Streaming columnist NICK OVERALL enjoys “Andor” a fun slice of sci-fi adventure that captures the spirit of “Star Wars” on its own two feet.

DISNEY’S umpteenth “Star Wars” spin-off, “Andor”, is a modern installment that’s finally worthy of the galaxy far, far away.

Doing away with Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and every other Tom, Dick and Yoda, this new 12-episode series creates its own story that’s refreshingly distant from the heavily milked sci-fi saga.

Since Disney pocketed “Star Wars” from creator George Lucas for $US4 billion a decade ago, the five major films and three television shows they’ve since produced have all relied on some kind of connection to the original films in order to prop up viewership.

It’s a failsafe move. Even if the spin-offs are lousy, fans only have to hear about the return of an iconic face such as Han Solo or Princess Leia to stay subscribed to Disney Plus, the company’s streaming service where the new shows premiere.

But here’s where “Andor” distinguishes itself. It’s a series that carves out its own corner of the “Star Wars” universe and confidently does its own thing with it, unconcerned about the escapades of any Skywalker elsewhere in the galaxy.

For the first time in years here’s a story that doesn’t feel like every single one of its plot points is being signed off by some executive eager to make sure the show isn’t contradicting the dozens more spin-offs they have planned ahead.

The result is a gritty, absorbing adventure that takes inspiration from sci-fi classics such as “Blade Runner” and “The Fifth Element” to tell a more mature story that will still entertain a younger audience. 

There is a real-life swear word thrown in there that’s drawn some backlash from disapproving parents though. Apparently “S***” is canon in “Star Wars” now.

What’s it all about?

The eponymous Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), who first appeared as a side-character in 2016’s “Rogue One” spin-off film, is the star of this series, which charts his journey from petty thief to rebel spy.

All sounds pretty stock-standard on the surface, but “Andor” ultimately tells a more personal and relatable story of a man just trying to make his way through a world being torn apart by war.

For those wanting to know whereabouts in the relentlessly expanding “Star Wars” timeline the show takes place, think a little before “A New Hope” (the original 1977 classic) but don’t quite go as far back as “Revenge of the Sith” (the conclusion to the widely panned 2000’s prequel trilogy) and somewhere roughly in the middle are the events of “Andor”.

If my maths work out correctly, that makes it a prequel to the sequel of the prequels.

In the end, it doesn’t actually matter too much when the show takes place and that’s the great thing about it. It’s a fun slice of sci-fi adventure that doesn’t have to desperately cling on to its source material to succeed. “Andor” captures the spirit of “Star Wars” on its own two feet.

TOUCHING back down on earth, this month Netflix is boasting a drama that tells the true story of the idea that made the CD near obsolete.

“The Playlist” is the tale of the clever people who dreamed up Spotify, the music app that not only revolutionsed the way people listen to songs, but the streaming medium itself.

At the centre of the six-part mini series is Daniel Ek, the Swedish co-founder of the company that would one day transform him into a billionaire. 

It’s been inspired by the work of Swedish investigative tech journos Sven Carlsson and Jonas Leijonhufvud who wrote “The Spotify Play: How CEO and Founder Daniel Ek Beat Apple, Google and Amazon in the Race for Audio Dominance.”

It’s a fascinating story. Without veering too much into spoiler territory, the idea of Spotify actually came from an attempt to curb the rampant music piracy of the 2000s that was made possible by a swathe of websites where users could download free music. It worked like a charm.

While Netflix has disclosed that the show is a somewhat “fictionalised” account, the broad brush strokes still capture the story of how a small group of people changed the way the world listened to music.

Think in a similar vein to David Fincher’s tendentious 2010 flick “The Social Network” (also on Netflix), which documented the somewhat true account of Mark Zuckerberg’s creation of Facebook and which ushered in a new wave of popularity for the tech-start up drama.

Fans of “The Social Network” will find a similar, if slightly less nuanced product here. “The Playlist” doesn’t quite hit all the right beats, but it’s still a story worth plugging into.