They are THE MAIN CHARACTERS in the movie you’re watching. I think that’s a big enough reason to try to make them interesting.
What would make a character interesting? Motivations, conflict, maybe seeing someone change in any way as a result of things that happen in the story?
This is why I said people that enjoy the movie cannot have seen good movies, because some of the defenses are just absolutely ridiculous. “Why do characters need backstories to make them interesting?” Like do I really need to answer that?
Luke at the start of ANH is literally a farmboy with little direction in his life. That’s much closer to the “just people” type of character you’re describing than anyone in R1, again except for Jyn. Every supporting character in R1 feels like they were designed to be interesting, but everything interesting in their lives happened before the events of the film, and we just get to hear about it a little.
I also think the ending of the movie where we get a big fanservice Darth Vader scene gives the lie to this perception of the movie as a gritty, realistic look at the dark side of the franchise. The movie is pretty transparently just Disney pandering to the adults that grew up with Star Wars and wanted to feel like they could still enjoy it through more adult media. Andor does what Rogue One was trying to do much better, and it’s telling that by doing so it barely feels like Star Wars any more.
Just to redirect, you mention Luke, who had no backstory before Episode 4 (and really none anyway).
If R1 is a trope at all it’s a heist movie. So let’s compare it to something similar, like Ocean’s 11. Of the 11, we know the backstory of 1-2 of the members there. Everyone else makes the ensemble who then build together a heist, them working together with their skills ultimately make the movie amazing. I don’t know each of their backstory, but it’s regarded as the quintessential heist movie. So I stand by my argument, you don’t need everyone to have a fully fleshed out character arc just to have a good movie.
Even then many of the characters do show up in prequels and other series. Andor got his own series because people wanted to know more. So, I don’t think that’s the argument you think it is.
Then finally,
The movie is pretty transparently just Disney pandering to the adults that grew up with Star Wars and wanted to feel like they could still enjoy it through more adult media.
I was born after the originally trilogy. So, swing and a miss there.
And also
Andor does what Rogue One was trying to do much better, and it’s telling that by doing so it barely feels like Star Wars any more.
Andor was 20 hours long compared to 2.5 hours, not exactly comparable if your main metric is “how fleshed out are backstories”
I go back to what I said in my first reply to you: " I just wonder if you don’t like Star wars". Which honestly do you? It’s okay if you don’t but if your number one thing about Andor was literally “it barely feels like Star Wars any more” then maybe it’s time to admit you just don’t like Star Wars, and let us who do just enjoy it over here.
They are THE MAIN CHARACTERS in the movie you’re watching. I think that’s a big enough reason to try to make them interesting.
What would make a character interesting? Motivations, conflict, maybe seeing someone change in any way as a result of things that happen in the story?
This is why I said people that enjoy the movie cannot have seen good movies, because some of the defenses are just absolutely ridiculous. “Why do characters need backstories to make them interesting?” Like do I really need to answer that?
Luke at the start of ANH is literally a farmboy with little direction in his life. That’s much closer to the “just people” type of character you’re describing than anyone in R1, again except for Jyn. Every supporting character in R1 feels like they were designed to be interesting, but everything interesting in their lives happened before the events of the film, and we just get to hear about it a little.
I also think the ending of the movie where we get a big fanservice Darth Vader scene gives the lie to this perception of the movie as a gritty, realistic look at the dark side of the franchise. The movie is pretty transparently just Disney pandering to the adults that grew up with Star Wars and wanted to feel like they could still enjoy it through more adult media. Andor does what Rogue One was trying to do much better, and it’s telling that by doing so it barely feels like Star Wars any more.
Just to redirect, you mention Luke, who had no backstory before Episode 4 (and really none anyway).
If R1 is a trope at all it’s a heist movie. So let’s compare it to something similar, like Ocean’s 11. Of the 11, we know the backstory of 1-2 of the members there. Everyone else makes the ensemble who then build together a heist, them working together with their skills ultimately make the movie amazing. I don’t know each of their backstory, but it’s regarded as the quintessential heist movie. So I stand by my argument, you don’t need everyone to have a fully fleshed out character arc just to have a good movie.
Even then many of the characters do show up in prequels and other series. Andor got his own series because people wanted to know more. So, I don’t think that’s the argument you think it is.
Then finally,
I was born after the originally trilogy. So, swing and a miss there.
And also