The following contains major spoilers from Episodes 1-3 of Andor Season 2.

After nearly three years, the long-awaited second season of Andor has arrived on Disney+. Taking place in the lead-up to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (which itself leads directly into Episode IV – A New Hope), Andor follows a cast of characters – both Rebel and Imperial – as they fight for control of the Galaxy.

The first three episodes of Season 2 were filled with action, drama, heartbreak, and some of the funniest scenes of the show so far. Talking exclusively with IGN at Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo, the cast spoke in depth about some of the most jaw-dropping moments from Episodes 1-3.

Cassian Andor struggles to fly a TIE Avenger.

In the opening scene of Episode 1, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) works with a nervous undercover spy to steal a TIE fighter (specifically a TIE Avenger first seen in 1994’s Star Wars: TIE fighter PC game) from an Imperial test facility on the planet Sienar. And instead of expertly maneuvering the ship out of the building and off-planet, Cassian sneaks into the cockpit and has no idea how to fly it. This leads to a comical sequence in which he awkwardly lurches the Interceptor around a flight hanger before blasting through doors and nearly flying off a cliff. Luna explains there was a deeper meaning to the comedy in the sequence.

“The fun is over after minute four!” Luna jokes. “No, I think there’s a lot of humor in this season. Not that we were looking or searching for it, but it’s just implicit. For that (scene), we were not planning to do a comedic moment, but it is this man battling his ignorance, which makes it very fun. He’s against the Empire and the big problem is himself. He doesn’t know what to do with the equipment he’s trying to fly. I think it’s a very cool action sequence and action is much better when there’s humor around.”

Modern streaming platforms like Netflix and Max have changed our content diets dramatically, allowing reality TV lovers and Letterboxd sickos to beam the latest movies and shows directly into their homes. In lieu of heading out to a theater and getting caught in a ‘Chicken Jockey’ related incident, you may be wondering — how can I summon a cinematic level of fidelity from the comfort of my couch? Well never fear, dear reader, as our guide to streaming Netflix in 4K will explain everything you need to know.

How to Stream Netflix in 4K

Before we get started, it’s worth checking which Netflix plan you’re on — as not all of them allow for 4K streaming. The Streaming (with Ads) and Standard plans only allow for streaming at resolutions up to 1080p. The only plan that supports 4K streaming at this time is the highest-tier Premium Plan.

Here are the current Netflix US plans and their prices:

• Standard with ads: $7.99 per month (No 4K)
• Standard: $17.99 per month (No 4K)
• Premium: $24.99 per month (4K streaming)

Do you have the right equipment for 4K?

The next step in your 4K streaming journey is making sure all of your hardware can support streaming Netflix content in 4K. If you’re using a monitor or smart TV for streaming, it needs to be capable of outputting a 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution. If you’re using an external streaming device like a Fire Stick or an Apple TV, then this also needs to support 4K streaming. And, if you are using external devices to stream Netflix, then the cables connecting the device to the TV will need to be good enough to support the signal. Netflix suggests users should use a Premium High Speed HDMI or Ultra High Speed HDMI cable to stream Netflix in 4K.

Check your playback settings

Once you’ve made sure you’re on the right plan and have all the correct equipment, it’s time to check your playback settings. To do this you’ll need to log into your account on your PC. From here you’ll need to click on your profile icon and select ‘Manage Profiles’. It should automatically show the menu bar for your account, however if it hasn’t, select the specific account you wish to stream 4K content from. Now, scroll down and select the Playback Settings option and set it to ‘High’. From here, when using that profile, you should stream in 4K when watching content that supports that resolution.

There are few caveats to this selection worth considering. By selecting High, you may be subject to more buffering and freezing if your internet isn’t up to the job. Additionally, if you’re using mobile data to watch your favourite films or shows be aware that streaming in 4K uses more data and so you might hit your limit quicker than you might expect.

Are There Other Ways to Watch Netflix Movies and Shows in 4K?

