Andor: One Year Later

“If I die tonight, was it worth it?”

After three years of waiting, Andor is back, this time with a clearly increased budget, scope and streamlined format. This was an incredibly packed and slightly disjointed episode, where themes were pushed aside for set up.

The action starts on Sienar at Imperial Test Facility 73, where a young technician named Niya has decided to throw her lot in with the rebellion. We never get to hear her full reasoning but the impression was that she is doing this for moral reasons. Cassian is her contact, and he is unexpectedly warm and open, giving her words of praise and encouragement about her choice. It immediately shows growth in the character, and shows that time has passed in an excellent way.

What follows is one of the most intense and funniest sequences in the entire series so far as Cassian tries and kind of succeeds in piloting this new prototype ship. It looks like a cross between a Tie-Intercepter and Tie-Defender – this one is apparently called a Tie-Avenger. (If that was too geeky for words, please accept my apologies.) Anyway, it is larger with room for two passenger seats, and has an experimental under-cabin weapon that acts a bit like a photon torpedo. Which fits because Cassian's test pilot uniform looked like he stepped off the set of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Once he finally got off the planet, his misadventures continued. I’m not sure we ever actually got the name of the planet, but it is an out of the way rendezvous with Porko who is supposed to pilot the ship to the next destination. Except Porko is nowhere to be found and Cassian ends up surrounded by the idiot brigade. I swear it was the most inept rebel cell we’ve ever seen. At least Saw would’ve known the difference between an Imperial pilot and a rebel stealing a ship.

We learn they are part of the Maya Pei Brigade and that they just escaped from a mission gone bad where they do not know if Maya survived. Most of these scenes deal with Cassian trying to convince them he is on their side and then playing them against each other so he can escape. The one in charge seems to be Rika, another pilot who can’t figure out how the Tie-Avenger works, and is eventually killed in the dispute between the members of the cell. I cannot imagine things will get much better for Cassian as this arc continues, especially after that cliffhanger.

Action is interspersed with the rest of the plots going on, including on the planet Mina-Rau in the outer rim where we find Brasso, B2, Wilmon and Bix. They seem to have settled down and are almost happy. Brasso has found Talia, and Wilmon is flirting with a young woman named Beela. But not everything is perfect. Bix is still having nightmares about her torturer and B2 is still waiting for Cassian, although we do get the impression Cassian has been there at least once and perhaps lives there with them.

I like the way the world feels warm and a bit like Lothal from Rebels. Their house looks like a shipping container or a futuristic trailer. Then the little details popped out, like the picture of Maarva next to the radio, and B2’s charging station in the corner almost like a crib. Brasso’s shirt is very dirty and he looks calmer and perhaps a bit ready to be done with drama and fighting. The people there call them Toolies because they fix things, and that is also a lovely way to acknowledge the fact that Ferrix is the planet of maintenance and repairs. Of course the Empire has arrived, and I bet their nice idyllic home is going to be torn apart.

I’m so happy that we get to see Chandrila, and my god, Mon Mothma’s estate is immense. We knew she was wealthy, but this place is gigantic in scale. Things have progressed with Leida and her arranged marriage, but the boy is acting like a kid and Leida appears to have grown up somewhat. For example, she accepts Mon’s advice and comfort as though their relationship has mended. Although she did cry because a boy wouldn’t hold her hand. That feels very early teen behavior to me.

Mon, of course, is still dealing with the money crisis, with Tay needing a favor and Davo drinking too much. The fact that Mon and Davo interact almost like friends leads me to believe that she has spent time cultivating the situation and is either playing a long game or has warmed up to the gangster somewhat. Things get tense when Luthen arrives with Kleya and they start panicking when Cassian doesn’t check in at the appointed time.

Turns out Luthen is there to do business with Davo as a part of his cover, which makes sense but it’s fascinating to watch him move about like he is some kind of fop or nincompoop. It’s a layered performance and it is fun to see him put on the show. However, I prefer his interactions with Vel and Kleya where he shows his true face. Kleya in particular appears to have a somewhat argumentative relationship with him, and at times I’m not sure which of them is calling the shots.

The biggest surprise of the episode is when things move to the Maltheen Divide and we are treated to Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn reprising his role as the primary antagonist in Rogue One), in his full white uniform complete with overly ostentatious cape. I did not think we would get him involved so soon this season. He’s brought in Partagaz, Dedra and a bunch of top brass for a special project. At first it is actually funny when we get the 50’s style newsreel about Ghorman Twill and the Ghorlectipods, spiders that produce the best silk in the galaxy. There is a lot of talk about Ghorman as a trade powerhouse who often ignores the Empire.

But eventually the meat of the situation comes out. The Twill is not the best resource on the planet; apparently, deep within the crust of the planet is a substance called Kalkite which can be created synthetically but is vital to Kreenic’s real project... while unstated, it is clearly the Death Star. The Kalkite is used on the lenses and is of vital importance to the Emperor, who is also obsessed with energy independence, for some reason.

We then get a bunch of back and forth about what they want to do. The plan, if they cannot produce the Kalkite synthetically in significant quantities, would be to gouge mine Ghorman to get the mineral. This would likely render the planet unstable, displacing or possibly executing 800,000 residents. While Krennic listens and makes his own suggestions, apparently he wanted to hear from Dedra specifically and she initially hesitates before she suggests using Ghorman Rebels as leverage to get what they want. She really is one of the best villains in Star Wars.

Bits:

The opening music was a bit hard to place. It felt inspirational and orchestral though, then as the episode started we got some of the Ferrix bells.

BBY4 stands for four years before the battle of Yavin, the final battle that destroyed the Death Star in A New Hope. Season one of Andor took place in BBY5. This is not the Star Wars calendar obviously, but a shorthand for the viewer only.

I absolutely love the fact that Niya was a slightly heavy woman of color, a fact that was never even mentioned when her cover was a romantic liaison with Cassian.

I wonder if the red-orange on Cassian's uniform means test pilot? Normally they're all black.

Imperial droids all look a bit like Darth Vader's helmet.

Quote:

Niya: "I'm so nervous."
Cassian: "Nervous is good. It keeps us awake. It's gonna be fine."

This was a very busy episode that did a lot to set up the plots for this arc and potentially the entire season.

3 out of 4 New Planets

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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