Andor Arc 4 Thoughts
The final arc of Andor Season 2, consisting of "Make It Stop", "Who Else Knows", and "Jedha, Kyber, Erso", is a great conclusion to the show. As the ISB closes in on Luthen, he uncovers the smoking gun that marks the beginning of the end for the Empire's Death Star. As we move ever closer towards that one road towards Scarif and Yavin, we reevaluate the entire surviving cast of Andor. This arc highlights why Fascism and any authoritarian government are always destined to fall by the ideals of freedom and rebellion.
I really love how the final arc parallels a lot with the first arc of the show. It helps bring the show full circle as we move onto Rogue One and eventually A New Hope. Star Wars Explained also did an amazing job covering this season of Andor and Star Wars in general. We need more people like SWE to bring optimism and joy into Star Wars.
"Freedom scares you." Luthen Rael
"'Freedom'? You don't want freedom. You want chaos, chaos for everyone but you. Ruin the galaxy and then run back to your ridiculous wig and little workshop." Dedra Meero
"How confident you are." Luthen Rael
"We're done here." Dedra Meero
"Confident and terrified." Luthen Rael
"The building is surrounded. You're finished." Dedra Meero
"And you're too late. The rebellion isn't here anymore. It's flown away. It's everywhere now. There's a whole galaxy out there waiting to disgust you." Luthen Rael
The opening sequence also mixed in Luthen's theme, which I thought was a great touch.
Poor Lonni. He really did everything that was required, and he was tragically killed by Luthen to make sure no potential loose ends of what he told him could come to pass. I really love how much the show references Project Celestial Power as the Empire's cover up for the Death Star; it just feels rewarding for someone who read Catalyst and loves that novel a lot. I also like how Lonni brought back details and events throughout the two seasons and Rogue One, such as the PORD, the mining on Ghorman and Jedha, to really emphasize how everything ties back to the construction of the Empire's super weapon: the Death Star.
The return of the Imperial N-S9 Starpath unit is a great bookend to the show in its final arc. I really love Luthen and Dedra's conversation, with Luthen noting how Dedra still can't see that he doesn't matter anymore: the rebellion is finally ready and grown to the point where it doesn't even matter if he dies. Only Dedra can see the glory she presumes she'll get as she spits out the supposed "great" Imperial ideals that she'll discover will not protect her.
Luthen Rael really didn't see the sunrise of the New Republic. He gave his life to help form the Alliance from the shadows. It's so satisfying to see Dedra's smirk go away as she realizes she had gloated on too much and gave Luthen the time he needed to try to commit suicide. Luthen made the ultimate sacrifice by staying on Coruscant far longer than he should've. If he hadn't, he wouldn't be able to give the Alliance the first information about the Death Star's existence and the information they need to know to learn and stop the super weapon. Lonni, Luthen, Kleya, Galen Erso, Saw Gerrera, Rogue One, and the OT heroes all contributed to the destruction of the Death Star.
It'll be funny to imagine Palpatine's reaction to how many Jedi and Sith artifacts Luthen has, especially the Sith Stalker armor and the Mortis Gods relics.
It's fascinating to learn Luthen was once Imperial IAT Sergeant Lear. Given how the first IATs were veterans of the Clone Wars and the SW website confirmed Luthen and Kleya met in 18 BBY, I wonder if Luthen could've been one of the Clone Wars veterans or even an ex-CIS soldier conscripted into the Empire. If he were a Republic veteran, I really like this headcanon that non-Clone soldiers of the Republic do the morally grey stuff while Jedi and Clones do the more "honorable" and straightforward battles.
Kleya is an absolute badass. You know someone is that badass when the ISB assumed the attack came from a team of three.
It's really interesting to see how BTS states that Kleya has so many mixed feelings about Luthen, her father figure. She hates him for being involved in the death of her parents, and yet still loves him as the father figure she didn't have. It's this mix of emotions that leaves Kleya crying as she puts Luthen to rest for good. It's also fitting how Luthen and Kleya's first act of rebellion against the Empire was on Naboo, the Emperor's homeworld.
I'm very happy she gets to live to see the fruits of her contributions to the growth of the Rebel Alliance. I really need to see her and Leia interact in the New Republic Era. I also like how Vel comforted her and to help her feel at home among the Alliance.
