But not content to simply copy that idea 1:1, they adapted it in such a way that it feels like this galaxy far, far away has truly been lived in. It’s easy to just find some old cameras and junk at any given thrift store, but it’s another thing entirely to make it look like it actually fits in a sci-fi universe. It’s an excellent extension of how Andor created an entire outdoor city set for scenes taking place on the planet Ferrix. Not only were they able to merge real life with the Star Wars galaxy, but they also did it in such a way that makes all that tech feel like it’s actually something the people would use. No small feat to toe that line.
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“We are very much into reality,” set decorator Rebecca Alleway said when speaking with The Wall Street Journal. “That was the mantra for Andor, full stop.” Alleway and the rest of the design team put in the effort to make the tech in Andor really feel truly “analog” rather than copying the much more sleek and streamlined versions of everything that many might expect from a futuristic sci-fi story. “There’s no touching the screen. Everything is controlled by a big, chunky button or a dial,” prop master Martyn Doust added.
To make that connection to the real world, the team found classic bits of tech and repurposed them for the retro-influenced look of Andor. “They were using real-world stuff, taking it apart, and adding elements to make something look more technologically advanced than it actually was,” Doust continued. He went on to discuss a specific piece seen in the show, which was a journal-like device used by the radically-minded Nemik, who was part of Andor’s rebel heist crew. Apparently, Doust created it using the same sort of portable cassette player he’d grown up using in the early 80s. “That’s one of my favorite props because there’s so much of me in it,” he mused.
The team took inspiration from a number of places, including old photos from the ’60s of what a “futuristic” workplace might look like. It turns out that the oppressive hive of cubicles where Kyle Soller’s impressively pathetic and cereal-loving Syril Karn ended up after losing his job benefited from that look. But it’s not all for show, as even the buttons on the various consoles are meticulously picked out to maximize the vibe the design team is going for. “I can tell a cheap button when I see it,” said graphic designer Dominic Sikking, who keeps a collection of buttons with the most satisfying feels to them for reference. The actors probably appreciate that.
Andor really does have that “lived-in” feel to it, which is tough to do when a story is set in a completely fictional universe. But connecting the various Star Wars settings to the real world was a smart way to go about it, and it really goes a long way in adding some legitimacy to the look of the show.
Star Wars: Andor drops new episodes Wednesdays on Disney Plus.
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Source: The Wall Street Journal
