Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Momo and Okarun share a close moment in Dandadan

    Momo And Okarun: The Gold Standard For Shonen Romance

    07/03/2025
    Ironheart Episodes 4 6 But Why Tho 1

    ‘Ironheart’ Explained: Explore MCU’s Bold New Chapter

    07/01/2025
    Buck in 9-1-1

    ‘9-1-1’ Has To Let Buck Say Bisexual

    06/29/2025
    Nintendo Welcome Tour promotional image of the maraca mini-game

    The One “Game” That Justifies The Nintendo Switch 2 Purchase

    06/25/2025
    Destiel Confession in Supernatural - Castiel (Misha Collins) and Dean (Jensen Ackles)

    The Destiel Confession: The Lasting Importance Of Supernatural’s Greatest Ship

    06/22/2025
  • Squid Game
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
  • Summer Game Fest
But Why Tho?
Home » Features » ‘Star Wars Outlaws’ Is The Perfect Companion Piece To ‘Andor’

‘Star Wars Outlaws’ Is The Perfect Companion Piece To ‘Andor’

Rafael MotamayorBy Rafael Motamayor08/26/20245 Mins ReadUpdated:08/26/2024
Star Wars Outlaws
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Star Wars is a giant sandbox, a franchise with endless potential for all sorts of stories following all sorts of characters. Or, at least, that’s the theory. In reality, the vast majority of the franchise’s titles follow one story — the space fantasy. There is nothing wrong with this, of course, but it just means that most Star Wars titles across movies, TV, and games are about Jedi knights fighting the evil Empire, occasionally rescuing princesses, and defeating dark knights. 

There are exceptions, yes, but every time we get something different, it is either promptly abandoned (Solo supposedly leading to a Lando spin-off), or it turns into a more traditional story about clear good vs evil (Book of Boba Fett). That is, until Andor, which radically changed the idea of what a Star Wars story could be by delivering a gritty and grounded story of rebellion and oppression. Star Wars: Outlaws is doing it again by fulfilling a promise from almost 20 years ago.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

In Star Wars: Outlaws, you play as Kay Vess, a simple scoundrel trying to make her way in the universe. In the opening hours, the game makes a big impression by offering a different kind of Star Wars story, one set in a gritty and, most of all, dirty galaxy where law and order are nonexistent and chaos and treachery are the only rules. It takes a page out of Andor‘s book to make the galaxy and the time period (in this case, between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi) feel alive and engrossing.

You feel the oppression of the Empire at a micro-level, like the ever-present long line of people being screened and questioned by aggressive stormtroopers before being granted entry to the city of Mirogana. The streets are filled with more space rats than Paris at night. If you run through the streets of the city and accidentally run straight at a stormtrooper, they’ll immediately lash out and insult or even threaten you. In short, life at this point in time simply sucks, so might as well game the system and make some credits for yourself.

Star Wars Outlaws

The game is still very much a Star Wars story, and Outlaws still includes many staples of the franchise. You are still constantly fighting the Empire in one way or another, as they still technically control the galaxy. You get to play Sabacc, you assemble a crew, you engage in space dogfighting, and more. But it is the tone that sets the game apart. There is no “we’re fighting for a good cause” or even a “things are desperate, but there’s hope” message that would lead to rebellion.

Instead, it is much more centered on Kay’s personal quest not to be broke and powerless. She is in over her head, constantly telling her trusty sidekick and mascot Nix that “the next job will be better”—but it never is. Her hope is not for less oppression from the Empire, freedom for people, or even herself. She is all about gaming the system and gaining enough credits to stay out of the way. 

The prologue makes it clear this is a wonderful time to be an outlaw and a mercenary, and Kay is not about to change that. Indeed, the game’s prologue literally has you encounter a noble group of Rebels on a rescue mission, before Kay just flips them and their noble cause off because you don’t care about doing the right thing, you’re in this for the profit. When you start doing jobs for the different crime syndicates in the game, you could argue about which of them is technically the better syndicate, the more humane one, the one that is theoretically doing the most damage to the Empire and the most good for the Rebellion. Outlaws, however, encourages you to simply bet one syndicate against the other and only be loyal to yourself, not to any cause.

