‘Andor’ Episode 4 Recap: Star Wars’ Rebel Heroes Work in the Shadows

Episode 4 of Star Wars collection Andor hit Disney Plus on Wednesday, revealing Cassian’s early steps into the riot in opposition to the totalitarian Galactic Empire after abandoning his household, associates and residential in final week’s three-episode premiere. The fourth episode additionally introduces a well-recognized face in one of many riot’s best heroes, and a brand new one within the Imperial risk.

The present takes place 5 years earlier than Rogue One, which revealed the occasions main into the unique Star Wars movie, A New Hope. Life on this galaxy kinda sucks on this period, when Emperor Palpatine’s forces are increasing their sphere of affect and enveloping abnormal folks in a vicelike grip.

On the run from the legislation, Cassian (Diego Luna) escaped with insurgent recruiter Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) for elements unknown. Let’s try our hero’s new state of affairs, see how the seeds of riot are being planted on the coronary heart of galactic energy and meet our impeccably tailor-made baddies. An Empire of SPOILERS awaits.

The pitch

HYPERSPACE — Luthen continues to be supercool as he convinces Cassian to affix the insurgent trigger, reasoning that he is already earned a demise sentence by stealing from the Empire. The nihilist Cassian reckons preventing the Empire is a waste of time — higher to dwell no matter life you possibly can carve out below that regime. 

“You will in the end die preventing these bastards,” the charismatic recruiter says. “So what I am asking you is that this: Would not you reasonably give it suddenly to one thing actual, than carve off ineffective items till there’s nothing left?”

It is basically a repeat of Luthen’s speech again on Ferrix, however Skarsgård is so magnetic that I might fortunately watch him riff on this similar level one million alternative ways.

Luthen reveals that he got here to Ferrix to recruit Cassian to affix a heist on the quarterly payroll for your complete Imperial sector — presumably as a option to bankroll the riot whereas hurting the enemy. 

The fabulously dressed Galactic Empire

CORUSCANT, THE GALACTIC CAPITAL — A piece of this episode takes us to the seat of Palpatine’s Empire and introduces the villains of the Imperial Safety Bureau, or ISB. This legislation enforcement and intelligence company is answerable for conserving the citizenry firmly below the regime’s management, and is usually scary and nasty.

However rattling, these folks look glorious of their white uniforms. You would possibly recall Orson Krennic from Rogue One dressing in the same outfit; he is a director within the ISB-linked Imperial Navy Division of Superior Weapons Analysis and secretly engaged on the Demise Star at this level within the timeline.

Among the many impeccably tailor-made, and possibly the present’s foremost Imperial baddy, is Supervisor Dedra Meero (Denise Gough). Listening to in regards to the mess the company safety drive made on Ferrix because it tried to catch Cassian, she turns into intrigued despite the fact that it is outdoors her purview — in the end suggesting that it hints at an organized insurgent effort. 

Her snide boss, Main Partagaz (Anton Lesser, whom you would possibly bear in mind taking part in creepy ex-Maester Qyburn in Recreation of Thrones), would not suppose there’s sufficient proof and is just too targeted on sustaining paperwork to take a more in-depth look. He just about tells her to remain in her lane.

The Imperials do loads of sneering at one another as they attempt to climb the ladder — this may very well be boring, however everyone seems to be so fabulously dressed and the performing is so good that it is all tremendous partaking.

Did I point out how a lot I like their uniforms?

An actor prepares

On the opposite aspect of the coin is Sen. Mon Mothma, whom you would possibly bear in mind from her iconic “Many Bothans died…” speech in Return of the Jedi. Filling the function right here is Genevieve O’Reilly, who portrayed the character in Revenge of the Sith (although most of her scenes have been deleted), Rogue One, and CGI animated collection Rebels.

She’s secretly spearheading the nascent Insurgent Alliance and principally the anti-Palpatine. It is superior to see her on this paranoid setting — the Empire is clearly onto her, however she’s too outstanding to get rid of. 

As Luthen returns to Coruscant, he dons a lush curly wig, a superb outfit and foppish demeanor as a part of his cowl — the proprietor of a flowery vintage retailer catering to the capital’s elites. Skarsgård is as soon as once more magnificent on this aspect of the function, and the multilayered efficiency makes his assembly with Mon a delight to look at. Luthen has clearly been finding out area Stanislavski.

They can not belief Mon’s new driver, so he places on an enormous flamboyant present as she enters below the guise of getting a gift for her husband. He drops the facade and turns into his intense insurgent self solely once they’re alone. 

She’s struggling to entry funds for the riot and needs to carry somebody new into their tightly managed interior circle — a dangerous transfer, and Luthen is not wild about it.

“It is a daring alternative, however I belief you may have the braveness to show again if it needs to be a bit a lot,” he says, reassuming his persona and hitting us with some tasty subtext.

