As streaming services continue to become the most mainstream way that new television and movies are consumed, sites like Disney+ continue to pump out new content for the properties they own. Along side Disney’s acquisition of Marvel years ago, they also acquired the rights to Star Wars.

In recent years, the newest film trilogy in the Star Wars saga was released, and unfortunately suffered from very negative feedback from fans, as many consider films eight and nine to be two of if not the worst films in the series. After these films, Disney began work on more Star Wars content for the streaming platform. Although these types of shows were not new to Star Wars, live action shows were. Shows like The Clone Wars and Rebels aired on television far before the days of Disney+. However, when The Mandalorian released, it was met with much praise from audiences. The show’s success laid the foundation for many more live action shows to come.

Recently, two long awaited Star Wars shows aired weekly on Disney+; The Book of Boba Fett and Kenobi. Despite the anticipation and excitement for these shows, they were received very mediocrely, with The Book of Boba Fett’s highest rated episodes essentially being episodes of The Mandalorian. This of course was not a good look for what was to come in future live action Star Wars projects.

The least hyped show that had been announced has recently begun releasing, known simply as Andor. Surprisingly enough, Andor is being met with praise similar to levels that The Mandalorian reached. Releasing with three episodes, the show set up for a great story that serves as a prequel to the Disney produced film Rogue One.

The first few episodes of Andor are much darker and gritty than your average Star Wars media. The show has definitely set up for a more mature and adult centered story than recent projects. This change however is not such a bad thing. Of course, Star Wars was originally intended for children, but over time has been recognized by more than just children for its incredible stories and fascinating characters and world. Many of the people who loved Star Wars as kids have grown up now, and it could not hurt to have some shows for older audiences.

Andor follows the character which the show is named after, Cassian Andor, who is a rebel spy and soldier who is very professional and good at what he does. His story provides a basis for ideas and themes that could not be explored with a less complex narrative. It is easy to dismiss new Star Wars shows as empty entertainment, in a similar way that many do to the new overproduced Marvel shows.

However, with Andor the first few episodes are shaping up to provide something truly special, which can be seen as a work with actual passion. Creating a entertaining story while also being rich in meaning and lessons, as well as the many other factors that go into creating an actually “good” tv show is rarely accomplished nowadays by many of the shows releasing on Disney+. Hopefully, Andor will live up to the new expectations that it has set with the incredible start that it is off to. Only time will tell, but things are looking up for Andor, as it has already been renewed for a second season and could be the redemption that Disney is looking for after the past few shows that have fizzled.