Sci-fi is is commentary on real world events. It’s only escapism to people who already have checked out anyway.

&10;Screenwriter Tony Gilroy discusses the making of Andor and its themes of authoritarian resistance in front of a crowd in Los Angeles....&10;2hago 17.42 EDT&10;By Lauren Gambino&10;Screenwriter and director Tony Gilroy, who created the Star Wars series Andor, was among the thousands of people who gathered in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon for the No Kings protest.&10;&10;Andor, starring Diego Luna as the protagonist, follows Cassian Andor’s journey as a thief-turned-spy for the Rebel Alliance - the good guys whose ranks eventually go on to include characters such as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo - in a crusade to take down the Galactic Empire.&10;“We spent six years making a show about the fascist takeover of a galaxy, far, far away,” he said. “We didn’t think we were making a documentary.” Gilroy said the show offered a clear model for what authoritarian rule looks like - and how to resist it. “We spent a lot of time thinking about sacrifice and courage, and the incremental encroachment of authoritarianism and how it works,” he said. “&10;I think I would have been here anyway, but the show has only amplified my understanding of it - my understanding of the sort of karaoke fascist playbook, but also my appreciation for the varieties of courage it takes for people to resist.”&10;Gilroy was dismayed by the “vacuum” of leadership among the anti-Trump resistance but saw reason to be hopeful as he looked out at the gathering crowd of Angelenos waving American flags and No Kings posters.