Star Wars Andor Premiere Review and Breakdown

After months of waiting, many teasers, interviews, and a last-minute delay, Andor has finally been released on Disney+.

Cassian Andor is a rebel fighter that we first met in Rogue One, we are all aware of how his story ends and the heroic sacrifice he and the rest of the crew made in order to acquire the Death Star plans.

This was his final mission and what would trigger a domino effect that would conclude with the downfall of the Galactic Empire.

This series is about his journey and evolution as a human being. Diego Luna has stated multiple times how this version of Andor is someone very different from the guy we saw in Rogue One.

We’re going to learn about his past, fears, insecurities, and important moments that made him the rebel hero that led Jyn Erso, Chirrut, Blaze, Bodhi, and K-2SO into the Imperial Base located on Scariff to retrieve the only thing that could give an advantage to the rebellion.

This review contains heavy spoilers so be mindful of this before continuing.

Not your typical Disney show

I was a little hesitant when Disney announced that the premiere would include three episodes instead of two, but with how slow-paced the first two were it was perfect to have the third one end in such a dramatic way.

Unlike the Obi-Wan series, Andor has the luxury of time to build up everything, it’s obvious that they took the opportunity and it worked excellently with the three-episode format.

With that said, I have to admit that the idea of many slow episodes isn’t something that would regularly excite me, but since it’s a distinct approach I’m open to all possibilities.

Right from the start, there’s a very different vibe to this show. The lighting, music, and shady characters that appear in the first scene set the mood for the rest of the series. Cassian walks into a brothel and asks around for a Kenari girl, his sister.

This isn’t the first time that a place of this nature is shown in Star Wars media, but I can’t deny my surprise. A couple of years ago I’d never imagined that Disney would explore this side of Star Wars on shows of this magnitude.

Two minutes after that scene Cassian kills two men, one of them could be argued that wasn’t on purpose, but the second one is a cold-blooded murder, very similar to the one in Rogue One.

Not even ten minutes into the series we already got a brothel and two casualties, I can’t think what we’re going to see on upcoming episodes.

I’m very curious to see if the showrunners are committed to making the audience uncomfortable with a scene or a specific topic.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see if they don’t go that far but I feel like almost everything can happen and just that idea adds an extra layer of excitement.

New villain?

Syril Karn is the most intriguing character yet, a Deputy Inspector for Corporate Security. A security corporation tasked with keeping the streets of certain planets “safe”, the Pre-Mor Corpos are not imperial soldiers but they answer to them.

From what we’ve seen so far, the Pre-Mor Corpos act and speak like they have military training but when getting into the action their lack of experience and incompetence is evident.

Syril Karn is no exception, he’s someone who does things by the book without exception, Syril knows the laws and codes that his position requires. He even defied orders from his superior to do what he believes is the right thing.

At first, I thought that he would be very cunning or cold in his approach but he lacked any backup plan and instantly broke when being held at gunpoint. The look on his face when he realized how many of his men died really gave everything away,

He’s not someone who has experienced the horrors of actual armed conflict, you can actually see the trauma in his eyes. I’m sure this experience is key to his development as a character.

It’s going to be personal for him and there are few things more dangerous than a man with a thirst for vengeance and all the resources that the Empire can provide.

Yes, I know he isn’t an Imperial Officer or even a soldier. But revenge is a very powerful motivation, and there are many stairs to climb from where he is currently at.

Brilliant minds who are also dedicated to the cause are rarely seen in the imperial ranks, it’s just a matter of time until someone notices and recruits him into the imperial ranks.

I spent a couple of hours trying to think which non-Star Wars character he reminded me of; Rigid, weak, only being to stay in shock as something horrible happens and pathetic are the words that came to my mind when describing him, and then I realize they are the exact same things that I thought when I saw Sansa Stark for the first time.

Sansa evolved into a cold and cunning leader who everyone eventually looked up to, I believe Karn is going to take the same path with the little exception that many people won’t like him, it wouldn’t be so crazy to think that he could show some traits of Grand Admiral Thrawn in him.

We don’t have ten seasons to see him develop but I’m sure that Syril Karn is going to become an enemy that Cassian Andor will remember for the rest of his days.

A series where no one is “special”

Star Wars has hundreds if not thousands of stories about an endless number of characters, but let’s face it, it’s almost never about the “regular people” of the galaxy. It’s always the Jedi, the Sith, the Bounty Hunters, the soldiers, the smugglers, or the crime syndicates.

We only learn about workers, mechanics, or low-profile merchants when the important person ends up in the same place or they likely need something from them, their stories are always whispers that are forgotten as soon as someone ignites a lightsaber.

The Skywalker saga is all about fighting the evil forces but not everyone is the son/daughter of the chosen one or related to Palpatine. What happens with the normal citizens that have to deal with abuses and injustice on a daily basis and have no power or strength to fight back?

The Rebel Alliance was able to defeat the Empire not only because of Luke Skywalker, he had a key role, that is undeniable but everyone else who joined is what made it possible. Men and women who had enough and decided to fight and give their lives for something bigger than themselves.

This is the series that’s going to let us know the faces of some of those people, why they fight, and all the sacrifices they need to make in order to win small battles against the mighty force that is the Galactic Empire.

Andor’s origins

Cassian Andor was born on Kenari, as stated by Pre-Mor Security Corps the planet was abandoned after a mining accident that killed everyone, Kenari was considered toxic and access was restricted by the Empire.

Many years before that, a group of children lived there, I’d dare to call it a tribe. Kassa (Cassian) and his sister live among this tribe of children. Everyone’s organized and there’s a clear social hierarchy, my guess is that age and experience are some of the biggest factors that affect someone’s rank.

