When Rogue One: A Star Wars Story came out, the idea of turning the opening crawl of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope into a movie seemed absurd. It looked like a classic Disney corporate move of squeezing out as much money they could from a franchise. Little did I know, Rogue One was better than any Star Wars movie that came out in this century.

It all comes down to how much effort the producers of the show put into the series. A normal cash grab has little to no effort, giving audiences nothing new to the existing intellectual property. However, Rogue One put aside the popular Jedi versus Sith storyline and decided to focus on the background characters — small-time members of the rebellion and their story — which helped flesh out the Galactic Rebellion and its effect in the Star Wars universe.

And the newest Disney+ series Andor got it all right. Set five years prior to the event of Rogue One, Andor tells the story of Cassian Andor, the rebellion intelligence officer in Rogue One, with Diego Luna returning to this role. The show also introduces new crucial characters like Luthen Rael, who creates a network of rebels, and Dedra Meero, an Empire intelligence supervisor, while also bringing back Mon Mothma, a senator and revolutionary leader appearing in other Star Wars films. In the main franchise films, these characters are nothing but extras with minutes of screentime, but Andor brings them to life with personality, complexity, and their own battles to fight.

With these four main characters, Andor juggles four different storylines: Andor’s adventure and eventual recruitment into the rebellion, Luthen Rael’s schemes against the empire, Dedra Meero’s plans to catch the rebellion and further her career, and Mon Mothma’s efforts in funding the rebellion. Normally, this form of storytelling is incredibly risky; rapid and obnoxious transitions between storylines will confuse the audience. On the other hand, if a single scene or narrative holds too much screen time, audiences will forget the details of other narratives. The balance between the storylines is key to successful delivery. The Wachowskis’ Cloud Atlas is an infamous example of the danger of such ensemble cast and stories, as audiences and critics were polarized between whether the three hours of six intertwined stories were well-told or too confusing. Andor manages this delicate balance by making sure these stories surround one central theme: the rebellion. Each character and their tales focus around the rebellion and their roles in it, whether it be joining it, starting it, or stopping it. This also allows each storyline to occasionally intertwine and affect each other, creating a more engaging experience. With the rebellion anchoring these stories together, small cinematographic tricks like drastic changes in background and variety in lighting help audiences follow from one story to the next.

The overall storyline is also more complex than previous Star Wars media and has a darker tone, similar to that of the acclaimed animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The original trilogy was a traditional hero’s journey following Luke Skywalker, and the prequel and sequel trilogies tried to build upon that by adding in politics, which did not turn out as expected. However, with politics being the main focus of Andor, the series could elaborate on the unknown details about the rebellion — details that the main movie only provided a glimpse of. Andor’s reluctance in joining a seemingly futile cause, Mothma’s difficulties balancing her front as a senator, Rael’s unethical methods of attacking the empire, and Meero’s ambitions behind her hunt, all contribute to a multifaceted view on the rebellion which previous Star Wars media lacked.

So far with 10 of 12 episodes out, Andor provides an immersive series that live action Star Wars was missing. Disney+’s unrelenting supply stream of Marvel and Star Wars content may have tired audiences, but Andor is a must-watch show for both beginner and veteran fans. As long as it can continue its magic for the remaining two episodes of the season, Andor may be the best live action Star Wars has shown so far.