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"Reckoning" is the third episode of the American
streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air ae ...
series ''
Andor Andor may refer to: * ''Andor'' (TV series), a television series in the ''Star Wars'' universe **Cassian Andor, the titular character * Andor (''Wheel of Time''), a country in Robert Jordan's ''The Wheel of Time'' novels * Andor Technology, a ...
'', based on ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...
'' created by
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and '' Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chai ...
. It was written by
Tony Gilroy Anthony Joseph Gilroy (born September 11, 1956) is an American filmmaker. He wrote the screenplays for the original '' Bourne'' trilogy (2002–2007) and wrote and directed the fourth film of the franchise, '' The Bourne Legacy'' (2012). He also ...
and directed by
Toby Haynes Toby Haynes is a British television director, notable for his work on ''Doctor Who'', '' Sherlock'', '' Being Human,'' ''Black Mirror'', and ''Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell''. He also directed the Channel 4/HBO television film '' Brexit: The Unciv ...
. The episode stars
Diego Luna Diego Dionisio Luna Alexander (; born 29 December 1979) is a Mexican actor, director, and producer. He is known for his portrayal of Cassian Andor in '' Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' and the Disney+ series ''Andor''. Following an early ca ...
as
Cassian Andor Cassian Andor is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, primarily portrayed by actor Diego Luna. Introduced in the feature film '' Rogue One'' (2016) as a supporting character, he is the protagonist of the ongoing prequel televi ...
, who reprises his role from the ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...
'' spinoff film, ''
Rogue One ''Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' (or simply ''Rogue One'') is a 2016 American epic space opera film directed by Gareth Edwards. The screenplay by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy is from a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta. It was produced by Lu ...
'' (2016). Haynes was hired in September 2020 after a production delay due the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
, and Gilroy joined the series as
showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...
in early 2019, replacing
Stephen Schiff {{Infobox person , name = Stephen Schiff , image = , image_size = , alt = , caption = , birth_name = , birth_date = , birth_place = Detroit, Michigan, ...
. Both executive produce alongside Luna and Kathleen Kennedy. "Reckoning" was released on
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...
on September 21, 2022, along with " Kassa" and " That Would Be Me", as a three-part
series premiere A series premiere is the first aired installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. In the United States, many series premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or ...
.


Plot

In a series of flashbacks, young Kassa climbs into the wrecked mining ship and explores its technology. Maarva and her husband Clem arrive to salvage the ship for parts, and encounter Kassa, who is destroying equipment inside the ship in anger. Maarva decides to knock him unconscious and take him with them to save him from incoming Republic ships. In 5 BBY, Luthen Rael meets with Bix on Ferrix and discusses Andor. Rael leaves to meet with Andor. Meanwhile, Pre-Mor officers Karn and Mosk arrive on Ferrix and restrain Maarva. They discover Andor's location through B2EM0 and prepare to surround the warehouse. Rael and Andor bargain for Andor's Starpath unit, but Rael is more interested in Andor's skill as a spy and successful infiltrations of Empire bases. Brasso and other Ferrix residents attempt to intimidate the Pre-Mor officers by banging on metal objects. However, the officers manage to apprehend Bix, killing Timm when he attempts to approach her. Rael convinces Andor to leave with him, and they eventually manage to escape on a speeder. While Kassa meets his adoptive parents in the cockpit in the past, Andor leaves with Rael on his starship in the present.


