Walking sensorially through the landscapes of a galaxy far, far away

The Star Wars series Andor (2022 - 25) represented a return to the practical filmmaking approach and political roots of the early period of the franchise. Sensitised by Phiona Stanley’s autoethnographic account of ‘walking home’ in Scotland (Stanley, 2020) this paper uses sensobiographic walking methods to explore two locations in the Scottish Highlands that were used to provide a physical stage and visual backdrop for three episodes of Andor. Walking through these landscapes and reflecting upon my own sensory engagement with nature, culture, climate, myth and memory, disclosed deep connections between the themes of Andor and its Scottish stage. The paper argues that in its grounding in physical landscapes Andor conveys an authenticity and a lived-in, patinated feel that has been lacking in recent Star Wars productions. The use of these Scottish Highland settings in Andor thus worked to bring this galaxy far, far away a little closer to home.