blasts a TIE fighter*, was examined as an actual authoritarian regime? What if revolution was not conducted by heroes in the vein of Luke Skywalker, but by people who lived in constant fear, living precariously day to day, and sacrificing their very humanity and morality to wage war on the Empire. Far removed from figures like Darth Vader, the show commits itself to following people behind the imperial machine. What are the evils perpetuated by elitist bureaucrats implementing unjust laws, by imperial soldiers with too much authority, by intelligence officers who seek to manipulate and divide the populace? And we experience all of this through the eyes of Cassian Andor, who begins relatively uninvested in this galactic conflict despite the traumatic experience of life under Imperial rule. Yet we know that he is destined, from the rudimentary not-yet-fully-formed Rebel insignia that appears on the title screen, to eventually radicalize and fight them. 

And in demonstrating what events could possibly push Cassian Andor over the edge, the show takes us through scenes of the Empire draining planetary resources to the point of collapse, abducting people at random under the pretense of peacekeeping, sending detainees to secret prisons to perform slave labor, manufacturing propaganda against certain groups, committing genocide, displacing and eroding away at indigenous communities. The depiction of fascism as a standardized and routine process is by far one of the most compelling, and disturbing. For if or when fascism comes to call on the United States, it will not be a single definitive instance that alerts us to its presence. It is a streamlined encroach into our lives, the dull and enervating constraints of bureaucratic top-down policy, the slow increase of healthcare premiums, the things we see on TV with ICE and foreign countries that we once would have nationally denounced but now almost seem…normal. When AI control rears itself, it won’t be in the form of James Cameron’s Skynet or Terminators, even if that is the message he wanted us to take away from the film. It will come in what already pervades our lives: the data we routinely consent to sell companies, the social media we frequent and express ourselves on, the things we purchase online, the hordes of bots that discredit and divide and savage people online. 

So, given the picture that Andor illustrates for us, direct critiques of real-world happenings, one might understand why I find it baffling that The Studio received more attention. Brands such as Star Wars, or anything as “sci-fi” as Star Wars are generally not taken seriously or given critical consideration (much in the vein of the aforementioned college professor). That may very well be the unfortunate reason Andor didn’t win any awards, but I would like to present an alternate hypothesis. I theorize that fantasy works in a couple of ways. Firstly, it is enthralling because of the high stakes and the expansive creative limits in the story. The enhanced world and unique tensions allow for strong narrative payoffs, and themes that will stay with the audience. Yet, at the same time, they hold the veneer of the supernatural which alienates it from us and our reality. The Hunger Games is valued because of its important themes but crucially because its premise is so dystopian that it could never become our reality… WALL-E is watchable because even if it is a film aimed at environmental awareness, the world of WALL-E is still divorced enough from our world through its sci-fi elements so as to not seriously stir the establishment. Most of all, the heroes in the film confront their supposedly fantastical tension and overcome it, allowing us to leave knowing the heroes won. It is as Mark Fisher asserted, “the film performs our anti-capitalism for us”, excusing us from really confronting that which the film parallels. In short, I question whether Andor was underwritten not only because it’s Star Wars, but because its tensions are too uncomfortably “real”. The moment where Mon Mothma gives her speech to the senate, declaring “what happened is nothing less than genocide!”, feels as if it nudges the 4th wall, as if it’s not only meant to wake the corrupt senate out of its complicity but the audience as well. 

In any case, I highly recommend giving the show a watch. Remarkably, it is one of the only Star Wars products that is open to all audiences rather than a niche collective of fans. Looking ahead to 2026 I’m unsure of what the content of this blog will consist of. I have spent extensive time traveling in Thailand and later on traveling to visit family. Now I have settled back at home, in what seems will be a transitional phase of my life as I decide what to pursue next. I find the process of determining this difficult, perhaps I am making it more difficult for myself. Even if I know this to be untrue, I cannot help but feel as if there is a global calculus hinging on my decision. What sort of person do I wish to be in this world, as beautiful and ugly as it is? What should I become given the opportunity? With my degree, what has a veritable pathway to social mobility and out of a dead-end 9-5 grind? What do I want my relationship with power and institutions to look like given how flawed they are? Do I want to aim for a career that lives adjacent to power or aspires to it directly? Will I advance what I believe to be the greater good? All pertinent questions that are for another entry. My best to everyone going into 2026.