Introduced as a Republic senator in the prequels, Mon Mothma goes on to lead the Rebel Alliance, eventually replacing Palpatine as the new Galactic Chancellor.

Their main characters feel more precarious than the heroes of the Skywalker Saga, who exist in a fantastical adventure narrative. For someone like Senator Mon Mothma, life has barely changed.Īndor and Rogue One both explore the choice between keeping your head down, or taking a risky stand against an oppressive regime. Instead of being transformed into a cartoonishly evil-looking Imperial stronghold, Coruscant looks the same as it did twenty years ago. And when we ascend to the upper echelons of the galactic government, we’re in for a surprise. Cassian’s first scene involves a shakedown from a pair of corporate security guards. From the opening crawl of The Phantom Menace, big business goes hand in hand with the rise of the Sith.Īndor follows a similar route, with rather more maturity. While the original trilogy leans heavily into Nazi-inspired imagery for the Imperial military, the prequels are more subtle, depicting a dull democratic government being smothered by commercial interests. The home of the Galactic Senate is dazzlingly high-tech but extremely stratified, ruled by stagnant and ineffective leadership. Referencing Ancient Rome and Art Nouveau design, Naboo is depicted as a wealthy, peaceful planet with rich artistic traditions. But in the prequels, George Lucas introduced us to the tail end of Republic-era prosperity. Viewers had gotten used to the idea of Star Wars as a rough, lived-in setting a universe of bounty hunters, gangsters, decrepit spaceships, and guerrilla fighters. In The Phantom Menace, the appearance of Naboo, and Coruscant was a shock to the system. Andor provides an intriguing bridge between these periods, returning to Coruscant for its first onscreen appearance since the prequels. Not just in their depiction of a slowly-encroaching authoritarian takeover, but in the visual contrast between the Republic and Imperial eras. Often overshadowed by complaints about bad dialogue and Jar Jar Binks, the Star Wars prequels offer some deceptively smart political worldbuilding. This post includes spoilers up to episode 4 of Andor.

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