Cassian and his reluctant rebel thief co-workers do some trust exercises while Syril Karn gets berated by his mom in Andor Episode 5, “The Axe Forgets”!
Austin Gorton: Welcome to the rebellion, Armaan! You’re new to these Andor recaps, but thankfully, the hazing rituals for new partners are a little less intrusive than for the Rebel cell on Aldhani (whatever expensive jewelry you’ve brought with you is your own business). With this episode we are seemingly halfway through the series’ second arc; what are your impressions of Andor so far?
Armaan Babu: I have been loving it. I missed much of the older animated series like Star Wars Rebels when it were coming out, but between this, Obi-Wan and The Bad Batch, I feel like we’re getting fascinating looks into life under the Empire. Andor does a great job at exploring both sides of things — the fear people live under, and the mind-numbing bureaucracy that makes it all possible. Between that and great character work, every episode so far has been a hell of a meal, and I’m looking forward to picking apart this latest one!
By the Hand
Austin: The A-plot, such as it is, of this episode is basically the “last minute preparations for the heist” sequence of the heist movie, in which Cassian is quickly brought up to speed on the plan and learns a little more about his erstwhile companions. At the same time, the core group’s suspicion of Cassian’s sudden insertion, represented mostly by Skeen, bubbles up and begins to threaten the mission. Last episode, most of this crew felt like stock types, so it’s nice to see them fleshed out a bit here. I particularly like the way they are being defined in terms of their relationship to the Empire and their belief in the Rebellion.
Armaan: There’s a tension here that’s carried over from the last episode — a distinct lack of trust. This is a plan that ends in death unless all the variables are covered, and Andor — or, should I say, “Clem” — is the one variable none of them have quite figured out yet. We do get to see each of the team all fleshed out a bit more. The two who caught my eye are, obviously, Skeen, who lets tension bubble up to the surface a lot more easily than the others, but also Nemik, who I find absolutely fascinating.
You need a Skeen on every heist mission, the guy who’s going to bristle against authority, who’s going to have it in for our protagonist, the guy who helps us see our protagonist’s — Andor — humanity via the way Andor gains the guy’s trust, and that arc plays out quite nicely in this episode.
What I want to hear more from though, is Nemik. Nemik both fascinates and terrifies me. He’s called a “true believer” by his friends, and he has some fascinating things to say about how the Empire inserts itself into every aspect of people’s lives, right down to their technology. He’s interrupted by his teammates who think that Nemik’s starting to babble, but I honestly could listen to him talk for hours. Disney, give us an in-universe Rebel Radio podcast hour with Nemik, please, if he gets out of this series alive.
What scares me about Nemik, though, is how unflappable he is in the face of his beliefs. Later in the episode, as an Imperial scout ship passes over the team’s encampment, while the others are filled with fear, Nemik barely blinks. He is chillingly calm as he assures Andor that an attack from the Rebellion is far more dangerous than tyranny’s push from above. This is a man who’s embraced the kind of violence that’s necessary to overthrow an Empire — someone who’s accepted it, who can’t wait for it to begin. He is clear in purpose, not an ounce of the kind of reasonable hesitation and worry that everyone else around him has.
I don’t think anyone on the show scares me more.
Who among this crew stands out most to you, Austin?
Austin: I mean, it still has to be Nemik. I did enjoy the material with Skeen, both for how it pushed Cassian into more of the protagonist role he’s meant to have (since, you know, the show is named after him) by getting him to admit he’s just in it for the money and to take a more firm hand when he realizes how little some of his newfound allies know about what they’re doing, and for the little bits of world-building his discussions with Cassian provided. As far as my Star Wars knowledge knows, the references made by Skeen’s tattoos (“Krayt’s Head” and “By the Hand”) are entirely new (with obvious allusions to existing Star Wars lore, of course), and even just the fact that his brother was a tree farmer is a neat little detail. That’s the kind of stuff that is always fun in Star Wars stories, helping make the galaxy feel bigger.
But Nemik is a fascinating character. I too could listen to him talk for hours, and he seems positioned to be this series’ (or at least this arc’s) “character who makes us wonder how far is too far to go in the fight against the Empire”. He could be this series’ Saw Gerrera (whom we know from previews is coming), and someone who may even inspire some of the character growth Cassian will need to undergo to sync him up with his characterization in Rogue One.
