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Star Wars spin-off series Andor features in this week's Radio Times
How Nazis, motorcycle leathers and a Twickenham sweet shop gave birth to the iconic villains at the heart of Star Wars spin-off Andor.
Lucasfilm Ltd
- Shem Law
Published: Tuesday, 22 April 2025 at 3:38 pm
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As I remember things, Star Wars, if not an outright children's movie, was certainly pitched at teenagers. Nearly 50 years and many films and TV shows later, the franchise (now owned by Disney) has finally grown up.
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The second series of Andor is more gritty spy thriller than space western - and it's about time. When the stormtroopers – loosely based on the Nazi way of doing things at gunpoint – came into the Radio Times office a few years ago, they were greeted with smiles and applause, not shock and awe.
Now they are the fearsome thugs they should always have been. After you've read how Andor came about as a spin-off of a spin-off, based on a 1907 bank robbery, find out from Matthew Sweet how a former Twickenham sweet shop played a pivotal role in the birth of those white-helmeted soldiers of the Galactic Empire.
It all starts not in a galaxy far, far away, but in this week's issue.
The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here.
Simon Vinall
Also in this week's Radio Times:
- Paula Radcliffe explains why this year's London Marathon will be an emotional one.
- Jeff Pope and the family of Jean Charles de Menezes discuss the new drama revealing the truth behind his shooting.
- Christopher Chung is soon to return to Slow Horses, but first up, the Bafta nominee is in Doctor Who.
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Authors
Shem Law
Shem Law is the brand editor of Radio Times, and the 20th person to hold that esteemed position in over 100 years. He wasn't allowed a television growing up, but over the years he has rather overcompensated for that fact.
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