In a franchise that's experiencing an extreme identity crisis between the old and new, "Andor" is the freshest "Star Wars" has felt in a very long time. Its entire attitude as a series has been unconcerned with filling the time with tie-ins and cameos and instead focused on telling a nuanced story about the beginnings of the Rebel Alliance and a character study into how Cassian Andor (the wonderful Diego Luna) became the hardened renegade we meet in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."

Even though creator Tony Gilroy was put to the task of spinning off one of the more beloved Disney era "Star Wars" projects into a full series, he's made incredible use of his bargained creative freedom. Gilroy is careful to avoid simple regurgitations of the recognizable images of the series' past, steering "Andor" to darker and more morally ambiguous places. Ultimately the greatest boon Gilroy has...