Production


Development

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
CEO
Bob Iger Robert Allen Iger (; born February 10, 1951) is an American businessman who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company. He previously served as the President of American Broadcasting Company, ABC Television between 1994 an ...
announced in February 2018 that there were several ''Star Wars'' series in development, and that November one was revealed as a prequel to the film ''
Rogue One ''Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' (or simply ''Rogue One'') is a 2016 American epic space opera film directed by Gareth Edwards. The screenplay by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy is from a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta. It was produced by Lu ...
'' (2016). The series was described as a
spy thriller Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intelligen ...
show focused on the character
Cassian Andor Cassian Andor is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, primarily portrayed by actor Diego Luna. Introduced in the feature film '' Rogue One'' (2016) as a supporting character, he is the protagonist of the ongoing prequel televi ...
, with
Diego Luna Diego Dionisio Luna Alexander (; born 29 December 1979) is a Mexican actor, director, and producer. He is known for his portrayal of Cassian Andor in '' Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' and the Disney+ series ''Andor''. Following an early ca ...
reprising his role from the film.
Jared Bush Jared Bush (born June 12, 1974) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He is best known for co-directing and co-writing the Walt Disney Animation Studios film '' Zootopia'' (2016), writing the film '' Moana'' (2016) and directing and ...
originally developed the series, writing a pilot script and
series bible A bible, also known as a show bible or pitch bible, is a reference document used by screenwriters for information on characters, settings, and other elements of a television or film project. Types Bibles are updated with information on the chara ...
for the project. By the end of November,
Stephen Schiff {{Infobox person , name = Stephen Schiff , image = , image_size = , alt = , caption = , birth_name = , birth_date = , birth_place = Detroit, Michigan, ...
was serving as
showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...
and executive producer of the series.
Tony Gilroy Anthony Joseph Gilroy (born September 11, 1956) is an American filmmaker. He wrote the screenplays for the original '' Bourne'' trilogy (2002–2007) and wrote and directed the fourth film of the franchise, '' The Bourne Legacy'' (2012). He also ...
, who was credited as a co-writer on ''Rogue One'' and oversaw extensive reshoots for the film, joined the series by early 2019 when he discussed the first story details with Luna. Gilroy's involvement was revealed that October, when he was set to write the first episode, direct multiple episodes, and work alongside Schiff; Gilroy had officially replaced Schiff as showrunner by April 2020. Six weeks of pre-production for the series had taken place in the United Kingdom by then, but this was halted and production on the series delayed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
. Pre-production had begun again by September ahead of a planned filming start the next month. At that time, Gilroy, who is based in New York, chose not to travel to the UK for production on the series due to the pandemic, and was therefore unable to direct the series' first episode. Instead, the UK-based
Toby Haynes Toby Haynes is a British television director, notable for his work on ''Doctor Who'', '' Sherlock'', '' Being Human,'' ''Black Mirror'', and ''Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell''. He also directed the Channel 4/HBO television film '' Brexit: The Unciv ...
, who was already "high on the list" of potential directors for the series, was hired to direct the first three episodes. Gilroy would remain executive producer and showrunner. In December 2020, Luna was revealed to be executive producing the series. The third episode, titled "Reckoning", was written by Tony Gilroy.


Writing

The writing was structured so that a
story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vide ...
is contained in every three episodes. For the first three episodes, Gilroy had wanted to address Andor's accent while also exploring his backstory further. He had originally created Andor's origin story while writing the series, and opted to include it earlier in the series to avoid having to "carry it through the whole show". Further describing it as a "contained piece", he had also commented "at some point, I ilroymust have come up with the cutting pattern, and then the interesting thing became how to really tell the young Cassian story, how to stretch that out, and how to get the most out of it". The episode depicts Maarva and her husband, Clem, scavenging for parts of a crashed spaceship on Kenari, and later finding and subsequently adopting Andor. Actress
Fiona Shaw Fiona Shaw (born Fiona Mary Wilson; 10 July 1958) is an Irish film and theatre actress. She is known for her roles as Petunia Dursley in the ''Harry Potter'' film series (2001–2010), Marnie Stonebrook in the fourth season of the HBO ser ...
had felt Maarva's situation was similar to
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
in the 1970s, where "people were recycling bits of cars". Shaw felt that her adoption of Andor had "saved her", as it has given her somebody to love. When Maarva says "That's what a reckoning sounds like" in response to Imperial officials raiding her home to search for Andor, Shaw opined that Maarva had previously experienced oppression under the Empire's regime, saying "I enjoyed that because what was also written in it is this feeling that Maarva has been in these moments before, the same way somebody might remember the 1960s and when the revolution died".


