The first clip from Andor has arrived, spoiling nothing that wasn’t in the trailer and seemingly proving that the tone Tony Gilroy has promised is coming to fruition.
I’m a fan of great acting and writing, and it has to be said, Diego Luna is doing rich work in this brief scene. The idea of Imperial hubris is underscored in the original Star Wars, it’s the reason the Death Star is vulnerable to attack. Here, though, Andor describes their arrogance with some pain. They look past him because they can’t imagine someone like him ‘spitting in their food.’ He’s doing these jobs for credits, but he takes the way he is invisible to the Empire very personally.
You can watch Luthen Rael’s wheels turning as he watches this bold thief describe his approach. There’s no trick: it’s just disrespect reflected back at disrespect. You can see how useful he believes Cassian can be.
As I mentioned in my thoughts about Rogue One, this very un-Star Wars version of Star Wars carries some mixed emotions for me.