Episodes 7-9 of Andor are the most intense moments Episodes we’ve seen in any Star Wars series. Shocking, and heartbreaking.
We need an army
We immediately see Yavin IV being used as the base for the rebellion. Ships, small huts, and lots of personnel live there. After returning from a mission, Wilmon and Cassian have a small exchange that raises two valid points.
There is a war coming, and everyone knows it. To fight the war machine that is the Galactic Empire, you need an army that is fully equipped and trained. To gather all these resources, you need preparation, which takes time. As a result, the rebel activity isn’t as active as Wil would like it to be.
On the other hand, Luthen is capable of planning small but effective operations that can do a considerable amount of damage to the Empire without requiring as many resources or approval from higher-ups.
These two different approaches can co-exist in the Rebellion. A front that prepares for the major battles, while a small group takes on the missions that require surgical precision.
I don’t understand why it seems that these two concepts appear to be mutually exclusive. This isn’t that important compared to the other events that happened in this arc, but I still wanted to point it out.
Choking Ghorman
One year after they decided to steal weapons from the Empire, things have only gotten worse. With Imperial propaganda controlling the narrative, legislation working against them, and Imperial troops living at the heart of their city, it’s impossible not to feel bad for them.
Artisans who were forced to become soldiers for a reason they’re not even aware of. The Empire just showed up and choked them slowly for months. You can feel the desperation, confusion, and anger in their voices. After so many months, they’re still clueless about the Empire’s true intentions.
Everyone wants to raise in arms while Carro Rylanz believes that peaceful protest is the only way forward. He understands that attacking the Empire only results in death; how sad that it’s exactly how it’s going to end, no matter what they choose to do.
Foreshadowing
The Force is a topic that has never been addressed or mentioned in Andor. This show is about normal people struggling in their daily lives and how they join something that’s bigger than them, hoping that their efforts someday will be enough to bring down Palpatine’s reign of terror.
The interaction between Cassian and the Force-healer was something unique that I really enjoyed. Despite all the pain, fear, and trauma that Cassian continuously carries, his sense of purpose and unbreakable will manage to encourage the old lady.
She’s right, figuratively and literally, when she calls Cassian a messenger. As he, along with Jyn Erso, will be responsible for sending the Death Star plans to the Rebel Alliance in Rogue One.
After listening to the Force-healer, Bix understands that Cassian has a purpose that goes beyond anything they can think of. Sadly, for that to happen, she will have to sacrifice what she treasures most in the entire universe.
Controlling the narrative
Despite all the military power at the Empire’s disposal, they still need the media to justify their atrocities. Manipulating optics and fabricating false information is very important to “convince” people in the Senate that what they do is in favor of the Empire’s interest.
They have been fabricating this story for months, and now it’s time for the big story to blow up. This is just how many governments operate in the real world, with massive media feeding what they want to the masses and creating an echo chamber that ultimately becomes a reality when they need to act.
It’s very interesting that the Empire still needs to do such a thing. Everyone seems so aligned with Palpatine’s wishes, fueled by either loyalty or fear. Initially, I looked at this as a theater play where the actors are performing for no audience.
But the truth is that this charade is for the regular citizens of the Empire. With all their power, the Empire still needs to keep the normal population under control. An open insurrection could spread like wildfire in any of the Core Worlds. They would be unable to control it, even with all their military prowess.
This is a fantastic reminder that it’s the people, not political leaders, who have the ultimate power and not the other way around, and this applies to both Star Wars and real life.
Foolish Syril
Syril Karn is probably the most unique character of the series. He’s not driven by money, power, revenge, hope, or any of the powerful sentiments that surround the other characters.
He genuinely believes that order and peace can be achieved through hard and honest work. The man thinks he has gotten to his current position by being an efficient and loyal worker, but the sad truth is that it’s that blind loyalty that made him the perfect pawn for the ISB.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Dedra cared for him, but not enough to put him over her career. Knowing how naive he is, Dedra just fed him what he wanted to hear while coordinating a horrendous plan with the ISB.
Syril isn’t a bad person. The Ghorman front saw this and believed that because he’s an Imperial, some good things could come out of working together. Deceiving your enemies by also lying to your own allies is a very useful way to create an illusion. Sadly, Syril didn’t see through it until it was too late.
The moment when Syril realized that he’d been lied to the entire time is one of the most surprising moments of the series. He lashes out violently at the person he cares most about. He’s been betrayed and manipulated since the start.
Dedra is surprised and scared, but what she’s not is sorry. It takes a minute before Syril realizes that there’s no point in continuing this discussion and leaves her. He joins the Ghorman crowd because he’s no longer identified with the Empire.
That’s when hell breaks loose. The expression on his face tells everything you need to know about it. The man is reflecting on all his choices and how they led to this brutal moment.
Then, he spots Cassian Andor and goes after him. I wouldn’t presume that he blames everything on Cassian. To me, Syril is just letting everything out in the most primitive way on someone who caused him a lot of pain.
The fact that Cassian didn’t recognize him left Syril perplexed. Though I think Syril was actually trying to answer that question for himself. His entire life has been spent trying to fulfill others’ expectations, and he was just released from all that.
