Andor: The Announcement

One half reset and one half emotional rollercoaster, this episode wasn’t a part of a story arc that I can tell. But it did set up things for more stories to come.

This review will also talk about the series Star Wars: Rebels with some spoilers for that show.

I would say the biggest criticism of the prequel trilogy was that it focused too much on politics and not enough on pew pew fun action. This entire episode was about politics and money, with each side of the conflict realizing and preparing for the fact that the war has evolved. The fledgling Rebellion is fractured, spread out as a bunch of isolated cells, partially for protection, and partially because each leader has their own set of goals and motivations.

Luthen is playing a very long game, setting himself up as this criminal front buying up imperial technology. Was the goal to get some valuable pieces of tech, or was it to find and recruit those who want to resist the empire in even the smallest way? Dedra is starting to ferret out some of that, but has no idea that this sense of coordination is essentially one man putting feelers throughout the galaxy and building up individuals who can help his cause.

So what is the actual backbone of the Rebellion, who is the core of what we come to know in the original trilogy? Well, the people we are following in this show parallel the members of the Ghost on Star Wars: Rebels, they are the beginnings of the rebellion. On Rebels we got to see a lot of the infrastructure, like the building of bases and fleets. On Andor we’re seeing the hard missions, the ones done in darkness and following murky and difficult lines of ethics.

Mon Mothma wants to be moral, she wants to be a role model for her daughter and the rest of the galaxy, which makes her suited for her later role in the Rebellion as one of the primary leaders. However, now she is living a lie, using her personal resources to fund what amounts to a terrorist insurgency which caused a lot of suffering at Aldhani. All those soldiers and the locals present during the heist were probably all tortured and possibly killed or sent to prison for nothing.

That being said, I loved her conversation with Tay Kolma, and their soft give and take on their opinions towards the Empire. The fact that her cover is so well crafted that he was sure her allegiance was to the Empire was kind of wonderful. Sure she is being watched on every level, but as a political irritant but not an insurgent. Just like Luthen, she has played her part perfectly, and as an important player in the Rebellion she is poised to help push things to the next stage of the coming war.

Then there is Cassian. His arc consisted of three parts, a bit like a mini-trilogy of scenes and conversations. I’ll skip over his first interaction with Maarva and start with Bix. Cassian clearly cares deeply about her, and wants more but cannot fathom how that would be possible. So he stays distant and uses the guise of old friends to talk to her about what is essential, small talk and current events. He knows he has screwed up and is trying to make things right, but he is starting to understand that his mistakes are irreversible and have real consequences for the people around him. Bix was terrorized, injured and watched her boyfriend murdered, all because of Cassian's actions.

Maarva on the other hand was woken up by Cassian's actions, both the ones she knows about and the ones she doesn’t. She was inspired by the heist at Aldhani, revealing it was the first time in a long time she felt hope about the direction of the galaxy. The look on her face when she talked about walking with pride through the city square where her husband Clem (so that’s where Cassian got that name) was killed and hung up as an example by Stormtroopers in formation. She knows she is close to the end of her life, and she has no desire to spend it running, even with the person she loves the most. It was unclear exactly what she would be doing to help the 'cause,' but whatever her part she was clearly proud to start fighting again.

Which brings us to the final and most important moment in the episode, Cassian getting arrested for no reason and sent to prison for six years, for doing nothing but walking in the wrong place at the wrong time. If he had gone against his instincts and just sat down to watch the water like the other tourists while the troopers made their arrests, he wouldn’t have been singled out. Yet in a way this is karmic justice for his actions. He has escaped and skated by doing selfish things again and again, and now he is going to prison. Will the punishment fit his crimes? I guess we’ll see.

Bits:

They alluded to something terrible happening on Cassian’s homeworld, and it was unlikely his sister survived.

A K2 droid was used to capture Cassian. It is the same model as his future companion from Rogue One.

I got to mention Mon Mothma at the party – wow! What a dress.

Dedra has officially taken over the Molara district which includes Ferrix. That cannot be a good thing for Bix, Brasso and Maarva.

I still don’t know what Syril’s purpose in the story is yet, but what a terrifying example of office work. Those 'cubicles' were bordering on claustrophobic.

Elizabeth Dulau, the actress who plays Kleya, looks a lot like Carrie Fisher. If they were to ever need a new Leia, she would be perfect.

Quotes:

Luthen: "Has anyone ever made a weapon that wasn't used?"

Mon Mothma: "People will suffer."
Luthen: "That's the plan."

Mon Mothma: "I show you the stone in my hand, you miss the knife at your throat."

Maarva: "People are standing up."
Cassian: "Yeah, and getting killed for it."
Maarva: "But there's work that will need doing."
Cassian: "Yeah? What is that?"
Maarva: "Whatever it takes. I've been lying around waiting to die long enough."

Cassian: "I'll be worried about you all the time."
Maarva: "That's just love. Nothing you can do about that. I've never loved anything the way I love you. And I've never fretted on anything more, but this time... you can't stay, and I can't go."

Cassian: "I didn't do anything."
Clerk: "Take it up with the Emperor."

Another great episode. The grading system for this series might have to be readjusted on a bell curve.

4 out of 4 Unjust prison sentences

Samantha M. Quinn spends most of her time in front of a computer typing away at one thing or another; when she has free time, she enjoys pretty much anything science fiction or fantasy-related.

• Andor season 1
• Andor home