Assembly the partner

At Mon’s beautiful residence, we meet her beforehand unseen husband Perrin Fertha (Alastair Mackenzie). He comes throughout as a hedonistic jerk, and might be the right cowl for her actions (although she’s clearly pissed off with him). It is attainable that is simply one other act and Perrin is in on the riot, however we do not get any sense of that right here.

He is organized a flowery dinner for his previous military buddy, and Mon notices two excessive degree Imperials among the many friends:

• Ars Dangor is one in every of Palpatine’s foremost advisors, and sure one of many guys in humorous hats seen in his throne room in Return of the Jedi.
• Sly Moore is the bald, pale-skinned lady seen by Palpatine’s aspect in Assault of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. She’s one of many few individuals who know his true id as Sith Lord Darth Sidious. And her first identify suggests she’s to not be trusted.

Mainly, Mon Mothma is surrounded by enemies, cannot belief anybody and all of it sounds reasonably annoying. It is fairly glorious to look at.

A staff of rebels

ALDHANI — Earlier than his journey to Coruscant, Luthen drops Cassian off on this sparsely populated (however reasonably inexperienced and plush) world. The Empire took it over to be used as a distribution level in its galactic conquest, messing up the natives’ historic lifestyle below the guise of employment alternatives.

We’re additionally launched to the suspicious insurgent staff of all-new characters led by Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay), with Imperial Lt Gorn (Sule Rimi) as their man on the within. They’re principally fairly darn sad with having Cassian be part of the group simply days earlier than their heist goes down.

Their goal is an enormous, fortified Imperial garrison and so they have to interrupt right into a vault with a purpose to get their fingers on the payroll earlier than escaping in a freighter. They will use a celestial occasion as cowl, but it surely’s all fairly darn harmful.

Cassian is below stress to catch up in time for the heist and has to tug all-nighters, which jogs my memory how I used to deal with project deadlines in my school days, however with method larger stakes right here.

Rogue ideas, unanswered questions and Easter eggs

• The music that performs over the opening titles is wildly thrilling; composer Nicholas Britell (Moonlight and Succession) provides an entire layer of depth to this present.
• The attention-catching helmet behind Luthen’s vintage store seems to be precisely just like the “Darkish Lord’s Armor” worn by Galen Marek (aka Starkiller) in The Power Unleashed. The character adopted this search for the 2008 sport’s darkish aspect alternate storyline. It is not canon, but it surely nonetheless seems to be cool as heck.
• Cassian mentions being compelled to combat for the Empire on unpleasantly muddy world Mimban when he bought out of jail at 16, and it sounds rather a lot just like the chaotic battle seen in Solo. Cassian could have crossed paths with our boy Han.
• Luthen offers Cassian a fairly superior necklace as a down cost for his work with the rebels — a necklace with a kyber crystal. These uncommon stones are attuned to the Power and an important a part of a lightsaber, in addition to the Demise Star’s planet-destroying superlaser.  
• The crystal “celebrates the rebellion in opposition to the Rakatan invaders,” in keeping with Luthen. This species was first seen in noncanon 2003 online game Knights of the Outdated Republic, so this enjoyable reference brings them again into the continuity.
• Cassian makes use of the alias Clem, after the late adoptive father we met in the earlier episode’s flashbacks.
• The ISB assembly features a point out of Ryloth, the Twi’lek homeworld seen in CGI animated collection The Clone Wars and Rebels.
• The Empire is seemingly mining on the distant world Arvala-6. Arvala-7 is the planet the place Mando finds Grogu in the primary episode of The Mandalorian, which takes place a number of years after Return of the Jedi.
• The Empire makes use of the Ferrix fiasco as an excuse to grab management of the Morlana system — basic colonialism. The Company Safety guys are concerned, together with our pal Syril Karn (Kyle Soller).
• The identify “Hosnian Prime” is among the many bulletins as Syril arrives dwelling to Coruscant — that’ll grow to be the capital of the New Republic a long time after the Empire’s fall and is destroyed by the First Order in The Power Awakens.
• The slap/hug Syril’s mother Eedy greets him with hints at a bizarre relationship.
• One of many Aldhani crew mentions insurgent extremist Noticed Gerrera, an superior however harmful character seen in The Clone Wars, Rebels and Rogue One.
• Marvel’s present Darth Vader comedian collection sees dinner visitor Sly Moore embroiled in legal syndicate Crimson Daybreak’s plot to kill Vader. This story is ready between The Empire Strikes Again and Return of the Jedi, so practically a decade after the occasions of this present.
• I have been wanting a Mon Mothma story since 2016, after I occurred on an announcement that her previous could be revealed in a novel. That turned out to be an April Idiot’s joke, however the concept was so thrilling that it is caught in my thoughts for the final six years. I am glad Andor is giving her the highlight.

Come again for extra Easter eggs and observations subsequent Wednesday, Oct. 5, when episode 5 of Andor hits Disney Plus.