Star Wars Andor Episode 4 Review and Breakdown

This is the first episode after the premiere of Andor. With each episode, it’s starting to feel more and more like a true spy series. Betrayal, death, unexpected turn of events, and new faces are just around the corner. This episode was something very different and fresh to see.

This review contains heavy spoilers.

Andor Recap: the story so far

After Cassian Andor kills two Security Corpos, Deputy Inspector Karn launches an investigation to learn the identity of the killer. Cassian knows that things are going to get hard and he must flee until things cool down.

He asks Bix to call her contact, as he has an expensive Starpath unit that can be sold for a significant amount of credits, enough to hide for quite some time. Syril Karn gets a lead and heads straight into Ferrix with a squad.

Andor meets with Luthen Rael, a mysterious man with deep pockets, and a proposal for Cassian; to join him and get paid to inflict damage to the Empire.

They’re in the middle of negotiations when they’re pinned down by the Corpos. A gunfight happens and they run away from the scene, not after killing four of Karn’s men and catching the Deputy Inspector by surprise.

Luthen and Cassian manage to escape but the damage was already done. If there was any possibility of de-escalating things, it died with those men. Now, he has nowhere to run and very few choices, it’s just a matter of time until imperials get involved.

A slow build-up

Unlike the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, Andor is proving to be a series that builds up slowly and cautiously. I usually hate waiting for the next series episode, but I’m enjoying the slow pace this time.

The pieces are moving, and people on both sides have to make choices that will make or break them. Luthen Rael has obviously spent a lot of time creating a small but effective network of spies made from people all over the galaxy and even some of them are working as agents of the Empire.

Dedra Meero, a fresh agent of the Imperial Security Bureau has put her eyes on the Ferrix case. The stolen Starpath unit was stolen from Steergard, an Imperial Naval Base that’s under Meero’s supervision. She uses this as a motive to take over the case but her colleague, Blevin sees this as an excuse to try to gain career points.

The Empire is often seen as this big, almost perfectly oiled machine but that couldn’t be more away from the truth. Most of the people inside would put their personal interests first over their duties; money, power, a career, you name it.

Human beings are so easily corrupted by these things that many of the Empire’s problems originated from these sources, directly or indirectly. From low-rank soldiers to the absolute top of the pyramid. Even Darth Vader often jeopardized his master’s plan because of his fear of being replaced or betrayed.

Just like any big corporation, imperial employees should always attempt to improve and climb the ladder but if things go bad, there’s always someone hoping that they fail in order to take over the position. Dedra, Belvin, and every officer are very aware of this.

If Dedra Moore wants to act despite her superior dismissing the idea, it could cost her career or even worse. Big names aren’t made from being too cautious or always following orders, that only takes you so far.

She might be relatively new in her role, but you can see the ambition in her eyes. I believe that she’s going to take a big risk and I’m super excited to see if it pays off.

Everything has consequences

To say that the incident of Ferrix was a failure would be an understatement. Syril Karn led an unauthorized mission to apprehend the fugitive who killed two Corpos, not only he did do the exact opposite of what his superior told him, he failed in the worst possible way. Andor fled, one shuttle was destroyed and he lost a third of his men.

The fact that he was only dismissed from the Pre-Mor Security Inspection after such a fiasco could be considered something benevolent. It might be due to him not being part of the Imperial military, but I still think that the consequences weren’t as bad as they could have been.

In its history, the Empire has had many important moments, but some of the most crucial ones are failures. The destruction of the first Death Star, the battle of Ryloth, and the defeat of the Inquisitors at Malachor V are just some of them. I’m sure that the people that survived those events were punished “accordingly”.

Syril Karn’s failure is not remotely comparable to those mentioned above, but I find it interesting to see how officers punish low-rank officers and soldiers for their incompetence.

I feel bad for him, but the sentiment will likely last one or two episodes. We have yet to see his worst side and it’s probably going to be something memorable in a good or bad way, depending on how you want to think about it.

Fight smart, not hard

War and armed conflict is something we’re very used to in Star Wars; The Mandalorian Wars, The Great Hyperspace War, The Clone Wars, and more. However, not all of them were between equal opponents, we’ve seen so many times the classic narrative of David vs Goliath. A small group, connected by something stronger than blood fights against a foe that is infinite times more powerful, resourceful, and vicious.

