Andor

I did remember thinking the set designs and special effects on Andor were extremely good. Makes sense that they went hard on the budget to support it.

To me the best part was the writing. The big budget scenes seemed like second-tier capstones around the plot in many cases.

This scene is a bit of an exception though. Not only is it beautiful and probably expensive but it's also built up over several episodes and is fully fleshed out from a lore perspective. Derision is shown in a believably human way from the empire toward the locals for having some religion about the event, and then once you see it you can totally understand how it forms the basis for a belief system. The Tie Fighters are shown in several episodes to have ultimate air superiority in a threatening way over the area, and the concept that you could fly a vessel out of their air space is openly ridiculed until they enter the meteor shower and you see how it's feasible. They build up suspense immediately before the meteor flythrough by killing substantial characters, so you don't know who is dying next as they navigate what is a tremendously risky airspace.


It all comes together in a massive payoff that, to me, was a high point in the season.