I remember when discussing Rogue One with my mother (who is not a big Star Wars fan), I mentioned that many felt it was out of place in the series, because it was unusually dark. To which my mother opined that the series was always dark.

In discussing it, it... honestly is. We fans sometimes overlook it, because the Original Trilogy is so triumphant in tone and grand in scale, and the Prequel Trilogy is... plagued with other problems... but Star Wars is dark in a way that original fairy tales are dark.

What don't get is why people think something like star wars can't have different tones. It's a big universe with a big story. Just because the originals were these scifi epics doesn't mean a different story set in the universe can't be grounded and dark. Like how 40k can be really goofy and stupid but also really serious and gritty. It depends on the specific story being told within the setting. Not the setting as a whole

Andor is probably the best star wars they've done. It has flaws, but it's so much better than Obi-Wan and Ashoka.

The best part of Andor is that we know nothing any of them do will ever have any impact at all.

It is just more a function of having to explain more because there is more to explain. The original trilogy feels lived in, but they only explain a small part of it because they don't have to. Eventually, you get enough world building that you have to start explaining the smaller bits.

And since the Star Wars universe has more stories including those with non-Jedi, it means having to create smaller enemies that the heroes can fight against.

Hopefully Luthen gets his magic laser sword working for season 2

You weren’t reminded of a disturbed magic space clown every time they said “the emperor” or “papaltine”?

There's nothing wrong with wanting a fantasy setting to adopt a more adult tone and intention. Having more complex plots and dialogue. I think a of of the people liking Andor are in that category. They want to see Star Wars grow up and put behind the camp and cheery kid show shit.

Honestly I was very surprised by the success of Andor, as I really thought the early reviews back when the show only had a couple of episodes really nailed it's with the criticism of the show is slow, boring, and not Star Wars.

It doesn't even pretend to be anything resembling what I know is Star Wars until the Prison Arc and by then I'm too burned out on the terrible Heist to care.

Clearly the show has an audience, I will never understand why, and it's not like I can't handle a show with a slow burn. It's just Andor feels less like a slow burn and more like trying to keep warm with a single match during a blizzard.