luke hull, the production designer of andor, says it is a very visually light show, and he’s not wrong, but it is deeply interesting to me how the brightest and lightest part of andor is the empire. in most other star warses, the empire is depicted as, well, dark; it’s vader’s looming shadow, the grimly lit death star. the empire is a creature of malice and hatred, a Bad force led by the shadowy darkness of palpatine - the empire reflects its morals and character. this is an effective way of queuing in to an audience primed by a lifetime of light versus dark good versus bad metaphors the situation at hand; in anh the tantive is visually very white, vader brings a darkness (literally) in with him. the light in star wars is the rebellion - leia’s pure white dress, mon’s r1 and rotj garb, luke’s white outfit. they are the hope, and so they are the lightest points of the movie. the rebel hq is white, blindingly so - look, you get my point. in andor, however, this is flipped. luthen’s fondor is often shadowy and greyish, mon gives her speech disavowing the empire a primarily grey colourscape, the radio tower to luthen on ferrix is dark, the backroom of the gallery is dark, but the empire is a blindingly sterile white again and again and again. narkina-5, the isb building, dedra’s flat. it’s a very deliberate brightness, one that contrasts with the more naturalistic lighting at play in rebel-led scenes and places; the imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. the empire has to continually signal its presence, has to continually signal what it claims to offer; Light, Order, Reason. it’s an inescapable brightness, a pervasive presence. you can retreat into the shadows but not the light. and at the same time, that pretence is so deeply hollow! there’s a clinical aspect to the light of the empire, a constant oppressive artifice to it; it smothers mon in the embassy, isb uniforms and stormtrooper armour has to be perfectly smooth and pressed, in contrast to the aforementioned rebels. dedra’s torture of bix strips the bright and clinical facade away, revealing the empire not as a medical organisation, treating the illnesses of the galaxy, but as a cruel creature, fed by and greedy for the desire for power and control and harm that those that make it up embody. dedra and the false light of the empire are symbionts; in the light she must be composed (as the empire demands of its subjects), it is only in the dark that she can be vulnerable. the light is more intuitive than the dark, but that is the exact framing that andor’s empire relies upon. it is easier to comply than to resist, but that light is false and cold and will burn you in time.
Coruscant, as a concept, is so fucking cool. What if a city evolved — unchecked and unregulated — for thousands of years? What if the buildings grew so dense, so thick, that they no longer scraped the sky, but buried the earth? What would the world be like with no oceans? No life?
Even if Anakin was never found by Qui-Gon, remained as a slave, stayed on Tatooine, etc etc… none of Palpatine's plans relied on him.
Palpatine was already senator of Naboo and had manipulated (if not outright caused) the situation between the Trade Federation and Naboo before he ever met Anakin. The Sith were already at the heart of the Republic.
one of the hundred things I love about Andor is that in the end, all the villains were destroyed not in an epic showdown with the rebels or whoever but by the machine that they worked for. syril was a faceless casualty of the genocide he helped create. dedra was done in for putting ambition over conformity to the machine, and she took down partagaz, who essentially created her, along with her. even heert was quite literally killed by his own droid and his own men. all of them were crushed by the wheel they dedicated their lives to keep turning. it's just so deeply deeply satisfying.
Initially, I thought the whole “Luke looks like Anakin but is more like Padme; Leia looks like Padme but is more like Anakin” thing was kind of cute, but it’s become bit of a pet peeve of mine. It’s not horrible or anything like that, but it’s such an oversimplification of all four characters. And it’s not even that accurate, yet it’s become so common and is treated like indisputable canon. And I just don’t get this interpretation of them.
First of all, I want to start by stating Luke and Leia are who they are because their parents raised them to be that way. However, I know these movies are works of fiction, and when George Lucas was writing the prequels, he did so with Anakin and Padme’s children in mind. So, with that being said …
This fandom tends to treat Anakin and Padme like they’re opposites, which just isn’t true. They have a lot in common. Both are kind, brave, intelligent, stubborn, reckless, strong leaders, determined, loyal, idealistic … They love with their whole hearts, following their emotions and what they believe is right, even when common sense might dictate otherwise. And we can see these traits in BOTH Luke and Leia.
