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'Star Wars': The galaxy feels the sweeping fallout of Cassian's rebel mission in Ep. 7 of 'Andor'
“Has anyone ever made a weapon that wasn’t used?”
Don’t call it a heist, call it an “announcement.” Cassian Andor helped a small rebel cell pull off a dangerous mission, and while it was a success, the fallout is severe. It doesn’t matter what side of the conflict you’re on — everyone is affected.
Episode 7 of Andor, the latest streaming Star Wars series on Disney+, depicts how every character on the show deals with the consequences of a few rebels stealing a whole s**tload of money. The Empire may not have been paying attention before, but that has changed. Cassian himself, usually one to run and hide, may have run out of luck… even though there’s no such thing.
***WARNING: From this point onward, there will be spoilers for Episode 7 of Andor. If you have not watched yet, speed out of here as quickly as possible.***
The ISB (Imperial Security Bureau) is not taking this lightly. Colonel Yularen is called in, now being played in live-action by Malcolm Sinclair. The character appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and was retroactively said to have appeared in Star Wars: A New Hope. He reports to the Emperor himself, and he announces a general change in tolerance. Agent Meero (Denise Gough) thinks that this is exactly what the rebels want, and she’s right.
Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård) wanted escalation, and he’s got it. Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) is faced with the seriousness of working with him, showing a new level of fear. The Empire is showing fear as well though, and they are doing so through their actions. “We need the fear,” Luthen says, “We need them to overreact.” When Mon Mothma tells him that people will suffer, he tells her, “that’s the plan.” The time for hiding is over. The Empire is not playing by any rules, so the rebellion has to do the same. The ethics of the rebels in Rogue One are alive and well within Luthen.
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Cassian (Diego Luna) himself is a loose end, so Vel (Faye Marsay) is charged with finding and sniping him. He’s returned to a transformed Ferrix, where stormtroopers patrol the streets. Bix (Adria Arjona) seems lost, and Maarva (Fiona Shaw) is done running. Cassian is planning to vanish once again, but Maarva is staying. She’s been inspired by the news from Aldhani, likely having no idea that Cassian was even involved.
The incredibly ill-advised dinner party at Mon Mothma’s penthouse looks about as pleasant as a slide down a giant razor blade, and she goes out on a limb talking to her old friend Tay Kolma (Ben Miles). She needs access to her family money, and this means bringing someone else into the circle. Even though Kolma is probably aligned with the rebel cause, this is a huge risk. Mon Mothma has no choice, because as Luthen told her, “rebellions are expensive.”
The Empire thinks that she is an irritation. They have no idea that she’s a powerful rebel ally. “I learned from Palpatine,” she tells Kolma. “I show you the stone in my hand, you miss the knife at your throat.” Her idiot husband Perrin is oblivious to all of this, and she openly says that he is not to be trusted.
Meero’s hard work in the wake of the heist impresses Major Partagaz (Anton Lesser), so she is put in charge of the Morlana sector, which includes Ferrix. Even though she’s with the Empire, this wasn’t a safe move. Imperial ladder climbing comes with daggers being potentially thrown at people’s backs, so Partagaz tells her to watch her back.
Even though Cassian has left Ferrix behind (as well as his mission to find his sister, at Maarva’s urging) and retreated o the beaches of Niamos, he gets caught up in a crime that he actually had nothing to do with. “Keef Girgo” is given a six year sentence with hardly a passing thought.
Lost in his new job that looks like Severance crossed with Brazil, Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) may or may not detect this. Even if he does, the man child who keeps tailoring his clothing to look more impressive is powerless to do anything about it.
Things are getting real for everyone, and Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) hasn’t even shown up yet. We fully expect him to toss a few hundred gasoline soaked logs on this fire. If everyone thinks that this was an announcement, then they'd better buckle up. The fallout has barely even begun.
Galactic Points of Interest
-We see more flashbacks from Cassian’s youth, and they are now taking place in the timeline of shortly after The Clone Wars. There are plenty of 'Phase III' style clones in the streets, mirroring the Stormtroopers that are patrolling Ferrix in the present day. As we see on The Bad Batch, clones are eventually phased out and replaced with conscripted troopers.
-We don’t know the true reason why Clem Andor (Gary Beadle) was hanged yet, but the flashbacks will likely continue this thread. It is very likely that both he and Maarva were involved with the Separatists during The Clone Wars. We already know from Star Wars reference books that Cassian was.
-Not only do Stormtroopers make their first appearance in this episode, we also see probe droids, a mouse droid, Shoretroopers, and a Star Destroyer hovering over Aldhani. Cinta Kaz (Varada Sethu) is still there, so it is confirmed that Cinta, Vel, and Cassian are the only survivors of the heist.
-One of the most exciting imperial designs to be seen here is a couple of NX units, the same model of droid as the beloved K-2SO from Rogue One. We don’t think that either of these units are the droid that Cassian will eventually reprogram, but it is a nice reminder that these models are out there, are in use, and are dangerous.
-Mon Mothma tells Kolma that only three people know the truth of what she is doing. Luthen obviously knows, so who are the other two? We’re going to say that they are Bail and Breha Organa.
-The “Grand Vizier” is mentioned by Mon Mothma as well, and this is a reference to Mas Amedda, the Chagrian who is constantly seen by Palpatine’s side in the prequel movies.
-We probably missed it last time, but there is a powered-down Gungan shield in Luthen's gallery.
-The most loaded exchange of the episode happened between Maarva and Cassian as he prepares to flee once again. He tells her that he’ll be worried about her all the time. Her response: “That’s just love. Nothing you can do about that.”
-The funniest line of the episode came from the judge after Cassian gets his unearned sentence. She doesn’t have time for his disputes or his arguing. All she says is, “Take it up with the Emperor.”
Andor streams on Disney+ every Wednesday. Your integrity will be ventilated in public.
Looking for more dark sci-fi adventure? Check out SYFY's Battlestar Galactica streaming nowon Peacock, and keep an eye out for SYFY's upcoming original The Ark, coming in 2023.
