Is This A New Hope For ‘Star Wars?’

The first trailer for Andor was honestly one of the best things Disney has done with Star Wars all year. I’d rather watch that trailer again and again than revisit either The Book Of Boba Fett or the massively disappointing Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The second trailer is even better. This is what I’ve wanted from a Star Wars show since The Mandalorian proved they could be done right. Like the best parts of Mando, this focuses on a smaller slice of the galaxy not hogged by the Skywalkers and their irksome legacy.

Like Rogue One, this looks dark and deftly made, a tense dive into the rebellion at the height of the Empire’s power.

Here’s the trailer:

Andor takes place before the events of Rogue One (obviously) when the rebellion was just beginning. It stars Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma, Stellan Skarsgard as Luthen and Alan Tudyk as the droid K-2SO.

The three-episode series premiere hits Disney+ on September 21st, joining a busy late summer / early fall release slate of big, highly anticipated shows like House of the Dragon (HBO, August 21st) and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Amazon, September 2nd).

I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up—the last two Star Wars Disney Plus flops have taught me that much—but rebellions are built on hope, and I am an eternal optimist. I just really hope this doesn’t let me down.