Also, I really love how the hospital is named after Lina Soh, the Chancellor of the Republic during Phases 1 and 3 of the HR publishing initiative. I'm really happy Andor gave the HR Era a nod.
Dedra finally ends up in the same position as Syril Karn in Season 1. She disobeyed her superior and kept sensitive information to herself, then rushed in to claim the glory, only to find herself reprimanded. Krennic is actually a bit scary, and it really shows how he can be terrifying without higher-ranked Imperials throwing their weight around him. The fact that his finger on Dedra's head was imprisoned was just amazing acting. It is funny that this all happened because Krennic's staff emailed the files to the wrong person. Truly a representation of how bloated and complacent the Empire has become.
It's perfect karma that she ends up in the same type of Imperial prison since Partagaz once celebrated her for her high arrest records. There is no way out for her, unlike Cassian, Melshi, and the prisoners of Narkina V. After all the trauma, horrors, and genocide she committed on everyone throughout the show, this was a very cathartic punishment and end for her.
It just goes to show how Fascism isn't about climbing up to the top since that never existed. The only person of authoritarianism and Fascism at the top is the dictator, aka the Emperor; everyone else is expendable.
The amount of parallels to the first arc is great to see: flashbacks of a parent and child, the villains in police gear hunting down a target, the villains rushing without properly planning things, the villains getting absolutely destroyed, and Past/Present track playing at the end (or in this case, Past/Present/Future).
I like how Cassian is getting along with K2 and Melshi. It really makes you understand why Melshi is one of the rebels who will go with Cassian and the other rebels on the suicide mission to Scarif.
K2 is such a great sight after all the show's dark moments. It's nice to have a comedic presence. It feels absolutely cathartic to see the Imperials get a taste of their own medicine as K2 goes full Terminator on them. Heert getting killed by his own men was just perfection.
There's something incredibly hilarious about how much the Empire messed up in this arc. Partagaz's own search warrant (which was a call-back to how he described the ISB's mission), backfiring on the redeployment of ISB tactical forces, and those same ISB forces ignored the U-Wing. I also like how it connects to Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire (Highly recommend for anyone who is a fan of Andor and Star Wars history) with how the book mentions the ISB being punished for letting the Death Star be destroyed. Now we get to see the specifics of why they would be punished.
The sight of Yavin IV in full operational status and the main rebel base is extremely satisfying. After the entire season of build-up, we now see the Rebel Alliance operating at its true potential. I also love seeing Pao in this arc; we need to see more Pao in general. Wilmon having a limp leg means he’ll be far from the action and it’s nice to see him finally relax with the rebels and Dreena after all the trauma he went through.
I do like how the final conversation between Mothma and Saw feels like a sequel to their conversation in Rebels, except this time, Saw has fewer good points to bring up and is just straight up unhinged. It really showcases how stubborn and insane Saw has become, that all he does is complain about threats that simply don't exist from the Alliance.
The lore consistency side of me is annoyed about Draven's comment about the ISB Dauntless hovering over Jedha was over two days ago. As someone who read the Guardian of the Whills novel (a pretty noice novel about Chirrut and Baze before Rogue One), it was pretty clear the Dauntless was hovering over the city for quite a while. The hc I can try to image to reconcile this is either a silly image of the Dauntless temporarily leaving for some space tacos or Draven's intelligence being a bit faulty; either of which doesn't really help fix it. It's a rare continuity error.
As someone who read the Aftermath Trilogy, it's always funny yet also frustrating to see Newer Jebel in these scenes. Despite his asshole and head in the sand management style, he does stick around through the entire Galactic Civil War.
Cassian brings up a great point about no matter what Luthen is and how much of a hard person to work with, hell, even untrustworthy; if something bothers Luthen of all people, it shouldn't be lightly ignored.
I always love how Raddus immediately wants to know more about the report when he hears about an Imperial weapon. I am surprised to see Bail being a lot aggressive in this scenario. Though I can understand, given how he's risking a lot for the Alliance he and Mothma helped build since the fall of the Republic, and especially since he has to keep his world and daughter safe. His characterization also connects to the Mask of Fear novel, where he and Mothma didn't get along at first during the first few months of the Empire's reign.
