Thanks to “Andor,” the Galactic Empire is no longer just an aesthetic or a force of expendable, faceless bad guys to stand behind a cackling evil sorcerer. It is not just a symbol of fascism anymore. It is a hulking, lumbering machine fueled by a puritanical belief in colonialism and military might, a tank that seeks to flatten and homogenize an entire galaxy and all of its people. In “Andor” Season 1, “Star Wars” fans got a sense through the show’s protagonist, fledgling rebel Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), of what it would actually feel like to live within the grip of a fascistic empire from which there is no escape.

In “Andor” Season 2, which premiered its first three episodes Tuesday on Disney+, the show’s good work continues. The once formless, broadly drawn Empire comes into full focus and shape. The “Andor” Season 2 premiere, penned by series creator Tony Gilroy,...