Physical media may seem like a thing of the past. However, a Blu-Ray revival has meant a handful of popular titles have broken free of their digital prisons. Blu-Ray editions of original shows like Daredevil, Arcane, The Crown, Stranger Things, and Wednesday are available for fans to buy (though sometimes hard to find). In a world where a show can be dropped from a platform overnight, owning physical copies is often the only way to ensure you can watch your favorite shows for all eternity – or at least until disc drives completely disappear.

Season 2 of Andor’s first of four chapters, episodes 1 through 3, picks up a year after the events of season 1 and starts sprinting. It’s a funnier-than-I-expected opening to season 2 as well. Like the first season did so well, Andor is still focusing on the small things. While the big picture of the rebellion is never far out of mind, this first chapter takes great pains to highlight the personal costs of taking on the Empire with great characters, some truly impressive filmmaking, and one of the best dance parties Star Wars has ever seen.

There’s a scene almost right off the bat between Andor and an Imperial technician who’s helping him steal an experimental new TIE fighter. She’s nervous, scared, wondering if the risk she’s taking is even worth it, but Cassian is there to help talk her through it. He says all the right things, clearly drawing on experience he’s had in the year since we last saw him. It’s a perfect way to immediately show his growth.

But the most important part of this conversation is when the tech talks about how she’d had an okay life at this facility. She had fun. It’s like she feels guilty about ever being happy as a part of the Empire and she’s not sure how to deal with it. This is a small conversation about a very small thing, but it says so much about this first chapter of Andor season 2, and it’s really quite something that they were able to do so much so efficiently in these opening moments.

There’s a feeling throughout these first 3 episodes that any sense of normalcy or comfort is going away. The way the team behind Andor sets out to accomplish that is really savvy. This season is written and edited so well, and particularly in these first 3 episodes, Andor is built in such a way that very directly contrasts the realities of managing a rebellion with continuing to live in the Empire while you do it. It’s a fascinating little tight rope act, and one that the writers and directors almost flawlessly pull off. Even in the opening sequence, we see him very capably tending to this would-be rebel helping him, but immediately he’s back in over his head when he narrowly escapes in a ship he can barely fly.

Another great example of this arrives in episode 1. While Cassian is stuck on a forest planet with a group of rebels that don’t trust him and can’t even get on the same page with each other, we’re taken to a secret meeting of top Empire brass in a snowy, mountain top fortress. The way the episode jumps back and forth between these two scenes connects them in a really sneaky way. It’s edited quickly, almost like a montage, but these are two seemingly unrelated scenes being drawn together.

On the one hand, you see the uphill battle that the rebellion is facing, with factions fighting for the same cause but killing each other because of distrust. This crew holding Andor hostage is just a bunch of selfish idiots – but, meanwhile, the Empire is quite casually plotting the destruction of an entire planet over coffee and canapes at a corporate retreat. These moments get lumped together as effectively one scene, and that one scene isn’t about what the rebellion or the Empire are up to separately. It’s a scene about how far apart the two sides are in their plans and how they get executed. While the Empire can get the ISB and the smear-campaign-pitching Ministry of Enlightenment douchebags marching in lockstep, the rebellion is literally starving in the mud, fighting each other while stranded on a planet full of beasts. They are not playing on the same level.

It’s also a scene that proves just how well Andor is put together. Smart and efficient filmmaking like this pops up throughout this series to subtly drive home the themes while you’re not even looking.

I will say though, episode 2 gets a little long where Cassian’s part of the plot is concerned. This band of misfits in the jungle are just too meatheaded to be interesting for as much time as we spend with them. They did their job very well in episode 1, but I don’t know that I needed the Star Wars version of rock, paper, scissors to play such a big role in Andor’s escape. It’s another vote in favor of the release schedule for season 2, though. I would’ve been a little more critical of episode 2 if I had to wait a whole week to see episode 3.

Thankfully this first batch of episodes also features the galaxy’s most intriguing character, Mon Mothma. The fact that a major plot point of season 1 involved the senator agreeing to arrange the marriage of her daughter to a mobster’s son in order to finance the rebellion was one of the reasons I fell so hard for this show.

Season 2 uses that wedding on Chandrila to do a couple of very cool things. It’s already incredible that Mon sending her daughter to marry into a shady financier’s family plays such an enormous role in the organization of this rebellion. But now her childhood friend and banking guru Tay has lost some money and gotten divorced, which in turn is causing him to make uncomfortable waves for Mon and Luthen Rael’s plans.

