Andor: Nobody’s Listening!

"They don't care about us. We're cheaper than droids and easier to replace."

What are the Rebels fighting against? That’s the basic and most important question that needs to be asked about Star Wars. Because if it is just that they live under a Sith dictatorship, then... well, that's probably good enough, but we need a bit more or they are simply rebels without a cause. This episode managed to list out all the Empire's various crimes in horrific detail, nailing shut the motivation behind the Rebellion in a painful but enlightening way.

Starting right where we picked up, we get the most gruesome example of the Empire’s worst behavior: Dedra "interrogating" Bix. Her monologue was chilling. It was followed by one of the most disgusting and horrific torture methods I can recall. It wasn’t just the fact that the torturer casually explained that the Empire wiped out an entire species because they were daring to resist, which was a message in and of itself, but that they used their dying screams as a form of mind control. That’s unsettling and gut wrenching and the look on Bix’s face when she heard the sound was more than enough to imagine what it sounded like (thank you, show, for not including any snippet of the sound).

Then there was poor Paak, who was barely even a footnote to Dedra, leaving his execution as the choice of a flunky who wanted nothing more than to hang him in public to send a message. So far the Empire uses fear as their first, second and final weapon, and unfortunately, it works. They even mention Maarva, who isn’t being tortured because she is too old and frail, nothing more in their eyes as bait. And that’s the biggest thing so far; they treat their citizens as nothing more than disposable trash.

We get another hint of that when Dedra gives her report to Pentagast and they talk about the rebel agent they have captured. He gave up information (likely after being tortured) probably in the hope that he would live to see another day. Except he will be killed and used as an in-road to capture a rebel cell. The plan is devious and cold, lacking even a hint of empathy or compassion for the life they hold in their hands.

Then there is Syril, who is such a sycophant that he actually fancies Dedra, literally stalking her and putting his own life in peril. If it wasn’t so creepy it would almost be sweet, but these two, while having clear acting chemistry, set my teeth on edge. He is so obsessed with loyalty and duty to the Empire that Syril believes he is an asset that is being underutilized, and a romantic interest for Dedra who could barely look at him with unveiled contempt. Yet there was a moment, when she looked almost impressed by his efforts, where I wondered if these two crazy kids will get together in the end. Although in all seriousness, if Dedra isn’t defeated by the end, I’m gonna be super disappointed.

Mon Mothma is struggling with the other side of Imperial arrogance and oppression where just dipping into her own finances is potentially a criminal act that could link her to rebel activity. Sure, she is funneling money into the Rebellion, but she’s a Senator, shouldn’t she be above reproach? She is a dissenter, but is clearly trying to work within the system (or at least is pretending to fight the good fight). I also loved her conversation with Vel, who is revealed to be her cousin. Both on the right side, both fighting in their own ways, both trying to protect one another, but neither able to truly grasp what the other is contributing to the cause. Luthen runs a tight ship, or is it Kleya? It’s kind of hard to tell.

Alright, so the biggest part of this episode was on Narkina 5, with Cassian. The prison is the perfect example of Imperial overreach and behavior. We never find out why Ulaf is in prison. We know he has a little over a month left on his sentence and that he is old and sick, but still wants to contribute. His death is more than tragic, it is soul churning as Kino realizes that Ulaf was never actually going to be released.

Turns out the Empire is just transferring prisoners from one block to another when their timer reaches zero. One entire floor found out and was killed. That’s a hundred people that were fried to keep an Imperial secret. Of course that’s the point. If the inmates found out that there is no escape, there would be riots. The prison would end up killing everyone, and with a galaxy of trillions they have more than enough bodies to refill. So why keep everyone in the first place? If a new prisoner is brought in every time another dies, then why risk the possibility of those kinds of riots?

Kino's expression says it all here, doesn't it?

Then there is the medic’s ominous warning that something big is coming in the next few days. What could be worse than a hundred people dying for nothing? A thousand? Ten thousand? The Empire may view its regular citizenry as valueless, but these prisoners have less value than a grain of sand. They aren’t working towards release or redemption; they are slaves in a system they cannot control or escape.

Except that Cassian clearly has a plan, and it has to do with how the Empire functions. With an army of millions or perhaps billions of soldiers, they supply this prison with no more than twelve guards per level. I wonder if that might be a mistake on their part.

So what are the Rebels fighting against? What are the Empire’s crimes? Arrogance, superiority, pride, a lack of morality, compassion and humanity. Acts of torture and murder on a mass scale. Public execution, imprisoning people without trial or hope of reprieve, oppression and genocide. Nobody is listening to the prisoners, not because they are arrogant, because they genuinely do not care.

I cannot imagine not fighting against that kind of malevolence, and I imagine it will be easy for Cassian to see that he has no choice now except to fight. If he ever actually escapes.

Bits:

Fascinating theme music this time, like a discordant eighties techno synth thing. Fitting for the episode.

Syril’s mother is one of the most aggressively horrible mother characters I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying something.

Cassian is trying to cut through a pipe in the bathroom, perhaps as an homage to The Shawshank Redemption. Using water to fight electricity is kind of genius.

The prisoners use a form of basic hand signs to communicate, but it is clearly makeshift and varies from floor to floor so messages can end up like the old game of telephone, garbled and incorrect.

Quotes:

Bix: "You're not going to believe me anyway, are you?"
Dedra: "I suppose not."

Dedra: "The very worst thing you can do right now is bore me."

Medic: "I can't help him. I can't help anyone."

This episode was hard to watch, but even harder to look away from. It spelled out how horrible the Empire is, in detail. My god, they are just horrifying. It's rare that the Empire is depicted not just as mustache-twirling evil but as truly black, devoid of anything good.

5 out of 4 Victims of Imperial Indifference

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.

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