Summary
- Andor took a different approach to depicting Coruscant, moving away from the romanticized version seen in the prequels and instead showcasing a darker, bleaker city under Imperial occupation.
- The creators of Andor wanted to immerse viewers in the city, using ground-level shots and avoiding big aerial views. They drew inspiration from Art Deco stone materials in New York, giving the buildings a unique appearance without relying heavily on metals.
- The architecture of Coruscant in Andor serves as a reminder of the low point in the galaxy, reflecting the Empire's rule and the absence of opportunity.
Andor took Coruscant in a different direction than George Lucas, a contributing factor in it being the best Star Wars TV show. To tell the story of Mon Mothma, Andor went to Coruscant, the Imperial capital of the galaxy. The world was featured prominently in the prequel trilogy, beginning with Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, but was somewhat romanticized. With the planet under Imperial occupation, Andor's creators put a new spin on things.
Your browser does not support the video tag. In an interview with the LA Times, visual effects supervisor Scott Pritchard noted that Andor deliberately made Coruscant different from its presentation in the Star Wars prequels.
“We wanted to be completely immersed in the city. We didn’t want these kind of big aerial shots, kind of, ‘Meanwhile on Coruscant,’ you know, big helicopter shots. Most things were shot at ground level as if the camera operator has the camera on their shoulder and they’re right there. We wanted to move away a bit from the prequels, which were kind of high science fiction, you know, 1950s, kind of ‘Metropolis’ style. We went more towards the Art Deco stone materials you might see in New York. Our buildings were in a variety of stone materials but not using metals to embellish them. And then using glass as a nice reflective surface.”
Lucas' Coruscant was inspired by 1950s architecture, giving the world a sense of grandeur. Andor avoided using all-encompassing establishing shots of the planet, and the structures were designed to evoke Art Deco materials in New York.
Darker Times Call For A Different Coruscant 
It wouldn't be fitting for Coruscant to have the same shine and gleam in Andor that was seen in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. When the Republic was the governing body, Coruscant was intended to be a symbol of opportunity for the galaxy. Those who traveled to the world would be enamored by the endless skyscrapers, motivated to be a part of the beauty. While the seedy underworld was hidden beneath the top level, Lucas wanted to show Coruscant's elite thriving while the Republic pushed itself towards its own demise.
