Star Wars has provided A New Hope‘s most important planet with an origin story, but I still cannot believe how annoying it proved to be. Over the years, both the best and worst-ranked Star Wars movies have tended to cause controversy, for one reason or another. Rarely, however, does Star Wars receive the criticism of being annoying. Perhaps one of the few elements to do so came in the first chronological Star Wars movie, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, in which Jar Jar Binks was labeled an irritating inclusion.
Even in this case, though, the prequels have undergone a period of revisionism lately, with many appreciating the successes of Jar Jar – and, importantly, actor Ahmed Best – more than the downfalls of his character. Where Star Wars‘ many TV shows are concerned, they too have included few elements that one would label as annoying, especially where the best of them are concerned. Therefore, I cannot believe that the origin story of a planet from A New Hope included in an excellent Star Wars TV show proved to be so outright irksome.
Yavin 4 Is The Most Important Planet In A New Hope
The Base Of The Rebel Alliance
The planet in question is Yavin 4, which remains the most important planet in A New Hope. While the first Star Wars movie – at least, in release order – includes planets like Tatooine and Alderaan, both of which have become integral to the franchise, Yavin 4 is the film’s most important location. In terms of the wider franchise, Yavin 4 was the secret home base of the Rebel Alliance and served as a haven for the freedom fighters to flesh out their ranks and establish an organized fightback against the Empire.
Related
Star Wars’ Rebel Alliance Explained: Timeline, History, & Leaders
The Rebel Alliance stood up to the oppression the Empire brought to the galaxy in Star Wars, and this is how they were able to fight back.
Where the story of A New Hope, specifically, is concerned, Yavin 4 was integral to the film’s final act. It is where Luke, Leia, and Han retreated to after escaping the Death Star, and where they learned of the flaw in the giant space station that could see it destroyed. The final battle of the movie was dubbed the Battle of Yavin, an event that became the center point of Star Wars‘ entire timeline. As a result of these points, Yavin was established as a vital planet to A New Hope, and Star Wars as a whole.
Yavin 4’s Origin Story Was Highlighted In Andor Season 2 – In A Very Annoying Way
The Maya Pei Storyline Was Andor’s Most Annoying
In many ways, Andor is Star Wars’ best TV show. As such, Andor contains some of the best moments in the entire franchise, some of the strongest characters, and some of the most mature, compelling writing Star Wars has ever seen. For these reasons, I could not believe how annoying I found the storyline that explored Yavin 4’s origins. I had never once found any part of Andor uncompelling, but the sections with the Maya Pei Brigade in season 2’s first two episodes grated on me in a way I was not expecting.
Perhaps the main reason for this was the lack of development it had on the overall storyline. Eventually, I realized this was all necessary as Cassian flew away and revealed he was on Yavin the entire time. This reveal in a vacuum was cool, especially as it tied Yavin so intrinsically to a character I love in Cassian. The journey there, though, was filled with exaggerated acting, annoying characters, petty squabbles, and a storyline I simply did not care for. The reveal of how the Rebel Alliance found Yavin, a vital planet in A New Hope, proved to be more irritating than anything.
Andor’s Maya Pei Storyline Is Annoying, But Even I Admit Makes Sense
It Tracks With Andor’s Wider Themes
The annoyance I held for the Maya Pei storyline remains, even after rewatching Andor season 2 since its release. That said, I can still acknowledge what the writers were going for with these scenes. Overall, the in-fighting between the Maya Pei rebels showed just how fractured the Rebellion was at that point in the timeline. The organized unit of the Rebellion had not yet been founded by the likes of Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, causing a group of people supposedly with the same ideologies and on the same side of a war to fight among themselves.
Seeing how fractured the Maya Pei Brigade was only a few years earlier makes Yavin feel more important once it becomes what it was meant to be…
Placing this conflict on Yavin 4 makes a lot of sense, too. Later in the Star Wars timeline, Yavin becomes the home for a unified Rebellion and allows its soldiers to fight back against the Empire. Seeing how fractured the Maya Pei Brigade was only a few years earlier makes Yavin feel more important once it becomes what it was meant to be, all while making the Rebellion look even stronger down the line. I can acknowledge all of this, but I still wish that Andor had explored similar themes in a way that was less annoying, jarring, and exaggerated than other elements of Star Wars‘ best TV show.
- Cast
-
Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
- TV Show(s)
-
The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
- Movie(s)
-
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
- Character(s)
-
Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
