Review: Disney+'s 'Andor' is the best and most grown up 'Star Wars' series yet

There are no tiny green babies in "Andor."

Don't get me wrong, I love Baby Yoda, aka Grogu, the pointy-eared star of Disney+'s first "Star Wars" series, "The Mandalorian." He is oh-so-cute, cuddly and a pop-culture icon.

But there are times when adults want to sit down and watch a mature show made just for them, outside the realm of family-friendly and without any toy tie-ins. Fans of "Star Wars" rarely get such an opportunity, but it makes sense that the most serious, grown-up series from the sci-fi franchise so far would be Disney+'s "Andor," a prequel about Diego Luna's character from "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."

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"Rogue One" is among the darkest and gravest of the 11 "Star Wars" films, and "Andor" (★★★ out of four) matches that tone and MPAA rating. It is its own story, one of Cassian Andor's (Luna) journey from man-on-the-run to rebel operative. It's an unembellished, taut TV show, with well-written characters and well-established stakes. In a lot of ways it doesn't feel like "Star Wars" at all, simply a very good science-fiction tale set on some far-off planets.

That might be a bug for some fans, but it's also a feature: Unencumbered by the corporate synergy machine,"Andor" is not afraid of blood, gloom or sex. The series is uniquely watchable among peers such as "The Mandalorian" and "Obi-Wan Kenobi," which must hew much closer to fan service. In the crowded field of "Star Wars" TV, "Andor" is by far the best series yet.

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We meet Andor five years before the events of "Rogue One." He's a disheveled and often desperate man (and sometime thief) who was separated from his people as a child. He lives on the salvage planet of Ferrix with his adoptive mother, Maarva, (Fiona Shaw, "Killing Eve") and has a flirtatious relationship with a local fence, Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona). In the premiere, Andor is on the hunt for the little sister he lost after he was taken off his home planet, and he journeys to a brothel (yes, there's a brothel in "Star Wars") on a corporate-controlled planet to find her.

When the trip goes badly, he goes on the run, and jumps into the open arms of Rebel Alliance leader Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsg?rd), who needs a man to help with a heist. Cassian throws in with the rebels and is simultaneously pursued by several forces, including severe Imperial Security Bureau supervisor Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and a low-level inspector on the corporate security ladder, Syril Karn (Kyle Soller).

How to watch: 'Andor'

What makes "Andor" stand out is its singular focus on character over spectacle. The series has plenty of action scenes and blaster battles, but it succeeds at giving emotion and stakes to every set piece. Luna is immensely appealing, as he was in "Rogue One," creating likability and vulnerability in Andor, even though he makes many mistakes. Even the series' villains are drawn with delicate, specific brushes rather than cartoonishly broad strokes. From the moment we meet Syril, an overeager, desperately power-hungry little man, we know exactly who he is, in all his weaselly, bratty glory.

There is a propulsion to "Andor" that outruns (or outflies, since we're talking about space travel here) other Disney+ series, which have tended toward sleepier starts and plodding pacing. It's a smart case of form-follows-function that "Andor" is often as harried as its hero, whipping us around as we watch Cassian scramble for survival.

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TV series set in the world of "Star Wars," Marvel, DC Comics or any of the mega-franchises populating Hollywood these days come with a series of expectations and pressures. But we're a half-dozen or so "Star Wars" TV shows in now, and there is a (little) less pressure on each to be the be-all, end-all of the galaxy far, far away.

"Andor" dances to its own thoughtful tune, and if other "Star Wars" series can do the same, it portends a good future for these shows.

And sure, they can have cute Baby Yodas, too – in moderation.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Andor' on Disney+ review: The best 'Star Wars' series yet