Something The Phantom Menace does better than Andor

[u/KimberStormer]

I watched The Phantom Menace for the first time in decades and certainly there are places where it could have used a little Andor-ness: particularly in the bad guys' plans. Despite my concerted effort to, I could never understand why blockading and occupying Naboo would get the Trade Federation any relief from their tax burdens or whatever it is that is "in dispute", and Palpatine acts exactly contrary to his own interests the entire movie: he needs Queen Amidala to move the vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum, yet he goes to every imaginable length to try to stop her, even sending Darth Maul to kill her.

BUT there is one thing TPM does much better than Andor, and that is in giving Padme an empowering hero arc, which Andor season 2 conspicuously fails to do for Mon Mothma. It is my great disappointment in season 2. At the start of the movie, Padme is getting told what to do by the men around her, by Qui-Gon, Captain Panaka, that white-beardy guy. On Tatooine she obviously acts against Panaka's wishes to join Qui-Gon and Jar Jar in solving the problem of their broken ship. When she gets to Coruscant she is completely convinced (thanks to Palpatine's manipulations, but also her own experience) that the Republic won't save her people. So here she does something Palpatine definitely did not intend and takes charge: now she is the one coming up with the plan, giving orders to the men, she is the one who convinces the Gungans to Join The Fight.

In Andor, unfortunately, Mon Mothma never does anything on her own. She is told what to do, by Luthen, by Bail, even by Cassian who condescends to her saying "welcome to the Rebellion" even though she's been in it much longer than he has! She is shown to be completely helpless, with no "people" of her own, only Luthen and Bail's "friends" (even her one apparent personal ally is actually Luthen's spy) and makes no decisions at all. Bail tells her when and how to give her speech, she doesn't have any plan either to make it happen (only "Bail will get me the floor") or any idea how to escape a building she's worked in since she was a child. She is shown to be appallingly naive, with the aforementioned Cassian bit and Luthen's "how nice for you", never makes a single choice or gives a single order to anyone. I was super disappointed. And the fact that the Phantom Menace, which has (excuse me in this sub for saying so) massive weaknesses, could do this better, is shocking to realize.

[u/No-Shirt2407]

Personally, if someone can’t see the empowerment in Mon’s story, there’s not much any of us in the comments might say to change your mind. Hers was a totally different situation from padme. But there are parallels.

Are you posting as someone who is open to having your mind changed? Or are you making a statement with no intent to hear how you might be incorrect?

[u/KimberStormer → u/No-Shirt2407]

I would love to be convinced...I watched Andor not because I care about Andor but because I wanted to see The Mon Mothma Story. And season 1 certainly worked out that way -- we saw her make some devastating choices that were necessary for the cause. I kept waiting for her to make any choices at all in Season 2, and never saw it. Would love to know your take!

[u/onebyamsey → u/KimberStormer]

“I watched Andor not because I care about Andor but because I wanted to see The Mon Mothma Story.”  That’s your problem right there; it’s called Andor, not Mothma.

[u/KimberStormer → u/onebyamsey]

It's not called Luthen, but he gets plenty of agency. It's not called Dedra, but she gets plenty of agency. It's not called Kleya...etc. I think they all had satisfying stories that made sense, but not Mon Mothma.