So, I just saw another post that said “Tony Gilroy really said fuck you to the hero’s journey”, and I- this started as a reply to that but then it got big enough that that would be really weird because I think that’s a fine position to hold, especially because you’re just liking the damn thing for your reasons, but at the same time, I just, I dunno, I—

Th-the thing is, the hero’s journey, the good ol’ Campbellian “Hero with 1000 Faces” monomyth thing, it got save-the-catted into a proscriptive format for storytelling, but ultimately its intended purpose is as a critical lens for understanding commonalities between mythic stories… and ultimately the commonality between mythic stories Campbell found was that a lot of them are

”What if a person went outside and learned anything ever?”

So its actually pretty, its pretty difficult to… avoid a Hero’s Journey analysis, especially when your story is about transformative personal growth, like in Andor! I mean, look, Luthen literally calls Cassian to adventure (I’ll take the starpath unit; I want you), then Andor refuses the call (just buy the damn unit and let me run away), but then he… and then… and..

Oh No. No no no, I’m not going to…
Ah shit I’m going to make the dorkiest post on Cohost, aren’t I

Andor Season 1 as the Hero’s Journey

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S-so the basics of the Hero’s Journey is that the hero has a home; they leave their home on an adventure, and then they return home, changed by the adventure. In Andor, we start on Ferrix, leave for adventures on Aldhani, Narkina 5, and Niamos, and then return to Ferrix for the finale.

The Call to Adventure:

Our hero is not a hero yet, but an opportunity to transform them into a hero is presented.

Under the guise of purchasing a stolen Imperial starpath unit, Cassian Andor is approached by Luthen Rael to be a part of the raid on Aldhani.

Refusal of the Call:

Our hero does not, in fact, want to transform. They are happy how they are, thank you very much.

Andor refuses the offer, and insists Luthen purchase the starpath unit.

Supernatural Aid:

A mentor figure assists our hero in their transformation. Sometimes they give our hero a gift that will help them in their journey.

The corporate security forces attack. Andor is saved by Luthen’s preplanning and strangely powerful ship, the Fondor Haulcraft. He accepts and is given a piece of sky kyber as a token of Luthen’s investment.

The Road of Trials:

The hero has adventures that change them! A lot of times, this happens in threes, because… I dunno, people just like things coming in threes.

At this point, Andor just so happens to have three story arc adventures…

THE FIRST TRIAL: The Aldhani Heist

Crossing the Threshold:

The hero enters into places and situations unknown to them. This is important, because the unfamiliar places they will visit contain the experiences that will ultimately shape them.

Andor is taken to Aldhani. To mark his crossing, his name- Cassian Andor- is taken from him. He is now “Clem”. Andor joins the Aldhani rebels.

The Belly of the Whale:

This is the absolute point of no return. The hero could have turned back before this; but at this point in the story, they commit themselves to their transformation irrevocably.

The Aldhani heist. Cassian could have left before this; by carrying out this mission, his personal growth, and the transformation of the rest of the world, is assured. Literally, the Rebels fill the belly of giant fish (the imperial shuttle) and are taken by it to a distant land.

The Meeting with the Goddess:

The hero is in it now, which earns them a meeting with someone wise or powerful who gives them assistance on their journey.

In part, when Vel gives Cassian Nemik’s manifesto, in part, Cassian’s return to Ferrix, and Maarva’s declaration of Rebel intent. In both cases, he is given the gift of wisdom that will later change him.

Woman as Temptress:

There’s this woman-as-virgin-and-whore thing Campbell’s going for here that I don’t really agree with; essentially, the hero has had success at this point… so why not quit? Take it easy? Leave the path for a bit?

Niamos. His transformation incomplete, Cassian Andor cannot return to his old name; he now becomes Keef Girgo. Andor allows himself to be tempted by his old ways. He attempts to indulge himself on the pleasure planet, only to find himself betrayed by the changes he himself has made in the world.

THE SECOND TRIAL: The Escape from Narkina 5

Atonement with the Father:

The hero comes to terms with their own growing power. There’s a whole masculine thing here; eh; but a way to frame it would be the hero becomes more like the powerful things in their journey than unlike.

Andor’s experience in the prison on Narkina 5 and relationship with Kino Loy develop his revolutionary understanding. He sheds his selfish nature, and becomes a mentor himself to Kino, in the same way Luthen has been a mentor to him.

The Magical Flight:

Leaving the adventure is, in itself, an adventure! But we’ve already had an adventure, so its fast and exhilarating.

Andor and Melshi swim to freedom from the prison, then escape to Niamos by the friendly intervention of the Pamelon bros. Heya.

The Ultimate Boon:

The tools/gift/knowledge the hero discovered on their adventure. This is the thing that has the power to transforms finally them into a true hero.

Andor retrieves the money and weapons- and Nemik’s manifesto- he stored on Niamos. He now has the tools he needs to return to Ferrix.

Refusal to Return/ The Rescue from Without:

The hero is changed! They’re heroic now! Why return home? Home is boring. Let’s just stay in adventure forever. Unless somebody yanks us back…

Maarva’s death. We don’t know what Andor might have done before calling home; but once he learns of Maarva’s death, he cannot help but return home.

THE THIRD TRIAL: Rescuing Bix/Maarva’s Funeral

Crossing the Return Threshold:

The hero returns home, but… everything’s different. Did I change? Did they?

Andor returns to Ferrix— and his true name. He finds the community changed, and his friends in danger. He has to do something to help, but what?

Apotheosis:

The hero transforms!! They’re a hero now!! Usually this happens earlier but Andor likes to drag his heels with personal growth!! I find that charming!!

Nemik’s manifesto. Andor finally uses his great boon, and is rewarded with a vision of the future where revolutionary action is necessary and successful. Andor is now fully transformed into the hero we will know in Rogue One.

Master of Two Worlds:

Our hero uses the powers and knowledge they got on their journey back at home. This isn’t the same person who we started with.

Andor, no longer fearful or selfish, heroically rescues Bix from the hotel cell. Meanwhile, the same revolutionary spirit that transformed him, that he brought back his normal world- erupts into the streets through Maarva’s funeral— the galaxy is being transformed around him.

The Freedom to Live:

The hero is transformed, and now they live their transformed life, not how they were, but how they are.

Andor chooses not to accompany his friends as they flee Ferrix, but instead freely swears his life to Luthen’s cause. No longer driven by fear or greed, Andor will fight to spread rebellion and freedom through the galaxy.

I uh, I kinda entered a fugue state there. Look, it’s— it’s— I think we all agree that what Tony Gilroy has done in Andor is avoid cliche’d writing, and one of the most exhausting cliches in modern storytelling is the checkbox-like adherence to monomyth structure. Nothing clanks harder than seeing a hero refuse the call because this is the point in the story where a hero refuses the call, instead of behaving in the way our protagonist should behave because of what the story can conferred to us so far. But at the same time, this… [waves metal arms from round ball-like body] set of things is here because they’re familiar to the experience of being human. Who amongst us hasn’t left home and been changed by living of it? Who hasn’t had mentors that led us to personal developments or been tempted to return to our old ways? Tony Gilroy’s Andor is a hero’s journey story not because its a poorly told story, but because its a wonderful story that people have been telling each other since we began telling stories- “What if someone got better? What if we grew? What if our mom’s hope for us paid off? What if we really could be something more, something that we can’t even see inside ourselves?”

Andor, like Star Wars before it, cannot help but hit these beats. Its not a failure. Its just the consequence of telling a story with hope at its core.