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This article contains spoilers for “Andor.”

When “Andor” was announced in 2018, a bit of skepticism would’ve been natural. At that point, Disney had been releasing new “Star Wars” films every year, so the addition of a television spin-off series for a character may have sounded like it was bordering on oversaturation. After all, that was the proposal: a spy thriller following Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a supporting character from “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016). The film —a direct prequel to the original “Star Wars” — follows the group of rebels that steals the plans for the Empire’s planet-destroying space station, the Death Star. “Andor,” then, was set to explore Cassian’s life in the years prior to his becoming part of this pivotal moment in the “Star Wars” canon. To be fair, Luna’s character in the film is compelling — but a full series?

Well, it’s incredible. It might just be the best “Star Wars” content ever made.

“Andor” tells a captivating story that explores the frightening force of fascism and the human toll of revolution. While there are plenty of other places in the “Star Wars” catalogue where Stormtroopers provide comic relief, or where Luke Skywalker uses his lightsaber to mow down a cadre of Imperial robots with ease, in “Andor,” the Empire feels truly scary in a way it never has before. Series creator Tony Gilroy concludes the first season by highlighting how the abuses of a fascist regime seep into normal people’s lives until they become too much to ignore — about how this kind of suffocating oppression can lead to a spark of rebellion. At the center of this shift is Cassian, who, in the season’s final scene, dedicates himself to the cause by effectively joining a rebel cell led by Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård).

The second and final season of the show aims to cover far more ground than the first. It’s being released in sets of three episodes that each jump forward a year in time, with the finale expected to lead right to where the story of “Rogue One” picks up. The season’s sixth episode, titled “What a Festive Evening,” is a standout entry in what has been a terrific season thus far, in large part due to excellent writing and layered, compelling performances.

The writing team adds depth to the rebels’ struggle through tragedy in Episode 6, by way of exploring the relationship between Vel (Faye Marsay) and Cinta (Varada Sethu). Having been separated for some time after struggling to navigate a romantic relationship in the first season, this episode finds the two characters reunited for a rebel heist on the planet Ghorman. After they share a tender scene in which they overcome prior miscommunication and express how much they care for each other, Cinta is killed during the heist by accidental friendly fire. Accentuating the tragic insignificance of her death, the show reveals that the Empire actually wanted the heist to happen, as they feel it will justify a crackdown on Ghorman, useful to them both for political gain and their aim to strip the planet of its valuable natural resources. The writing excels both because of great dialogue and because the writers cleverly construct the story in a way that shows just how little Cinta’s death — despite it having a major effect on Vel — actually impacts the Empire’s cruel operations. During a scene in which Vel mourns Cinta, she tells Cinta’s killer, “You’re taking her with you wherever you go for the rest of your useless life.”

Elsewhere in the episode, Elizabeth Dulau commands the screen as Kleya Marki, Luthen’s closest rebel ally. Luthen and Kleya masquerade as innocent antiquities dealers on the planet Coruscant, so Skarsgård and Dulau frequently get to display their range as they switch between the jovial eccentricity of their art-dealing alter egos and the ruthless, calculated qualities of their true selves. Dulau shows off Kleya’s complexity in Episode 6 during a party sequence at the art gallery of Davo Sculdun (Richard Dillane). Kleya must remove a listening device from a piece of art while a number of high-ranking Imperial officers at the party inch closer to her, and thus closer to uncovering her and Luthen’s rebel activities. To prevent them from seeing what she’s really doing, Kleya demands that Lonni (Robert Emms) — who works for the Imperial Security Bureau but is actually an informant for Luthen — stands between them and her. Dulau masterfully portrays Kleya’s split attention and quiet urgency in this moment, as she at once strives to remove the listening device from beneath the piece, keeps track of how close the group is, directs Lonni on what to do, and pretends to be talking to him about something else. Fortunately, she removes the device in time, and she and Luthen leave the party unscathed.

One last highlight of the episode — a particularly strong marriage of writing and acting — comes in a contentious scene between Cassian and Luthen. Cassian fields his frustration with Luthen for going behind his back to offer a mission to Bix (Adria Arjona), who has been struggling with post-traumatic stress after being tortured by the Empire during the show’s first season. Bix and Cassian also have a romantic history and had recently re-entered a romantic relationship, so Luthen’s schemes leave Cassian rather impassioned — enough to visit Luthen’s antiquities shop without a cover, risking suspicion from the Empire.

The writers make a smart choice to have Cassian’s desire to protect Bix conflict with his duties to the growing Rebellion. If Season 1 was about Cassian coming to understand what it means to throw himself at the cause, Season 2 oppositely tracks his hesitation as he realizes that this cause will likely strip away what little he has left of personal relationships or a private life. As they allow this tension to simmer in their conversation, Luna and Skarsgård are outstanding.

Simply put, “Andor” is some of the best “Star Wars” content ever. And seeing as it’s reaching the point where wonderful original characters like Vel, Luthen, Kleya and Bix will likely meet a tragic end…the story might just get better before it’s done.

—Staff writer Kieran J. Farrell can be reached at kieran.farrell@thecrimson.com.