More immediately, Nemik may well prove to be a liability in the upcoming heist (which I assume will unfold across the next episode). In every heist movie, there’s always the part where someone gets cautioned not to make it personal, because if it becomes personal, you can’t walk away even when that’s the prudent option. For as much as this episode established Skeen’s personal stake in the fight against the Empire, it is Nemik who stands out as the character most likely to complicate or abandon the heist as a result of his beliefs. Like, given a choice between escaping with the money and completing the mission, or pushing ahead a little more to strike even more of a blow against the Empire, it seems likely Nemik would choose the latter option.
Armaan: It’s interesting you say that, because I had Sartha, our group’s leader, pegged as the liability. Minor mentions and superb acting work show that she’s new to a leadership position, and she’s barely holding things together. As Andor shows us, the group barely had an escape plan — indeed, without Andor, they may not have figured out one at all. In showing us Andor’s skills — both observational and technical — we learn that while Sartha’s a wise enough leader to see the value of a new asset, she hasn’t been the most inspirational leader, or the smartest. Maybe a few years down the line, but now? There’s a lot of pressure on her shoulders, and she looks close to breaking.
Then again, that could be said of pretty much anyone there, except Nemik and, perhaps, Cinta, couldn’t it?
Austin: Indeed. And it’s a fascinating setup. While I’m still not entirely pleased with the way the show has established Cassian as the battle-hardened rebel (lowercase-r since he’s mostly been doing it on his own) who Knows What He’s Doing (basing that status almost entirely on Luthen’s say-so at the start of the previous episode as opposed to anything we’ve actually been shown on screen), I love the juxtaposition between Cassian: Competent but Mercenary and The Crew: True Believers But A Little Green. It highlights some of the themes explored by Rogue One (and even in the Original Trilogy a bit via Han Solo) and the broader questions at the heart of the Rebel Alliance: is belief in the cause enough to make up for operational deficiencies? Does a person’s righteous belief matter if they’re skilled and willing to help for whatever reason?
Armaan: That’s another thing I’m loving about this series — questions like that. We were all introduced to Star Wars at the tail end of the Empire’s reign, we fell in love with the heroes who won the day. In Rogue One, though, and here in Andor, we’re introduced to…well, the others. The ones who didn’t make it, the ones who suffer constant paranoia, who have to cling to hatred just to get through another day (sorry, Rose Tico, your beliefs are waay ahead of their time in this era) — they go through all of it not to take the Empire down, but just for a chance to maybe diminish the Empire in some way.
I mean, look at the stakes here. They’re stealing payrolls — not taking out important leaders, capturing vital technology or capturing a strategic location. If this heist goes off successfully, the most it will do is give the Rebels important funds while lowering morale amongst the Imperial troops — it is a small step in the many it will take to take down the Empire entirely, yet everyone here is risking their lives to do it.
This episode does a beautiful job of highlighting the many reasons why. The glimpses into people’s backstories we get. The stifling atmosphere that life under the Empire creates — the way the Empire makes it impossible to be anything other than what they tell you to be. Every Rebel we meet in this series feels like they’re people who would rather die than live another day without fighting back…whether or not they win.
Eat Your Cereal
Austin: While Cassian is making friends(?) on Aldhani, the episode periodically checks back in with Syril Karn, now living with his mother on Coruscant and forced to withstand her constant berating of him and attempts to take charge of his life. It is simply delightful in its verisimilitude.
Armaan: Karn is another character I’ve been fascinated with. Another True Believer, him, one who has a mix of ambition and idealism so grand it even outstrips his superiors. Karn may be out of a job now, but it’s the kind of unshakeable belief in the superiority of the Empire that Karn has that keeps an Empire in power.
These scenes, while delightful, do a lot to show us just how small Karn feels. You start to see why the Empire means so much to him — he got to be a part of something larger, and he had the chance to charter his own life, instead of having his life decided for him by an extremely passive aggressive mother. Andor seems to be positioned as Karn’s only hope of wriggling out from under his mother’s thumb, and away from a life that brings him nothing but humiliation.
Austin: That feeling of smallness is really reinforced by the way his scenes with his mother are staged. Cutting back and forth from the lush mountaintops and tall trees of Aldhani where the ground is green and animals roam to the cramped, cold, sterile, blue-gray Coruscant apartment underscores the differences, and then, every time we see Karn and his mother together, they are sitting at the same table, in the same spots. When Karn is being berated by his mother, he is trapped not only in this small apartment, but within an even smaller space inside that space. As you said, the Empire was a way to make his life bigger; while it represents oppression to Cassian and the Aldhani rebels, for Karn, it means freedom from the true oppressive force in his life. I never thought I’d feel much sympathy for the supercilious security office of the first trio episodes (and it still seems obvious he’s destined to be an antagonist force in Cassian’s life), but here we are.