Just to say that again, because it’s wild: A dude’s wife leaving him has enormous implications for the future of the rebellion. Forget teaching a kid in the desert how to use a light saber, this is the kind of fascinating butterfly-effect stuff that the second season of Andor is doubling down on in all the right ways. That something as tiny and personal as a marriage falling apart is a real threat to these early days of the rebellion is such a fun thread to pull on.

More than Chandrillan divorce – and there’s always one guy who just got divorced at a wedding – the four-day extravaganza at the Mothma estate highlights that contrast that’s painted so well early in this season. Mon Mothma has always been obliged to play nice in the Senate and at home, while secretly funding the rebellion. Placing all of her anxiety around the rebellion, including the unexpected arrival of Stellan Skarsgaard’s Luthen Rael, against the backdrop of such a traditional event shows how determined the rest of her world is to carry on as though nothing is amiss and the Empire isn’t capable of blowing up a whole planet for a mineral.

By the time the wedding is over, Tay’s been dealt with in the only way Luthen knows how to deal with loose ends, and Mon is doing shots – shots that she has very much earned, and dance-partying her way through some pretty boss EDM. Her tragedy is juxtaposed with a fresh and terrible loss for Cassian. Not only does Mon have to grin and bear it through an upper-class tradition, that contrast is used to invade Cassian’s life as well. It’s another sequence like cross-cutting the jungle meatheads and the Empire planning to strip-mine Ghorman. It creates a single story out of two otherwise unconnected threads.

The real craft of Andor season 2 is in these moments, because they corral disparate parts of the rebellion into the whole. Mon Mothma and Cassian Andor have not met. Their only connection is that they both know Luthen Rael, but quite independently of each other. Here at the end of episode 3 though, they’re in the same place thanks to the absurdly clever editing of that house music.

Meanwhile, on the antagonist’s side of the spectrum, the two main villains from season 1 are embroiled in a domestic chamber piece. Dedra Meero and Syril Karn squaring off against Syril’s mother, who, by the way, I believe to be the second or third best character in this entire show, is an incredible scene. It’s written with some of the most passive-aggressive dialogue humankind has ever seen. The three performances have at least a few layers of awkward subtext at play and, beyond any of that, we get more of what makes this first chapter great – the attempt at normalcy in the midst of rebellion.

Taking a relationship to the “meet the parent” phase is a big and stupidly normal step for two ambitious, true-believer imperial agents like Dedra and Syril. There’s an incongruity to it that’s both really funny and really creepy. Seeing Syril more or less trade one mom for another is a wild place for this series to go, but at the same time, it’s exactly the kind of thing that made the first season so intriguing – and that season 2 is highlighting even more effectively.

And while I was happy to see Bix again, her peaceful bit of respite harvesting grain with Brasso and Wilmon interrupted by an imperial audit is the most on-the-nose part of chapter 1. The officers are so blatantly slimy and their tactics so familiar, the storyline just didn’t have nearly as much to offer as the others. I certainly preferred the farmers on that planet to the meatheads in the jungle, but to be fair that’s a pretty low bar to clear.

There’s never been a better time to start building a big ol’ pile of shame, my fellow patient gamer. Whether you’re keen to pick up a cult favourite or just want to marvel at how cheap Mass Effect is going for, today’s best gaming deals are a tidy mix of crowd-pleasers and critical darlings. And now, without much more ado, here are my favourite deals on The Citadel.

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I’m celebrating the 32nd birthday of the Sega Mega Drive II, a beast I still own and adore. Bristling with 16-bits of power (and blast processing technology), this bit of kit arrived on my birthday, with a copy of Streets of Rage from a MegaZone subscription deal, and basically made my year. I was to eat well with Sonics 1 through 3, Bonanza Bros., RoboCop vs. Terminator, Disney’s Aladdin / Lion King, Streeties, MK, Golden Axe, Earthworm Jim, a bunch of Shinobis, and more. Absolute peak Sega era.

