A lot has been said about how good andor is in the context of Star Wars, but I also think there's something to the idea that Andor is as good as it is because IT is in Star Wars. A lot of contemporary prestige tv that it gets compared to leans into a fairly bleak and unoptimistic tone. And while I think those kinds of stories are necessary and valuable, I think there's something wonderful about the fact that we know the rebellion wins out in Andor. Every time we see the awful fascist violence of the Empire, we know that eventually it will fall, and every time we see the tentative shoots of solidarity and connection sprout up, we know that they're not doomed, they will eventually lead to something. I think having that future outcome set in stone has really encouraged the writers to think interestingly about tone and character! It takes the writing in exciting and unexpected directions!
And as much as Andor has leaned into the brutality of the Empire and made that concrete, it has at the same turn made the rebellion itself concrete, real... achievable. And I think that's pretty cool