Last week, I said that Syril could join the rebellion after the Ghorman incident. If Carro Rylanz hadn’t killed him, I’m certain he would’ve been a great rebel.
The Ghorman genocide
This is probably the most intense sequence I’ve ever seen in Star Wars. Watching how they lure the people like cattle ready to be slaughtered, while all these Ghormans are protesting for the unfair treatment they’ve received for the past months.
The Empire pushed them into this; they know how they will react. It’s just a matter of letting all the pieces fall into place. The Ghorman protestors, a group of their own Imperial recruits to be used as a catalyst, and the media outlets ready to make martyrs of the soldiers who were betrayed by their own commanders.
We knew before the series came out that we would witness this moment, but even that wasn’t enough to prepare us for how hard it is to watch a scene like this. It is extremely cruel, but most importantly, it’s very real.
An entire culture being eliminated for their resources or territory isn’t exclusive to Star Wars. We don’t have to go back centuries through history books, it’s happening today on the other side of the world.
The lack of humanity shown is overwhelming, dreadful, and makes it so hard to watch. We’ve seen the Empire’s cruelty in different media, but to me, this is the first time that it reminds us so much of our own reality.
It’s incredible how Tony Gilroy takes George Lucas’ concept for the original trilogy to a place where it moves you so deeply. Especially because Star Wars isn’t known for doing that. Star Wars is a safe place for many people, including myself.
It’s easier to immerse yourself in a fictional universe than to face reality at times, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s normal to do so, maybe even healthy and necessary.
Watching this arc felt like seeing directly into a mirror and understanding that, as hard-hitting as the Ghorman massacre was, it’s still nothing compared to what happens in the real world.
The worst part is that all of this senseless slaughter is for nothing. A year later, the Empire will be mining kyber crystals from Jedha. Meaning that the Kalkite they took from Ghorman won’t be used to power the Death Star. All of this senseless slaughter for nothing.
The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil
Throughout this series, we’ve seen the battles that take place in different fronts. Mon Mothma has led the charge in the Senate since the creation of the Empire, and only she could quit in such a thunderous way.
Standing at the heart of the Empire, as a representative of the Senate, and publicly calling out Palpatine as a genocidal monster is an incredible demonstration of courage. Everyone knows that’s a death sentence.
Mon Mothma’s speech is very powerful due to how hard it resonates with the current political situation of the world. What’s said and facts should always go together, but that’s unusual these days.
Everything should be called what it is. In this case, it’s Genocide, but how many times do we see politicians be afraid of using these “controversial” words? They’re more afraid of damaging their public image than serving the people who elected them.
The Imperial Senate is full of corrupt, sell-outs, and coward politicians who would clap and dance like Monkey-lizards if the Emperor asked them to. Mothma is certainly not perfect, but she’s the closest a leader and politician should aspire to be.
The cherry on top is that we heard “Eulogy” during Mothma’s speech. The same piece that sounded in the background during Maarva’s speech on Ferrix, and my personal favorite out of the entire series’ soundtrack.
Andor has positioned Mon Mothma as one of the best characters in Star Wars. Before this series, very few people knew her background, but now everybody is going to recognize Mothma as one of the biggest pillars of the Rebel Alliance.
The cause comes first
In Rogue One, Cassian tells Jyn, “You’re not the one who lost everything”. With that in mind, I was prepared to see everyone die this season, especially Bix. Her leaving Andor is something I never even considered.
The Force-healer’s words had a very strong impact on her. She fully believes in Cassian’s potential to do something great, but because he is giving up everything for her, she has decided to make a very hard decision. To choose the rebellion over what they have.
Bix understands that until the Empire is truly gone, they won’t be able to live happily in any corner of the galaxy. They’ve both sacrificed so much just to leave everything behind.
As if this arc wasn’t heartbreaking enough, we also get to see Cassian lose the person he loves the most. Not at the hands of the Empire but as a result of his own choices. What makes it worse is that we all know what’s going to happen a little over a year after these events: Any hope of them being together will die at Scariff.
Final thoughts
Nothing from Star Wars has ever hit me as hard as these three episodes. The amount of intensity, anguish, and sadness these scenes conveyed was incredible. Even if I knew that Mon Mothma and Cassian would survive, that didn’t stop me from being worried during her escape.
I’m curious to see if Bix shows up again in the series. I don’t want to keep wondering about her in the upcoming years until a book or comic book reveals what happened to her. Hopefully, she went back to B2EMO.
To me, this is the best Star Wars media ever, and the best thing is that we still have the final arc coming up next week. I want to see what happens with Luthen, Dedra, the Rebel Alliance, and even the Empire. Who knows, maybe we’ll get to witness how Palpatine dissolves the Imperial Senate.
Even if this was the highest point of the series, there are probably a few more nerve-wracking moments happening in the last three episodes.
Next up, time to dive deep between the lines to hunt for all secrets, hidden details and references in each scene.
Andor Season 2, Episodes 7-9: Hidden Details and References
