Star Wars may have started life on the big screen, but in 2025, the galaxy far, far away is just as well-known for its television output. Starting with animated fare such as The Clone Wars and Rebels, the Disney era has given the world live-action productions like The Mandalorian and Skeleton Crew. We’ve been reunited with familiar faces such as Ewan McGregor and Temuera Morrison, and introduced to a new generation of heroes that includes Grogu and Omega.
Sadly, not every Star Wars TV show has hit the mark. At the top of the pile sit The Mandalorian and Andor, while the likes of Ahsoka and Obi-Wan Kenobi fall somewhere in the middle. Shows such as The Book of Boba Fett and The Acolyte have proven considerably more divisive, but there has certainly been more good than bad in terms of Star Wars TV. Having said that, only one series has delivered consistently top-tier episodes from start to finish.
Andor Is Star Wars’ Only TV Show Where Every Episode Is 10/10
Image via Disney+
It wouldn’t be unreasonable to claim that, on paper, Andor didn’t look like Star Wars‘ most exciting TV project when it was first announced. Rogue One was great, sure, but as a spinoff of a spinoff, how much story did Andor really have to tell?
Quite a lot, it turns out, as Tony Gilroy crafted the Star Wars version of a political thriller. Despite starting with a five-season outline, Gilroy soon whittled his plan down to a tight two-season narrative. In hindsight, this was the decision that turned Andor into an all-time classic, allowing the series to be perfectly paced and intelligently structured. Working toward a clear endgame ensured each chapter of Andor would have meaning and purpose. Every single frame mattered.
Some of Andor‘s 24 episodes stand out more overtly than others. “One Way Out,” “Rix Road,” and “Who Are You?” spring to mind. But the overall standard never drops, and the worst thing anyone could say is that Andor‘s first two or three installments take their time setting the stage. Were that not the case, however, the rest of the series wouldn’t pack the same punch, so it’s hardly a criticism, and certainly not something that needed altering.
Ranking among the 21st century’s best TV shows of any genre, Andor builds richly complex characters, both familiar and new. It boasts ridiculously gorgeous and cinematic visuals. It poses fascinating moral questions by not only showing the human faces behind the Rebellion, but also turning the Empire into a believable regime complete with bureaucracy, staff disputes, and the outward disguise of a reasonable organization. The Empire is all the more chilling for its stark realism.
Star Wars TV shows often invite controversy by contradicting established canon, either directly or via a series of smaller inconsistencies. One of Andor‘s great strengths is that it only ever complements the material that came before. From turning Mon Mothma into one of the galaxy’s most tragic figures to revealing the harrowing construction secrets of the Death Star, Andor mines the darkest corners of Star Wars and comes up with diamonds.
The Star Wars TV Shows That Came Close To Matching Andor
Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels are both fantastic, but at 133 and 75 episodes, respectively, they’re simply too large for every installment to be a 10/10 hit.
The only other Star Wars TV show that comes close is The Mandalorian, which was more or less untouchable during its first two seasons. Between 2019 and 2020, The Mandalorian dropped one masterpiece after another. The iconic pilot episode ending in Grogu’s first appearance, the Seven Samurai homage on Sorgen, the Krayt dragon mission, Ahsoka’s return, and that Luke Skywalker scene. If The Mandalorian had ended there, it would have been a legendary run.
It’s The Mandalorian season 3 that prevents Din Djarin’s show from being mentioned in the same breath as Andor. Just “good” rather than “great,” the eight episodes didn’t stand out individually compared to past seasons, all blending together into an enjoyable but unspectacular serialization. The Mandalorian season 3 also included “Guns for Hire,” the Jack Black and Lizzo episode that left viewers scratching their heads.
Quitting while it was ahead, Andor never lasted long enough to have a “Guns for Hire” moment, and thereby earned its place as the only Star Wars TV show that’s never anything less than 10/10.
- Cast
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Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
- TV Show(s)
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The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
- Movie(s)
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Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
- Character(s)
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Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