Armaan: Although Karn’s not the only one feeling stifled by family life in this episode…
The Family Mothma
Austin: I will admit, I have absolutely no idea where all this Mon Mothma stuff is going (aside from, generally, “to become the leader of the Rebel Alliance”), but in the meantime, I’m more than happy to sit back and watch her navigate her terrible home life. Time will tell if it ultimately provides any further narrative utility, but I have to admire that this episode made a point to cut away from all the “preparing for a heist of Imperial gold” maneuverings for a scene which seems to exist only to establish that Mon Mothma’s shitty husband hates charity.
Armaan: I enjoyed the breakfast scene we got here, between Mon Mothma and her daughter Leida. For me, Mothma’s story just highlights how terrifying life under the Empire is — and how little room it leaves for love. You can see how much Mothma wants to connect with her daughter, but there’s no way for her to truly do that without letting Leida know Mothma’s helping the Rebellion…and putting Leida in great danger by doing so. Leida’s a smart girl — she can sense something about her mother is fake, that most of what she sees of Mothma is just all show. Mothma has to choose between the Rebellion and her family. It feels true to war — there’s no joy or glory to be found in it, even when it has to be done.
I did some internet looking around, though, and found this video here, where Mon Mothma publicly declares her opposition to the Empire. “I have no fear,” she says. “I am not alone.” The very opposite of the situation we see her in here. It adds so much context to what’s to come, and makes the sacrifices we see her make here seem worth it — as heartbreaking as they may be.
Austin: Another thing I’m excited to see in this series is the transformation of Mon Mothma from what we see in last episode and this one — fearful and suspicious, working in shadows while putting on a brave public face — to the Mon Mothma from that Rebels clip, who has come out of the shadows and feels less alone, as a result of the different strands of rebellion coming together into a tapestry — a tapestry we should note that ISB Lieutenant Meero is already starting to spot despite its nascency. In much the same way that I’m coming to love to hate Karn, that was one of those great “I don’t like what you’ve figured out, but it says a lot about you that you figured it out” villain moments, and it offers a higher level threat for our heroes which pairs nicely with Luthen’s hand-wringing over the immediate threat that his heist team will fail and/or implicate him that closes the episode.
Armaan: Tracking the Rebellion through their carefully planned randomness was an act so clever I very nearly found myself rooting for Meero — almost. Say what you will about Star Wars, though, they have always made it very clear who the baddies are.
I’m really excited to see the heist itself play out next episode, though…especially considering that, given the extra threads we’ve been following, it seems like some of the most important parts of this story are going to deal with the fallout of the heist once it’s done!
Force Facts
- Karn looks like he’s eating Oops! All Berries for breakfast (and, of course, the milk is blue. Or bluish, at least. Kinda like what the Earth milk remaining in the bowl after eating all the Earth Crunchberries looks like).
- While this is the first canonical appearance of Mon Mothma’s daughter Leida, she actually existed in the Expanded Universe, mostly via references in a few different guidebooks/encyclopedias (in the old EU, Mon Mothma also had a son, Jobin, who died at Vader’s hand during the Battle of Hoth; not sure if he’ll show up or be referenced here).
- In the course of her discussion of the presumed Rebel Alliance, Lt. Meero rattles off a list of notable Star Wars planets: Hosnian Prime (the capital of the New Republic that gets destroyed in The Force Awakens), Kessel (home of the infamous spice mines, visited in both Rebels and Solo), and Jakku (desert home of Rey in The Force Awakens but also, per current canon, the site of Palpatine’s secret Sith reliquary/observation post).
- Lt. Meero is seemingly popping Stim pills to keep working (aka Space Caffeine Pills); hopefully she doesn’t pull a Jesse Spano.
- Amongst the various visual Easter Eggs hidden amongst Luthen’s antiques is what appears to be the exact same Sith holocron that was seen amongst Dryden Vos’ collection in Solo; is that an indication that Luthen is part of/backed by Crimson Dawn (which is all over the current comics), or just a case of the set designers/prop department reusing something hanging around the LucasFilm warehouse? Only time will tell!
- The throwaway line about the smell of the Aldhanis…that made my skin crawl. I don’t know how much Star Wars has explored how racist the Empire must be, but Andor has been throwing in enough real-world racial insults to drive the point home for anyone who might think otherwise.
Did Diego Luna Get to Touch Jabba?
- Not yet
Austin Gorton also reviews older issues of X-Men at the Real Gentlemen of Leisure website, co-hosts the A Very Special episode podcast, and likes Star Wars. He lives outside Minneapolis, where sometimes, it is not cold. Follow him on Twitter @AustinGorton
