Three years ago today, Star Wars confirmed its biggest masterpiece since the original trilogy with a single historic episode. Most viewers tend to think of Star Wars as a film franchise, but it’s always been so much more; a transmedia franchise with incredible potential, flourishing in comics, novels, and through merchandise. The last few years have seen Star Wars move to the small screen, with a slate of live-action and animated Star Wars TV shows on Disney+.
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There have been successes and stumbles. Some of these Star Wars shows have come in for popular and critical acclaim, while others have been heavily criticized; The Acolyte was cancelled after its first season, while The Book of Boba Fett seemed to kill off interest in the character. On the other hand, The Mandalorian has been successful enough to transform into a film franchise, with Din Djarin’s Pedro Pascal leading Star Wars’ charge back to the big screen next year. That said, few hits have been anywhere near the scale of the episode that released three years ago, today.
“One Way Out” Proved How Good Andor Would Be
Tony Gilroy’s Andor season 1 premiered on September 21, 2021, with the first three episodes all dropping at once. It was immediately clear that this was a very different kind of Star Wars show, with the first season carefully avoiding Easter eggs and instead focusing on character drama. Reaction in the Star Wars fandom was initially quite mixed, simply because this wasn’t what audiences were used to. Still, the performances were riveting, the dialogue was incredibly solid, and the effects were spectacular. And then, on November 9, episode 10 – “One Way Out” – confirmed this was a masterpiece.
“One Way Out” is the climax of a massive story in which Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor has been imprisoned on Narkina Five. He gradually realizes the truth, that the prisoners there will never be free, and it triggers a massive jailbreak under the leadership of Andy Serkis’ Kino Loy. The performances are electrifying, with Kino delivering the speech of a lifetime to trigger the mass breakout. It says everything that “One Way Out” released to a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics and viewers alike blown away by the story.
Andor’s “One Way Out” Became a Symbol of the Entire Show
Andor is easily Star Wars’ best TV show, a prestige release unlike anything that’s ever been seen in the franchise before. The fandom’s initial mixed reception died down, and it became a sleeper hit on Disney+, with sustained viewership and a reputation that only improved over time. By the time season 2 released this year, even Andor‘s critics had to admit it was unparalleled; it set a new high standard for Star Wars, one that hadn’t been seen since the end of the original trilogy in 1983.
“One Way Out” is, perhaps, the greatest symbol of this success. A new tradition seems to have formed at Star Wars Celebration, with cosplayers staging prison runs in London in 2023 and Tokyo in 2025.
The episode ends on a bittersweet note, with Kino Loy unable to enjoy the freedom he has won for so many others. There were surprising rumors of Serkis’ return ahead of Andor season 2, but these rightly went unfulfilled; it would have felt like an unsatisfying twist to bring Kino Loy back after such a perfect ending. Still, the rumors alone seemed to suggest just how dearly loved the character has become. Serkis gives one of the best performances in Star Wars history, and he will always be honored for playing his part.
Andor creator Tony Gilroy believes nothing like his show will ever happen again; “Not because we’re so great, but because no-one’s ever gonna start a show on this scale again, and shoot it practically, and have the resources and the protection to do something like this.” As intimate and character-driven as Andor may be, it is also operating on a scale that’s never been seen before, with a budget for both seasons of approximately $650 million. What’s more, in a franchise that’s often overly focused on continuity and canon, Gilroy had remarkable freedom. “One Way Out” is the proof of that – a Star Wars episode unlike any other, that proved just how good Andor would remain.
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image courtesy of 20th Century Studios -
Image courtesy of Prokino Filmverleih
