Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

Where to Watch

Loading streaming options...

Screenwise Verdict

Andor is what happens when you let a serious filmmaker make Star Wars for grown-ups. It's brilliant, beautifully crafted, and completely unlike anything else in the franchise—which means it's also completely wrong for younger viewers.

This isn't the fun space adventure your kids fell in love with. It's a slow-burn political thriller about fascism, featuring realistic violence, morally compromised characters, and themes that require real maturity to process. People get executed. Torture happens. The good guys do bad things. It's heavy.

For high schoolers interested in politics, history, or just great television? This is gold. It'll spark incredible conversations about resistance, tyranny, and what it costs to fight for freedom. For anyone under 15 or anyone expecting typical Star Wars? It'll be boring at best, disturbing at worst.

The WISE score reflects this tension: it's enriching and imaginative for its target audience, but the safety concerns and emotional heaviness make it inappropriate for the younger crowd who usually watches Star Wars content. If your teen is ready for The Handmaid's Tale or 1984, they're ready for Andor.

Age Fit

Best for ages 15+ who can handle mature themes and slow-burn storytelling. Younger Star Wars fans will be bored and potentially disturbed; this is made for older teens and adults who want prestige drama in space.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

62

Andor is a mature, grounded Star Wars story that eschews the franchise's typical lightness for a gritty, politically complex narrative. While it models courage and resistance against tyranny, the tone is somber and heavy, with morally gray characters making difficult choices. There's minimal humor or uplift, and the pacing is deliberately slow—more political thriller than space adventure. Not chaotic, but emotionally weighty with themes of sacrifice, oppression, and loss that may be draining rather than emotionally healthy for younger viewers.

Imaginative

78

Andor brings fresh imagination to the Star Wars universe by grounding it in lived-in worlds and exploring the everyday mechanics of rebellion. The production design is richly detailed, showing how ordinary people survive under fascism. However, it's less about fantastical exploration or creative play and more about cerebral world-building and political intrigue. It invites viewers to think critically about systems of power rather than spark hands-on creativity, but it does so with originality that breaks Star Wars conventions.

Safe

48

Andor contains significant violence including executions, torture, prison brutality, and character deaths that are emotionally impactful and sometimes graphic. There's mature thematic content around oppression, surveillance states, and moral compromise. While there's no sexual content or gore for shock value, the violence is realistic and disturbing in context—not the sanitized blaster fights of typical Star Wars. This is explicitly adult-oriented Star Wars, and younger viewers encountering it would face unexpected intensity and darkness. The show earned TV-14/TV-MA treatment in most markets for good reason.

Enriching

85

This is arguably the most intellectually and ethically sophisticated Star Wars content ever made. Andor explores themes of fascism, resistance, sacrifice, class struggle, and the cost of freedom with nuance rarely seen in franchise entertainment. Characters grapple with genuine moral complexity—when is violence justified? What does it cost to fight tyranny? The writing is sharp, performances are excellent (Diego Luna, Stellan Skarsgård), and it offers rich material for discussions about history, politics, and ethics. For mature teens and adults, it's deeply enriching while remaining compelling television.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Finally, Star Wars that treats its audience like adults—complex politics, moral ambiguity, and consequences that matter
Exceptional writing and performances that elevate sci-fi into genuine drama about resistance and tyranny
Rich discussion fodder about fascism, surveillance, class struggle, and the cost of freedom—perfect for high schoolers studying history or ethics
Proves blockbuster franchises can be sophisticated without sacrificing entertainment value
The production design and world-building show lived-in, realistic environments that make the Empire feel genuinely oppressive

⚠

What to Watch For

This is NOT family-friendly Star Wars—there are executions, torture scenes, prison violence, and emotionally heavy character deaths
The pacing is deliberately slow, more John le Carré than George Lucas—kids expecting lightsaber battles will be bored
Themes of oppression, surveillance states, and moral compromise are sophisticated and potentially disturbing for younger viewers
It's a 12-episode commitment that rewards patience but demands attention—not background viewing

Conversation Starters

"Cassian does some pretty questionable things in the name of rebellion. When is it okay to break rules or hurt people for a 'greater good'?"
"The Empire doesn't look like cartoon villains here—they're just bureaucrats doing their jobs. How does that make them scarier?"
"What would you be willing to sacrifice to fight against something you thought was wrong? Your safety? Your relationships?"
"The show spends a lot of time on how ordinary people survive under tyranny. What strategies do you see them using?"

Ask Anything

Get a personalized guide on any topic