Sci-fi is a genre that continues to evolve each year in filmmaking. Ever since the mystical release of 2001: A Space Odyssey, many directors have sought to craft films that are otherworldly and fascinating for audiences. Today, the Amazon 3 for $33 sale is still ongoing for select 4K movies, and some of the best sci-fi movies of all time are still available as part of this deal. If you’re a collector and wish to avoid the sci-fi-like digital-only future, this is a great opportunity to score some excellent 4K Blu-rays for your collection.

This sale is part of Amazon’s larger three for $33 4K movie promotion that just started yesterday. There are quite a few other great films in there if you’d prefer to shop the full sale yourself.

Score 3 4K Sci-Fi Blu-rays for $33 at Amazon

One of the best movies included in this sale is Blade Runner: The Final Cut, starring Harrison Ford. This version of the iconic sci-fi film is the definitive way to experience Blade Runner by far, with new VFX cleanups, added scenes, and excellent color and sound quality.

You can also score 4K copies of 2001: A Space Odyssey, one of the most inspiration films of all time, and Inception, which is a favorite for many fans of Christopher Nolan. Godzilla Minus One, just fresh off an Oscar Win last year, is also available. Beyond Minus One, you can save on even more Godzilla and monster 4K movies as part of this ongoing promotion.

If you wish to check out all of the movies on sale, you can shop the full sale yourself here.

Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.

If you’re tired of lugging out your full-sized vacuum cleaner or buying cans of compressed air to clean out your desk space, here’s an easier alternative. Amazon is offering the Hoto Handheld Cordless Vacuum Cleaner for just $31.31 after you apply a 55% off coupon code “468DGGLL” during checkout. Amazon’s list price is incorrect (it’s actually $69.99). It has over 700 4.3/5 star reviews on Amazon with a Fakespot “A” rating. This cordless handvac is a quick and easy way to rid your desk area of all the food crumbs and dust bunnies that pile up in and around your keyboard and gaming PC.

55% Off Hoto Cordless Handheld Vacuum

Vinyl has made a huge resurgence over the years, and more soundtracks are being released than ever before. It’s very common nowadays to see game soundtracks receive a vinyl release at launch or at least a while thereafter. Starting today, IGN Store has opened pre-orders for four new vinyl soundtracks. If you’re a fan of The Legend of Zelda, Cuphead, Stray, or Destiny, you do not want to miss these items.

Ocarina of Time, Destiny, Cuphead, and Stray Vinyl Now Available to Pre-Order

First up is the new Hero of Time – Music from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 2xLP Vinyl. This release includes music by the 64-piece Slovak National Symphony Orchestra, with the pressing on green & purple rupee vinyl. There’s also the Cuphead Deluxe Soundtrack, which features 1930s era-specific packaging and almost three hours total of music. This 4xLP set is sure to please any fan of jazz or challenging platformers.

Next, the Destiny 2 Volume 1 Original Game Soundtrack Vinyl is perfect for fans of Bungie’s online game. This 2xLP set contains original music from Destiny 2’s inaugural campaign, “The Red War,” with a code included to redeem an exclusive Destiny 2 Profile Emblem.

Finally, a new release of the Stray Original Soundtrack is available to pre-order! Composer Yann Van Der Cruyssen managed to capture the distinct cyberpunk nature of the BlueTwelve Studios game, with eerie and desolate melodies that are captured with synths. This 2xLP set is pressed on 180g audiophile black vinyl and features a gatefold jacket housed in an elegant slipcase with holofoil spécialité.

If you’re looking for more game vinyl soundtracks, IGN Store also recently opened pre-orders on six different Persona vinyl soundtracks. This includes Persona Q – Shadow of Labyrinth, Persona 4 Arena, Persona 3 Reload, Persona 4, and Persona 5.

Each of these new vinyl releases is part of the new iam8bit 20th Anniversary Collection, so they won’t be here forever. Be sure to head over to IGN Store today so you don’t miss out on these items!

About IGN Store

IGN Store sells high-quality merch, collectibles, and shirts for everything you’re into. It’s a shop built with fans in mind: for all the geek culture and fandom you love most. Whether you’re into comics, movies, anime, games, retro gaming or just want some cute plushies (who doesn’t?), this store is for you!