But even if they’re organized and have managed to survive for many years, it’s just a group of children, the older ones are barely in their teenage years. It’s impressive to think how they’ve managed to survive for so much time.

They don’t communicate in “basic” which is the standard language in the Star Wars universe. When they talked to each other for the first time I thought there was an error when the subtitles were not translating what they were saying, but I eventually realized this was on purpose.

Body language, volume, and tone of voice can communicate a message in a very efficient way even if we do not understand the words that are being spoken. I love this approach and I think it was executed perfectly by all the young actors.

Kassa looks distant from the other members of the group, he’s probably on the bottom of the social ladder but even when the leader gets wounded he doesn’t look to be as concerned or shocked as the others. Instead, he decides to go inside the crashed vessel.

Once inside he starts smashing every control panel, it’s evident that he’s angry about something, and this technology might remember him of what makes him so mad.

In Rogue One, Cassian emphasizes how he’s been involved in the war since he was six years old. This is years before what we saw in these episodes, I estimate that the young Kassa we just met is around ten or eleven years old.

Every child of the tribe had parents at one point, Kessa and Kerri lost their father in a protest against the military expansion of the Republic, their mother also died but it’s unknown how it happened. It’s not hard to believe that the parents of everyone else suffered a similar fate.

Maarva found him breaking things in the crashed ship, since all the other kids were gone I’d assume she thought that he was on his own. Maarva is no friend of the Republic and wants to get out of there as soon as possible, but she’s not cold enough to leave a defenseless child behind.

The bond between a mother and her child can be the most powerful and unbreakable. Maarva raised and cared for Cassian for many years, she probably taught him everything she knew.

She is a fighter and he’s too curious for his own good, combine these two things with the anger he’s carried for so many years and we get a very dangerous combination.

I got pretty sad when Cassian left Ferrix without saying goodbye to Maarva, his second mother and probably the person who cares the most about him. He probably thought it was temporary until the things “cooled off” but Maarva knows that with everything that happened the chances of seeing him again are close to zero.

Finding a new purpose

At this point in his life, Cassian is a mess, he’s what some would call a lost cause. He owes money to everyone that knows him, and most of his activity involves getting in trouble or messing with the Empire.

Before watching the series I was wondering how long it would take for him to mess with the wrong people. Can’t say I was surprised by the number of bodies he and Luthen Rael left behind in the third episode.

Cassian’s days of casually walking in broad daylight are over, things are going to escalate and not many people have the ability or resources to survive with a price to their heads. Fortunately for Cassian Andor, Luthen Rael is a powerful man who is more than capable of helping him.

From what was shown in the trailers, Rael is a very rich and important person with ties to senators and important people in the Imperial Government. I mean, he has to be if he’s been able to orchestrate schemes to undermine Imperial efforts.

Mon Mothma is one of the faces of the rebellion in terms of politics, but people with significant resources that are able to operate under the radar without raising suspicion are key if the rebellion is going to thrive.

Both Mothma and Rael have the difficult task of recruiting people from all over the galaxy to join their cause. Not only politicians or rich people but normal people that can function as workers, pilots, mechanics, fighters, and spies.

Luthen met Cassian because he’s aware of his true potential, the importance of infiltrating Imperial bases to retrieve data or valuable objects can’t be understated.

But what makes Cassian Andor a diamond in the rough is his genuine hate and grudge against the Empire; hate and love are two of the most powerful things that a human can feel and Luthen Rael will weaponize Cassian’s hate and turn it into a purpose that can cause much damage to the enemy.

What a reckoning sounds like

The Rebel Alliance has been around since the conception of Star Wars, a group of people armed with skill, bravery, and the idea of a better tomorrow. One of the biggest if not the biggest organization that openly defies the Galactic Empire.

When A New Hope was released, the rebellion was already an established and organized force. We already know that Mon Mothma and Leia Organa were some of the top leaders, but what about the rest?

We rarely see the stories of the common folks that are also part of the rebellion, people without any kind of political or economic power that joined because they lost everything at the hands of the Empire.

Some might argue that Star Wars Rebels explores this side of the Rebellion but I can’t agree with that sentiment, even if I absolutely love Rebels. Two Jedi, a top-tier pilot, and a Mandalorian warrior? they’re far from common. I’m talking about people that weren’t instructed in combat, whose homes were taken away from them, and whose families have been torn apart without them being able to fight back.

Figures like Luke Skywalker or Han Solo are the ones you think about when you hear “Rebel Alliance”, they’re the heroes, it’s obvious why you think about those two when talking about the rebellion.

Don’t get me wrong, I love them but I’m glad that for once we’re going to see the perspective of the people who don’t fit the typical stereotype of heroes.

Let’s remember that this is five years before the Battle of Yavin, at this point in time the Empire is already an established government in the galaxy. They have oppressed the people of countless systems for over two decades, the resentment is as strong as their fear.

One person is defenseless but if you make enough people angry things can escalate in ways no one can anticipate.

A small incident can ignite a spark that could turn into an unstoppable fire that threats everything the Empire cares about. It’s just a matter of time until we see the first stages that lead to the birth of the Rebel Alliance; an organization that is able to fight and eventually defeat an Empire that everyone thought was invincible.

Star Wars Andor Season 1 Episode Reviews and Breakdown

This is a collection of individual reviews and a breakdown of all events, secrets, references and easter eggs in the first season of the Star Wars series Andor available on Disney Plus. Adrian goes beep behind the plots of each episode to discover what the world od Star Wars was like when the Rebellion was born!

Please note that every single one of the reviews contains heavy spoilers from the episode it analyzes. It's better to watch the episode and then read the articles.

Also, each review starts with a recap of the events leading up to this episode, so you will never be lost with where things pick up from last week.