Disney+ has surprisingly found a lot of success at the Primetime Emmy Awards, as both of the first two seasons of their landmark seriesThe Mandalorianscored nominations in the highly competitive Best Drama Series category. WhileThe Mandalorian’s third season may have dipped in quality too sharply to get into the field this year, it was replaced by the far superiorStar Warsdrama seriesAndor, which became the franchise’s sole representative in the drama series race.Andoris distinct among theStar Warsshowsreleased on Disney+; it’s an excellent espionage series that succeeds outside of its references to the galaxy far, far away. While it’s encouraging to seeAndorscore major nominationsin the writing and directing categories, its omission from the acting categories is a major disappointment considering the excellent set of performances throughout the series' first season.
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‘Andor’ Has the Best Star Wars Hero
Andorbeing snubbed in Emmys acting categories is surprising considering that evenThe Mandalorianwas able to score some recognition in its earlier seasons. WhileGiancarlo Esposito’s elaborately evil performance as Moff Gideon was a fun change-of-pace for the Best Supporting Actor race, it’s hard to say there’s much complexity to the character beyond being a mustache-twirling villain. Comparatively,Andor’s performances have a depth to them that the otherStar Warsshows (and Disney+ shows in general) lack.Tony Gilroy wasn’t treatingAndorlike just anotherStar Warsshow meant to sell action figures; he made a gritty espionage series about the spread of fascism, the difficulty of immigration, the necessity of political action, and the disparaging conditions of the prison system. The fact that it took place in theStar Warsuniverse was merely coincidental.
Diego Luna’s performanceas the titular character Cassian Andor would have been a truly great contender in the Emmy’s Best Lead Actor category. Luna was given a role that had a deeper meaning than being a simple rebel hero who found the Death Starplans. Cassian is an orphaned native of an indigenous tribe, stolen away from his home, and forced to mask his identity. His identity, his place of birth, and even his name have to be changed to not attract the attention of aggressive law enforcement. The story on its own is extremely timely in an era where immigration is a top concern globally, and Cassian’s character arc is inspirational to immigrants and political refugees who haven’t felt represented in the media before.
While the drama acting race was stocked with a trio of excellentSuccessionperformances,Bob Odenkirk’s incredible role in the final season ofBetter Call Saul, andPedro Pascal’s heartbreaking performance in the HBO adaptation ofThe Last of Us, there’s hope that Luna might sneak into the category in the future now thatSuccessionandBetter Call Saulhave ended their runs.Andor’s second season is coming next year to Disney+.
‘Andor’ Actors Were Snubbed in Other Emmy Categories
While Luna’s snub may be understandable given the density of the drama series race, the snubs forAndor’s supporting players are more egregious.Genevieve O’Reillywas doing far more than simplyreprising her role as Mon Mothma fromStar Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sithfor the sake of fan service. She brought to life a politician who struggles to maintain her convictions when any notion of resistance against totalitarianism is being squashed; Mothma faces blowback from her rebel allies and contempt from her peers in the Senate. She’s even forced to essentially bargain with her daughter’s agency for the sake of supporting a cause she believes in. Was there a more dynamic female character on television in the last 12 months?
O’Reilly’s performance would have been a welcome addition to the Best Supporting Actress Emmy race; while again it was a category dominated by very worthy performances fromThe White Lotus,Rhea Seehorn’s final depiction of Kim Wexler onBetter Call Saul, andJ. Smith-Cameron’s endless energy onSuccession, it would be hard to argue that O’Reilly’s role was any less deserving. The same could be said ofStellan Skarsgårdin the Best Supporting Actor race. His delivery of thesingle most powerful monologue in the history of theStar Warsfranchiseis the type of scene that is made to be included in an Emmy showcase reel. Perhaps now thatSuccessionis over, Skarsgård will have the chance to sneak into the race.
Unfortunately, the single most deserving performer inAndorwon’t have the chance to compete again.Andy Serkiswas in contention for a spot in the Best Guest Actor race but failed to make it in due to the overwhelming number ofSuccessionandThe Last of Uscharacters.This is a tragedy, becauseKino Loy’s return is not guaranteed, and he may be the single most heartbreaking character in any piece ofStar Warsmedia. His story is one of a lifelong prisoner who was denied the chance to participate in a prison break he helped orchestrate is absolutely gut-wrenching. The snub is particularly odd considering Serkis’ standout episode, “No Way Out,” was recognized in the writing category.
WhileAndor’s nominations on their own are exciting forStar Warsfans, it’s deeply disappointing to see that these worthy performances were left off the final list. Luna’s performance represented an entire generation of new fans seeing themselves onscreen for the first time, and O’Reilly brought to life a conflicted female hero within a franchise that hasn’t always respected its female characters; Skarsgård embedded Gilroy’s great text with brilliant delivery, and Serkis generated more tears than any other character. While future ceremonies may honor them, these moments will sadly go unrecognized.
Andoris deserving of its recognition in writing and drama, but it’s very sad to see that the characters that brought it to life are left out of the celebration. When hasStar Warsever had such nuanced acting work?Andoris just as deserving as any of the other drama nominees.
