u/boxingjazz

Five years ago, despite having loved (and I mean, loved) Star Wars for well over 40 years, I personally felt that Disney had killed Star Wars. I know that sounds hyperbolic, but I was smarting from a series of movies that killed the main three heroes of the franchise, and quite frankly, did NONE of them justice. "Solo" bombed (and deservedly so, imo). The actors that portrayed the characters set up by those sequels, weren't even happy with how their characters were written. Online was an almost never-ending war between between Disney and the fans, the fans vs. the fans. Projects were announced and seemingly cancelled just as quickly.The lone bright spot was "The Mandalorian" and even that had more to do with a little green puppet that sold product well. There was (again, just my opinion) almost no reason to be optimistic about the future of the franchise.

So if you had told me that just around the corner there was going to be a prequel series about a character that had only been introduced a few years earlier, and actually DIED in the same movie he was introduced in, I wouldn't have believed you.

What we got, were two seasons and 24 episodes that, for me, literally reinvigorated me and my love for the franchise. The little boy that was dazzled, with mouth left agape, at the Death Star trench run, the Battle of Hoth, a duel in the clouds, a rescue in the desert, and at its climax, war on multiple ​fronts in space, in a forest, and in a cold, dark throne room, was now a older man, left absolutely gobsmacked, not by dizzying space battles or lightsaber duels, but by impassioned speeches, political intrigues, and spymaster activities.

Tony Gilroy, from week-to-week, pulled off miracles not seen for decades. If that was all he did, it would have been still been a triumph. What I did NOT anticipate was this subreddit. You guys are some of the smartest, most thoughtful, insightful fans that I've ever had the opportunity to interact with. I have learned so much from you all. Pointing out things I've missed, unlocking deeper and deeper levels within the show and it's complex cast of characters. And you are still finding new things to talk about. To expand upon. And you are all doing it every day.

I never would've thought that Disney would geenlight something this good, this original, this smart, when Disney had effectively left Star Wars dead in a ditch. Spending as much as I do on this subreddit, engaging with your guys, learning from you, laughing with you,, is,not only a daily reminder of how peak this series is, but spurs me to love the series even more. Even topics that have been discussed in detail many times before , are expanded by every new voice that enters the thread.

If all I ever did was watch, "Andor" alone, that would be enough to earn it a place beside the Original Trilogy. But the insights and ideas of you all that the show inspires? That's how a great show becomes a classic piece of art.

Thanks guys. Here's to the years and years ahead of rewatches, reappraisals, and reexaminations.

One of the defining aspects of Star Wars that set it apart, and above, a lot of the science fiction and science fiction fantasy genres, are not only the iconic characters and concepts, but the memorable technology. And in this instance, the iconic vehicles of space travel. ​

And I feel like, in just a few key scenes, Luthen Rael's Fondor Haulcraft quickly established itself among the best. Judging by the response from the Imperial patrol that intercepted Luthen, the V21.1 Chevlex light haulcraft was a smaller freighter/transport vehicle, but with "a lot of special modifications" in the tradition of the iconic Millennium Falcon, with improvements hyperdrive capabilities and offensive/defensive armaments (or as Han Solo might say, "she might not look like much, but she's got it where it counts").

Not to "nerd out" on lore too much on a sub that usually (and rightly so) focuses primarily on the richness of the writing, direction, acting, complexity of characters, and their relationship to the larger Star Wars universe, but the Fondor Haulcraft, and the intriguing hints of an emerging personality in his AI Fondor droid mod, has quickly become one of my favorite ships of the line.

What do you, my peeps, think about Luthen's ride?