When Andor first got announced, it was obvious it was going backward. Considering the ending of Rogue One, there was no way it was going forward. But what area was the series going to be exploring of the life of this rebellion hero? Well, why not start at the beginning?
Watching these first three episodes, you can see why Disney decided to release them all on the same day. They serve as the opening to a new beginning for Cassian, a slow-burn three episode opening act on new chapters of his life. Oh, yes. Chapters. What we get with these three episodes is past and present complimenting each other, showing the decisions that lead to a different life.
By the end of episode three, each of the two stories has reached their conclusion, with the story of the past showing how he came to meet his current family, and the story of the present seeing that family doing their best to help him escape into this new chapter of his life.
How did it come to that, though? Well, Cassian isn’t prone to making mistakes, and in his quest to hunt down the most important thing from his previous life, he reveals where he is from. That bit of information, along with a security corps adamant in bringing him in after killing two of their own, are what manage to find him at his current home of Ferrix.
Someone else is also arriving for him. Someone who had been called in by one of his family so he could sell some Imperial tech he had stolen during a previous off-planet excursion. Imperial tech that’s worth a lot. But this man is also wanting something else. A man like Cassian who will do what needs to be done to finish the job.
Across the three episodes, there’s mistrust everywhere. This is a darker side to the galaxy that we’ve been seeing in recent times. Not outright evil, but the conflict of emotions that bring a realistic edge to even the day-to-day goings on of the citizens we’re seeing. It is also through this conflict of emotions that the security corps find where Cassian is.
Even the antagonists here are prone to it, as the officer in charge faces the consequences of action, which especially shakes him up as he was the one who instigated this behind his commander’s back – who had left to attend an Imperial conference. That commander’s not going to be happy considering what he had suggested had been ignored and brought more loss for their forces.
Overall, I’d say the three episodes serve as a good introduction for how this series will play out. There’s obviously still more to see of Cassian’s original life, and his quest of wanting to find his sister. People from his current life are sure to show up again, having quickly been fleeing from what had happened. And from what we’ve seen from the trailers, this is now the time for exploration of the rebellion that’s building.
The series is tied to Rebels with its position in the timeline, with the first episode telling us through the same naming of planets system that Rogue One used that we’re currently in 5 BBY. I have a feeling we might be jumping quite a bit through the years, focusing on critical missions that Cassian undertakes for the rebellion, which serve as growth for the man he will be come Rogue One. No K-2SO, though. He won’t be coming until the second season, but the threads are there for why Cassian would want a droid companion.
I have loved these opening three episodes. The series is sure to be worth watching, with these next nine episodes providing a lot more of the intrigue that has kept the first three interesting to watch. I’ll be tuning in every Wednesday to see where this is going, though I won’t be talking any more about it until the conclusion of the season.
Images Taken From:
Star Wars Andor E1.01, E1.03
