There is a new contender for the throne of the best trilogy for the (film and series) universe of Star Wars. At least, that’s what MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz thinks. He watched the first complete storyline around the first Death Star with great joy.
I grew up with the first Star Wars movies and associate beautiful memories with A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Luke, Han, and Leia are the heroes of my childhood. I can still watch the entire trilogy with great joy today.
This only partially applies to the two newer movie trilogies. I love the duel between Darth Maul and Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon Jinn in Episode I. However, I don’t like the clean CGI look at all. Episode II is rather meh, while Episode III is wonderfully dark. From the new trilogy, I especially enjoy the nostalgia vibes from Episode VII. I found the two sequels, Episodes VIII and IX, increasingly difficult to watch.
For a long time, it was clear to me that there could only be one “best trilogy of Star Wars”, namely the original trilogy. But that has surprisingly changed for me now.
The trailer for Star Wars – The Empire Strikes Back:
From the beginning and end of the Death Star
Thanks to the now completely released second season of the Star Wars series Andor, it is now possible to see the entire “saga surrounding the first Death Star”:
- Andor tells how the rebels first learn of a new secret superweapon of the Empire and what sacrifices they must make for it.
- Then the 2016 film “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” directly follows and tells how the rebels obtain the secret and well-protected plans for the Death Star – and what sacrifices they must make for that as well.
- And all of this ultimately leads to Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. There, the rebels can ultimately destroy the Death Star, which is only possible thanks to the events that happened in Andor and Rogue One.
This “trilogy” of Andor, Rogue One, and Episode IV thus tells a self-contained narrative arc, culminating in a grand finale and a satisfying happy ending for the rebels.
The true Star Wars
What makes this trilogy so good? When “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” came to theaters in 2016, I celebrated the film for being distinctly different from the previous Star Wars films. It is more a dark war movie than a feel-good hero epic and allows the good guys to do bad things to have a chance against the overpowering Empire.
And war demands sacrifices, which is particularly evident in the final battle and in the final minutes of the film … a very atypical, harsh ending for Star Wars in general and Disney in particular.
Marco from Nerdkultur discusses Season 1 of Andor extensively in this video:
Additionally: The look is wonderfully gritty, just like in the original trilogy, which also applies to Andor, making the series and spin-off film fit wonderfully with Episode IV. Plus: It is not about magic users and lightsaber wielders being the focus of the plot, but rather about soldiers, smugglers, spies, and rebels.
This not only brought a new tone to the Star Wars universe, but also highlighted areas of the universe that had previously been overlooked in the films. And all of this is beautifully built upon by the series Andor with its 24 episodes. For example, through exciting insights into the imperial prison on the water planet Narkina 5 (featuring a guest appearance by Andy Serkis (Gollum)).
With strong performances from the cast including Diego Luna (Cassian Andor), Genevieve O’Reilly (Senator Mon Mothma), Stellan Skarsgård (Luthen Rael), and Elizabeth Dulau (in her very first role) as Kleya Marki. From my perspective, there is currently no better Star Wars series. Only the first season of “The Mandalorian” can match it in my view.
In short: the next time you subscribe to Disney+, make sure to set aside some time for Star Wars and watch Andor, Rogue One, and Episode IV in fairly quick succession. This way, you won’t just experience what I believe is the best narrative arc in the film and series universe of Star Wars, but you’ll also discover many details that reference previous or upcoming events.
However, note that “some time” rather means “a lot of time”. Specifically: about 1,400 minutes in total. The 24 episodes of Andor run for between 38 and 61 minutes each. That adds up to quite a lot. It’s worth it! For rather action-packed highlights from the Star Wars films for the big screen, check out the following special: The 7 most legendary battles from the films of Star Wars ranked