Mon and Vel are at home with the Alliance and it’s great to see after they spent so much time trying to hide their rebel connection in plain sight of the Empire. It’s also great to see Vel and Cassian toast to all their fallen friends, family, and even ethnic groups who are all victims of the Empire. It’s also nice to see how Vel got the assurance of Cassian’s claims by simply asking rather than spy. Communication is key!
"Did you know him? Any of you? Does anyone in this room besides Senator Mothma have any idea how much you owe him? Cassian Andor
"Oh, please." Nower Jebel
When I say I know Luthen...I mean I know the good and the bad. I know what was wrong with him. I had a front-row seat on that, and I made my choice two years ago, to join here and be part of this. But none of that can take away what he did and how hard it was. I don't know if what he was told is true or not. But it's insulting to hear him run down by people who have given a fraction of his sacrifice to this Rebellion!" Cassian Andor
Another Rise and Fall connection is how Cassian gave Nemik's manifesto to the Alliance, and we can see the manifesto is spreading across the galaxy, even Partagaz listens to it.
Partagaz finally realizes that stopping the "disease of rebellion" is impossible. It all ties back to his very first scene, where he discusses the ISB's job was to "cure" the idea of freedom. With that realization, his upcoming arrest and most likely execution, and realizing he wasted his life in the pursuit of an impossible task, he took the easy and quick way out of that execution and committed suicide. I love how his final scenes before his suicide are a parallel to his first appearance, but now in an empty room, as he has no power and status left.
It's also fitting that Partagaz, one of the most competent ISB agents, is blamed and replaced by Lagret, one of the least competent ISB agents, who is also the last named ISB agent of the show.
Everything about this arc regarding how the Empire failed to contain the Death Star leak really is an analogy of why the Empire and its successor groups, the Imperial Remnants and the First Order, fell.
Cassian's slow walk to his U-Wing for his fateful mission to the Ring of Kafrene is so awesome. It's really great to see the Andor and R1 cast in a montage as Past/Present/Future plays. Hearing Andor's theme, the Andor Rebellion's theme, and Bix's Message (a variant of Andor’s theme) in one track is musically fitting.
Bix leaving the rebellion to also take care of her and Cassian's child is fitting. She made a choice not only for both of them, but also to protect their baby. I still have mixed feelings about the events leading up to her departure in the third arc, but I approve of the idea and what they did. They didn't fridge her character, which is important. It's also wholesome to see B2EMO be happy and playing with another droid.
Going directly to Rogue One and A New Hope makes a perfect finale to the story that started in Andor. The road to Scarif and Yavin IV is clear. All the sacrifices made gave one farm boy the chance to destroy the Empire's planet killer and ignite the spark of hope across the galaxy.
Catalyst, Rebel Rising, Andor, Guardians of the Whills, and Rebels Saw’s episodes (and the show as a whole regarding how the Alliance formed and why they didn't engage with the Empire until Scarif) really provide the great build-up and context to Rogue One.
To cement that fact, in the end credits, they played the Star Wars main theme and the classic closing music (The Throne Room and End Title) at the end of A New Hope. The music in this arc and the reuse of William's music perfectly cements the transition from the more electronic soundscape of S1 to the orchestral soundscape of Rogue One and the Star Wars movies. This is my favorite moment of the final arc.
I'm going to miss Andor. This season is really good, however, there were some writing choices I wish we could've expanded and added. I really wish we got proper closure to the story of Kenari and Cassian's sister Kerri. However, this season has a lot more high highs than Season 1, so I would say this season is my personal favorite of the two seasons of Andor. Star Wars Rebels is still my favorite Star Wars show, but Andor is definitely my second favorite Star Wars show. A friend has a great analogy to best describe the story of how the Rebel Alliance formed: if the Alliance is a house, Andor is the foundation, while the actual concrete is Star Wars Rebels. Star Wars Rebels tells the tale of the main foundations and stories of the Rebel Alliance, with how the rebellion grew and changed, and Andor covers the more gritty side of the foundation, particularly during the early years of the Rebel Alliance before Rebels.
Goodbye Andor, thank you for being the light in the darkness that is 2025's world politics. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
"If I die fighting the Empire...I want to go down swinging. You find that amusing?" Bail Organa
"No, but...You and Luthen would have gotten along much better than you think." Cassian Andor
"May the Force be with you, Captain." Bail Organa