This is what The Book of Boba Fett led us to believe it would be before it became a Mandalorian sequel and what The Mandalorian briefly was before it became about the larger canon and constant cameos. Star Wars: Outlaws feels like an echo of a different era—a pre-Disney era back when George Lucas was working on Star Wars: Underworld (the would-be first live-action show in the franchise that would focus on the criminals and the gangs struggling for power soon after the Empire was established).

Star Wars Outlaws

This was also the time when LucasArts was developing Star Wars 1313 as a gritty game focusing on the lawless Coruscant underworld. At this time, Star Wars had finished telling the prequel stories, and Lucas was exploring different aspects of the franchise beyond the Jedi. The Clone Wars gave the spotlight to the titular clones and even the politicians behind the war, while Star Wars Detours would have been a comedy show in the vein of the Robot Chicken: Star Wars specials, delivering a vastly different tone of stories yet again.

Outlaws is the closest we’ve come to that promise of Star Wars being home to many types of stories that don’t have to involve the Jedi since Andor. The game is the perfect companion to that show’s gritty and grounded tone, focusing on showing a dark time in the galaxy’s history. Outlaws doesn’t just portray a nitty-gritty version of the Star Wars galaxy, but takes us to the back alleys infested with space rats and other vermin, the neon-lit markets and alleyways where you find the most wretched hive of scum and villainy. It is a promise of a much larger Star Wars.

Star Wars Outlaws is available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC August 26, 2024 for early access players and August 30, 2024 officially. 

Star Wars Outlaws Offers A Mixed-Bag on PS5 | Review

We played Star Wars Outlaws on the PS5 – and while there is a lot of good and a lot to love for Star Wars fans, there are some glaring issues too. Official Synopsis: Experience the first-ever open-world Star Wars game, set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Star Wars Outlaws’ Is All About Worldbuilding (XSX)
Next Article ‘Star Wars Outlaws’ Rekindles The Spirit Of ‘Star Wars Galaxies’
Rafael Motamayor
  • X (Twitter)

Rafael Motamayor is an entertainment writer who specializes in animation. He has written for publications like The New York Times, Variety, The AV Club, and Vulture. When he isn't writing, you can find him trying the impossible task of catching up on all the new anime.

Related Posts

Momo and Okarun share a close moment in Dandadan

Momo And Okarun: The Gold Standard For Shonen Romance

07/03/2025
Ironheart Episodes 4 6 But Why Tho 1

‘Ironheart’ Explained: Explore MCU’s Bold New Chapter

07/01/2025
Buck in 9-1-1

‘9-1-1’ Has To Let Buck Say Bisexual

06/29/2025
Nintendo Welcome Tour promotional image of the maraca mini-game

The One “Game” That Justifies The Nintendo Switch 2 Purchase

06/25/2025
Destiel Confession in Supernatural - Castiel (Misha Collins) and Dean (Jensen Ackles)

The Destiel Confession: The Lasting Importance Of Supernatural’s Greatest Ship

06/22/2025
Bisexuality in television

The Ongoing Need For Bisexuality Onscreen

06/21/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8
7.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 7-8

By Sarah Musnicky07/03/2025

The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8 spends welcome time in pre-domestic bliss before new developments stir up trouble.

The Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer First Look Image From Prime Video News

Prime Video Unleashes Teaser for Prequel Series The Terminal List: Dark Wolf

By Kate Sánchez07/04/2025

The first Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer was released today by Prime Video. The series…

Together (2025) still from Sundance
8.0
Film

REVIEW: Have A Grossly Good Time ‘Together’

By Kate Sánchez01/27/2025Updated:07/04/2025

Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s Together (2025) is disgustingly funny, genuinely ugly, and just a good time at the movies.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here