This episode was a perfect example of it. Seven people, with little equipment, a well-thought plan, and courage are everything they have against an entire garrison. Everything step has been carefully thought out and simulated many times, a single mistake could cost everyone’s life.

Luthen Rael knows the Empire and how they think, they’re too arrogant to think someone would be dumb enough to attempt such an operation.

To be fair, it would be a suicide mission under normal circumstances but their extensive knowledge of the planet grants them an incredible advantage.

The team has to be as precise as a surgeon, they must get into the garrison, steal their objective and get to a certain point before the “meteor shower” ends. It is easier said than done, this kind of mission rarely goes exactly as planned. There’s a high chance that something goes wrong and they’ll need to adapt if they want to complete it without casualties.

It’s so cool to see how before the Rebel Alliance was a thing, the people fighting against the empire would use these unconventional tactics to achieve victories that affect the bigger picture.

Not all battles are fought with weapons

In Star Wars, as in “real life”, war is fought on two fronts, the battlefield, and politics. One of them is cruel, sad, and heartbreaking, but the other one can devastate millions of lives without firing a single shot. We’re finally getting to see the complex world of Star Wars politics in a more intimate way.

Mon Mothma has openly questioned Palpatine’s policies since the Clone Wars. Like Bail Organa or Padmé Amidala, she was one of the few senators that didn’t bend to the Supreme Chancellor’s will.

These are different times, but the senator has stayed true to her values and actively tries to provide for people that are suffering.

Because of this, she has a reputation for being “disruptive” among the senators, needless to say, Palpatine’s followers do not like her. Which makes it even stranger that her husband invited Sly Moore, one of the highest ranked people in the whole Empire.

Moore is an Umbaran female who’s adept with the force, by no means a Sith but her mind is stronger than most regular people. She’s served Palpatine since he was Chancellor and is among his most trusted servants.

Inviting her to dinner makes evident that Mon Mothma and Perrin Fertha are not on the same page, it’s not some neighbor that likes to gossip from time to time, he’s inviting a political enemy that constantly targets his wife’s efforts. He’s either stupid or has absolutely no idea about what Mothma is scheming, probably both.

The things that are at stake in this dinner might be bigger than what most of us can anticipate. Sly Moore is an incredibly resourceful and dangerous woman, no one would like to be her enemy, but Mon Mothma is not a pushover and she knows how to stand her ground. It’s going to be a very interesting thing to see how she handles having the enemy in her home.

Even if things go well, I’m not sure Mothma can truly trust his husband. This is just my instinct talking but I have a bad feeling about him. One thing is having the enemy come to your home but sharing the bed with one is something too unbearable to think. I hope that I’m one hundred percent wrong about him.

Andor Episode 4 Easter Eggs

I’m not someone who gets that excited about easter eggs but this episode had some very cool ones that caught me by surprise. The items are located at Luthen Rael’s shop so open your eyes to see if you can spot them, there are more than the ones I’m mentioning but these are my favorite ones.

Starkiller Armor
Galen Marek or Starkiller is the secret apprentice of Darth Vader in The Force Unleashed videogame. It was released fourteen years ago and it’s one of the most beloved Star Wars videogames of all time. It is not canon since it’s pre-Disney but fans are very fond of the character.

Mandalorian Armor
The classic Beskar armor that Mandalorians used for centuries. This one was probably acquired after the bombardment of Mandalore on the Night of a Thousand Tears. It’s not something super rare but it’s a good reminder of what the Empire does to cultures that oppose them.

Kalikori
The Kalikori is a Twi’lek heirloom that is passed through generations. Twi’lek families guard their Kalikoris as treasures, as it ties them to their ancestors and direct family members. A Kalikori can be seen in Star Wars Rebels when Grand Admiral Thrawn uses it to lure Hera Syndulla into a trap.

World Between Worlds tablet
A tablet that has symbols that look very similar to the ones that appeared in the World Between Worlds. A different dimension of the Force that connects both time and space. From what is known, only Ahsoka Tano and Ezra Bridger have been able to enter this dimension.

This was a slow episode but one I really enjoyed, everything is lining up and it’s just a matter of time until things start getting in motion. Every character has something unique and it feels very refreshing to watch something that feels like Star Wars but at the same time tries to go in a different direction.

I believe this is the only episode in a Star Wars series where no weapon is fired or used in any manner. Sometimes storytelling can be more satisfactory than non-stop action, though, a good mix of the two is always how I prefer it.

What do you think about Andor so far? Is it what you expected?

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.