The main difference I see between Anakin and Padme is that the latter is the more rebellious one. I know TCW likes to portray Anakin as the type of Jedi who doesn’t care about the rules, but just going by the movies it really isn’t the case. Anakin is pretty subservient to those in authority, which makes sense considering he was a slave for nine years. He apologizes to Padme for disobeying orders by going to Tatooine to search for his mother. He apologizes to Obi-Wan for seemingly disappointing him for not being an ideal student. Even when he shows some defiance by arguing with the council for not being granted the rank of master, Anakin quickly submisses after a few words from Mace and a look from Obi-Wan. His marriage to Padme being an exception, Anakin just isn’t the rebellious type. Padme is though. Throughout the PT, we see her doing what she wants, and to hell what others think. The Republic isn’t going to help Naboo? Fine. She’ll save it herself. Obi-Wan’s in trouble? Well, Anakin can come with her or not because she’s going to Geonosis either way. And of course there’s her questioning the war and whether she’s on the right side and the Delegation of 2000, which should have never been cut from RotS because it added so much to Padme’s storyline. Anakin was part of the Empire’s birth, while Padme was part of the Alliance’s beginning, and I love that the Rebellion is included in Padme’s legacy. And this rebellious, defiant spirit was passed onto Luke and Leia. Luke is going to help his friends, even if Yoda and Obi-Wan thinks it’s a bad idea. And Leia is just Leia. She doesn’t care that she’s a prisoner and sentenced for execution. Tarkin and Vader are beneath her, and she’ll happily remind them of that fact.
Also, it’s kind of annoying how people associate Luke’s kindness with Padme and just forget about Anakin, who was a genuinely good person. He helps Padme, Qui-Gon, and the others when they’re stranded on Tatooine, putting his own life at risk, and not once did he stop to consider how he would benefit from the whole thing. Anakin just knew they were in trouble and he wanted to help them. And then people overlook Leia’s kindness. The girl had to watch her whole planet blow up, yet she still has enough empathy to comfort Luke after Obi-Wan’s death. But some people describe her as having anger issues like Anakin, and I’m always like WHAT anger issues?? Leia has never expressed anger in a situation where ANYONE wouldn’t be angry. And I don’t agree with the idea that Leia would be more drawn to the dark side than Luke. I see her as being similar to Padme in that they are both very strong in their convictions. They both know who they are, what they stand for, and they won’t let fear, anger, or temptation cloud that. Even when the Death Star’s laser was aimed toward Alderaan, Leia STILL had the clarity of mind to lie about the Rebellion’s location. When Leia says that she wishes she could leave with Luke in RotJ, he knows she wouldn’t even if she could, and he reminds her of that. Because Leia has always been strong, just like Padme, and neither will turn their backs on what they believe is good and right.
As for Luke, he is compared several times to Anakin in the OT, and the prequels include multiple scenes where Anakin parallels his son: his love of flying, wanting to leave Tatooine and explore the galaxy, blowing up the Trade Federation’s control ship, losing a limb and having it replaced by a cybernetic, his battle with Dooku in RotS … Lucas clearly wanted to show how Anakin and Luke’s storylines mirror each other, but Luke’s choices ultimately lead to him taking a different path than his father’s. And it’s not because Luke is a pure, innocent cinnamon roll (which he isn’t) just like Padme (which she also isn’t; let women have flaws jfc). Anakin lived the first nine years of his life as a slave, was separated from his mother only to be reunited with her a decade later when she dies in his arms, and has been groomed by Palpatine since he was a child. And due to the flaws within the Jedi Order, Anakin wasn’t able to cope with his fear and trauma in a healthy manner. Luke, on the other hand, lived a relatively normal life for nineteen years with friends, hobbies, and a loving family. And this normal life helps him cope with his own loss and trauma in a way that Anakin couldn’t. And Luke IS drawn to the dark side, and he does struggle with it because he is angry and impatient, and he hates the Emperor and Luke wishes he could just kill him because then the galaxy would be a better place. But Luke actively chooses not to give into the dark side, which is why him tossing away his lightsaber, refusing to kill Vader, and declaring himself a Jedi “like his father before him” is so important. But I still see people trying to argue how Luke’s story actually mirrors Padme’s?? Yeah, maybe in a few ways, but his similarities to Anakin play a larger part in Luke’s journey.
And I’m not saying that Leia doesn’t resemble Anakin in some ways or that Luke isn’t similar to Padme because I know that’s not true. I just don’t think how they reflect their parents is as clearcut as some make it out to be. And it’s become slightly annoying how some fans keep repeating this like a knee-jerk reaction.