Casting

The episode stars Diego Luna as Cassian Andor,
Kyle Soller Kyle William Soller (born July 1, 1983) is an American film, stage, and television actor. His accolades include one Olivier Award, and three ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards. Born in Connecticut and raised in Virginia, he attended the College ...
as Syril Karn,
Adria Arjona Adria Arjona Torres (born April 25, 1992) is an actress based in the United States. She played Dorothy Gale in the Oz book adaptation ''Emerald City'' (2017), Anathema Device in the TV adaptation of '' Good Omens'' (2019), and Bix Caleen in ' ...
as Bix Caleen,
Joplin Sibtain Joplin Sibtain, sometimes credited professionally as Chook Sibtain, is a British actor known for the Netflix series ''Safe'', his seasons at the National Theatre and as Tarak Ital on the '' Doctor Who'' special, " The Waters of Mars". He voiced O ...
as Brasso,
James McArdle James John McArdle (born 3 April 1989) is a Scottish actor from Glasgow. He won the Ian Charleson Award for his role as Mikhail Platonov in ''Platonov'' and was nominated for an Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for por ...
as Timm Karlo, and
Rupert Vansittart Rupert Nicholas Vansittart (born 10 February 1958) is an English character actor. He has appeared in a variety of roles in film, television, stage and radio, often playing comic characters. He is best known for his role as Lord Ashfordly in the ...
as Chief Hyne.


Filming

Filming began in London, England, at the end of November 2020, with the production based at
Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to ...
. The series was filmed under the
working title A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...
''Pilgrim'', and was the first live-action ''Star Wars'' series to not make use of the
StageCraft Stagecraft is a technical aspect of theatrical, film, and video production. It includes constructing and rigging scenery; hanging and focusing of lighting; design and procurement of costumes; make-up; stage management; audio engineering; an ...
digital background technology. Filming locations included
Black Park Black Park is a country park in Wexham, Buckinghamshire, England to the north of the A412 road. It is managed by Buckinghamshire Council, formerly County Council. It has an area of , of which two separate areas totalling have been designated ...
in Buckinghamshire, England for the flashback scenes, as well as at Middle Peak Quarry in Derbyshire, England.


Music

Nicholas Britell Nicholas Britell (born October 17, 1980) is an American film composer. He has scored both of Barry Jenkins's studio films, ''Moonlight'' (2016) and ''If Beale Street Could Talk'' (2018), both of which received nominations for Best Original Sco ...
composed the musical score for the episode. The episode's soundtrack was released in October 2022 as part of the first volume for the series. The volume also consisted of the soundtrack for episode 4.


Release

"Reckoning" was released on Disney+ on September 21, 2022.


Reception


Audience viewership

The first three episodes released at the same time and according to
Nielsen Media Research Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
who measure the number of minutes watched by United States audiences on television sets, ''Andor'' was the sixth-most watched original series across streaming services for the week of September 19–25, 2022, with 624 million minutes watched.


Critical response

The
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
reports a 93% approval rating with an average rating of 7.70/10, based on 108 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Bringing its inciting arc to a satisfying close, ''Andor'' starts taking shape as Diego Luna's rebel without a cause discovers a grander purpose."


Accolades

At the Golden Reel Awards 2022, the episode was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Broadcast Long Form Effects and Foley. At the
21st Visual Effects Society Awards 21st Visual Effects Society Awards February 15, 2023 ---- Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature: '' Avatar: The Way of Water'' ---- Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode: '' The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power'' - ...
, the episode was nominated for Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project.


References


External links

* * * * {{Tony Gilroy Andor (TV series) episodes 2022 American television episodes American television series premieres Television episodes directed by Toby Haynes Television episodes written by Tony Gilroy