The Reckoning Is Here

Andor’s warning . . . and challenge.

The YouTube channel Zucciniii, which discusses video games, anime, movies, and TV shows, has posted a 20-minute video on Maarva’s “Reckoning” monologue from season one of Andor.

It’s a great commentary, in large part due to its relevance to the collapse of democratic systems and institutions we’re witnessing in our time, and the corruption, tyranny, suffering, and resistance that goes along with this collapse. Most importantly, it’s a great commentary because it challenges us by reminding us that we get to choose our response to this collapse.

With the [second and] final season of Andor now airing, it's time we look back at Maarva's “Reckoning” monologue from season one, and why it should inspire us to continue striving for a better world. . . . It’s worth remembering that the characters in Andor don’t face the reckoning by choice; it calls to them and pleads that they decide who they will become for the sake of the world around them. And in that way, Andor becomes a story about us.

Because the truth is the reckoning isn’t confined to a galaxy far far away. The reckoning is here. It’s now. It exists in our world, in our cities, in our lives. It’s the quiet realization that the systems we thought would protect us are failing. It’s the growing discomfort when injustice goes unchallenged. It’s the slow accumulation of anger, grief, and longing for something better.

The reckoning in our world looks like people demanding an end to school shootings and creating a safe environment for innocent children who simply want to learn.

It looks like people rising against systemic oppression and racism, fighting for their voices to be heard.

It looks like generations standing up against insurmoutable odds because silence is no longer bearable.

And just like in Andor, it isn’t sudden. It’s slow. It’s painful. It asks us to sacrifice comfort for courage, even when hope feels fragile and change feels far away.

And once we hear it, we can never silence it again. It becomes a part of us, whether we are ready for it or not.

Andor leaves us with a warning: that reckonings are inevitable, that change is possible, and that even the smallest acts of resistance can eventually shape a better world.

The reckoning isn’t just coming, it’s already here. The only question left is what will we do when we hear it calling.

For more about Andor at The Wild Reed, see:
• The Revolution Will Be Televised
• Andor: The Star Wars Franchise’s “First Piece of Universally Excellent Television”
• The Brilliance of Andor
• Inauguration Day Thoughts
• How Empires Are Built and Rebellions Are Born
• Andor Season One Recap

NEXT:
Andor’s Depiction of the Rise of Fascism:
Not Predictive But Reflective

Related Off-site Links:
Why Andor Is the Star Wars Show for Grownups – Tracey Minkin (AARP, April 23, 2025).
Andor Season 2 Becomes the Most Critically Acclaimed Live-action Star Wars Project on Rotten Tomatoes Ever – Molly Edwards (Games Radar, April 23, 2025).
Review: Andor Season 2 Completes the Best Star Wars Story of the Disney Era – Alison Herman (Variety, April 21, 2025).
Andor Season 2 Review: A Star Wars Miracle, an Ode to Rebellion – Devindra Hardawar (Engadget, April 21, 2025).
Andor Season 2 Review: A Masterpiece, Some of the Best Star Wars Ever Made – Erik Kain (Forbes, April 21, 2025).
A Powerful Denouement: A Review of Andor Season 2 – Brynna Arens (Den of Geeks, April 21, 2025).
Andor Review: Season 2 Is a Thrilling, Urgent Tribute to the Rebellion’s Unsung Heroes – Ben Travers (IndieWire, April 21, 2025).
How Andor Adapts History Into Star Wars – Film Can’t Die (April 16, 2025).
Evil in Andor: The Banality of Evil – The Canvas (November 27, 2024).
Andor Season 2 Is About to Break Records – Nyft (November 23, 2024).
Andor’s Luthen Rael Is Basically the Rebellion’s Emperor Palpatine – Allen Xies (Generation Tech, November 22, 2024).
Andor Is a Message for the Future – Spaceman (November 21, 2024).
Diego Luna Says Andor Season 2 Turns Rogue One Into a “Different Film” – Dalton Ross (Entertainment Weekly, August 15, 2024).
The Poetry, Power, and Philosophy of Andor’s Monologues – Master Samwise (February 21, 2023).
Why Is Andor’s Dialogue So Much Better? – The Writer’s Block (January 14, 2023).
Andor Is Star Wars Perfection – Caprisanh (January 6, 2023).
How Andor Became My Favorite Star Wars Show – A Short Ginger (January 2, 2023).
Just Go Watch Andor – CameroN xM (December 28, 2022).
Andor: A Marxist Allegory Brought to You by Disney – Damien Walter (Science Fiction with Damien Walter, December 8, 2022).
Is Andor Actually THAT Good? (Yes, and Here’s Why) – Ben Arndt (A.M. Cinematics, November 28, 2022).
Why Andor Boldly Goes the Distance While Most High Profile Star Wars Adaptations Fell Short – Melanie McFarland (Salon, November 25, 2022).
Why Andor Is So Important for Star Wars – Kirk Mihelakos (Designed by Kirk, November 23, 2022).
Andor Is the Best Star Wars Has Been in 40 Years – Cleaver Rebooted (November 23, 2022).
Why Andor Feels So Real – Thomas Flight (November 23, 2022).