Anime just keeps getting bigger. It was reported to be a $19+ billion industry in 2023, so we can only imagine where it’s at now. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to watch anime without paying a dime. While you might have to skip out on the occasional Netflix original, there’s something for everyone in the hundreds of anime series and movies out there for free.

If you watch anime, you probably know that there are plenty of what we’ll call “risky” anime sites, most of which ride a legal gray line or head straight into piracy territory. This list is limited to free anime sites we know for sure legally acquired their streaming licenses.

Whether you want to see what the hype’s about with Solo Leveling, are planning a Naruto marathon, or want to dive into classics like Sailor Moon, here are the best sites to watch anime for free.

Crunchyroll

The Elder Scrolls fans are praising Bethesda today after the developer gifted free game keys for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered to the entire team behind popular Oblivion mod, Skyblivion.

In a post on BlueSky today, the Skyblivion team shared news of Bethesda’s outreach with their community. “As massive fans, we’re beyond grateful for the generous gift of Oblivion Remastered game keys for our entire modding team! This means so much to us. Thank you for everything, Bethesda!”

Skyblivion is an upcoming fan remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion made by the TESRenewal volunteer modding group. It uses Bethesda’s Creation Engine to recreate Oblivion in the game’s sequel, Skyrim. The project has technically been in the works for over a decade, beginning as a simple direct port and later expanding to a full remake with a number of improved features and even new content. We interviewed one of the developers behind it way back in 2021. Skyblivion is expected to release this year.

Historically, Bethesda and the Skyblivion team have reportedly been on “very good terms,” but as rumors of an official Oblivion remaster grew, some fans questioned if Bethesda wasn’t trying to head off Skyblivion with its own version due to the suspiciously close release timing. A few days ago, anticipating today’s showcase, the Skyblivion team issued a statement addressing these concerns. In it, the team said that Bethesda has “always been supportive of community projects like ours” and that “there is no need for comparisons or a sense of competition” between the two games.

Notably, Oblivision Remastered does not have official mod support, though fans have already been cooking up an array of unofficial mods for the game within hours of its release. Additionally, both versions of Oblivion have unique aspects: Skyblivion, for instance, isn’t available on console at all. Oblivision Remastered, on the other hand, does not include the new and refurbished content that Skyblivion has promised, but does have horse armor DLC at launch for Deluxe Edition buyers. Both versions have different looks and feels, with different interpretations on how much Skyrim-ness should be incorporated into a retread of Oblivion. And of course, you can play Oblivision Remastered today, but those looking forward to Skyblivion will have to wait just a little bit longer.

While we wait, you can read up on why some players think today’s release is more remake than remaster and why Bethesda opted to give it that “Remastered” name in the first place.

We’ve got a comprehensive guide to everything you’ll find in Oblivion Remastered, including an expansive Interactive Map, complete Walkthroughs for the Main Questline and every Guild Quest, How to Build the Perfect Character, Things to Do First, and much more.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

The Star Wars franchise is chock full of exciting animated projects that do an excellent job of expanding the vast and beloved live-action universe established by George Lucas back in 1977 with Star Wars: A New Hope. But it looks like fans can anticipate at least one more animated series to add to the mix in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, which was just announced at Star Wars Celebration Japan. Voice actor Sam Witwer, who has voiced Maul in all of his animated appearances over the years, opened up to IGN about developing the project during an exclusive interview out of the festival.

Witwer, who will star as Darth Maul in this new series, revealed to IGN not only where Shadow Lord falls in the overall Star Wars timeline, but also Maul’s headspace at this point in the story.

“It takes place a year after the Clone Wars have ended, and Maul is in a very challenging place, because the people that he had around him, a lot of them scattered or betrayed him during the Clone Wars. So we’re dealing with a guy who is trying to figure out well, my God, what is my purpose? Maul, you have to remember, is a classically trained force user, a classically trained Sith,” Witwer explained.

“He comes from a time of magic, knights, passion, enthusiasm, aggression, fire – magic. Now he is seeing an empire that he knew was coming, and the magic and the color is being sucked out of the universe. How does he feel about that? Did he see that that was going to be the way that it was? Is this different than what he expected and how does he feel that affects him? What does he wanna do about it? Can he do anything about it? He’s not very equipped right now. So this is a guy who’s trying to figure out what his destiny is.”

Witwer also noted that Maul’s perspective at this point was shaped by his upbringing. “Something else, he was trained his entire life to hate and kill Jedi, and he killed more Jedi than people were aware of in the Clone Wars. You know, there [were] indications that [he] and Savage Opress went off on a rampage as well. It was worse than you think. And now they’re gone. How does he feel about the Jedi, his sworn enemy – how does he feel about them now that they are gone? You know? All of these things, so we’re challenging this perspective. So what is his destiny? What is who is he without his greatest enemy to fight and destroy? And he learns that perhaps part of his destiny is to inspire a young person; train an apprentice.”

Unfortunately, the only tidbit Witwer would share about the mysterious apprentice is that she is a “very surprising” character. “I can’t tell you that much more,” he teased. “But she’s quite something.”

Witwer, who is also well-known for past roles in Battlestar Galactica and Smallville, has stepped into a development role with this project, and it seems to have proven fruitful to work directly with Lucasfilm CCO Dave Filoni. “Dave has always been very collaborative, wonderfully collaborative in fact, and this one, they were like, well, listen, you’ve been playing this character for 15 years,” the voice actor revealed. “So, you have to be in this deeper than you’ve ever been before, because we need you to weigh in on stuff, we need to have people to debate these things. So it’s been kind of thrilling in that way, having constant phone calls and emails and discussions. and it’s been educational.”

The actor has done a lot of work on Maul’s arc, which he opened up about from his “death” in The Phantom Menace to resurfacing during Clone Wars and his final showdown with Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars Rebels. “Well, if we’re developing this chapter it’s important to review all of that information and watch it closer than we ever have, because we must learn new things about this character or it’s not worth too much,” Witwer told IGN in Japan. “Looking at those previous works, I’ve always had a lot of questions about this character. There were things that the audience I haven’t seen them pick up on yet but that I feel are really worth talking about. For example, why did Maul never give up Palpatine?”

And why didn’t he, then? Witwer made it a point to delve into the realities of this question. “You have a show where the Jedi are like, ‘We know that there is someone named Darth Sidious. We know that he is manipulating things, and we’re trying to figure out who this is, who is the Sith lord. Maul through all those years knows exactly who the Sith lord is; he could go to a phone booth, call up the Jedi and say, ‘It’s Palpatine’ and hang up the phone and really screw Palpatine’s plans. He never does that. Why? Why doesn’t he turn on Palpatine?”

He added, “The only moment he finally decides, OK, I’m gonna turn on Palpatine is at the very end, right before the world ends, Order 66 and the Clone Wars end, he becomes so freaked out that in a desperation he reaches out to Ahsoka Tano. But Palpatine has caused so much suffering for this guy. Palpatine took away Savage Opress. Palpatine killed his family. Palpatine took away his mother. Palpatine showed no loyalty to Maul, and the moment Maul found loyalty in Savage Opress, he took that from him. So what is it? Why did Maul maintain this loyalty? What is it about that character? What is it about Maul that we are learning from things like that?”

For Witwer and the team developing this project, Maul’s past is crucial to who he is in the present. “These are the types of questions that I have been asking for years, and in this show, we get to create stories about them. I mean, not flashbacks – we don’t literally tell these stories, but there are aspects of that character that have not been explored, traits that that character has that people wouldn’t think he has, because he’s different than Palpatine,” the actor explained.

“Palpatine is a 10 out of 10 mythic villain – he’s as bad as you get. Maul is not that. If you watch The Clone Wars very closely, he does not kill unnecessarily. I’m saying too much. He’s a bad, bad guy in this show, but our show is bad guys versus worse guys. So Maul is every bit as bad as he was before, in some ways even worse.”

Bad guys turned worse? Sounds like our cup of tea! This series is obviously still in development, which means we’re far off from a release date at this point — but for now, we can dream about how killer it seems like it will be.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.