Andor (Season 1), Episodes 1, 2, 3 Recap & Ending Explained: Star Wars fans are already familiar with Rebel spy and freedom fighter Cassian Andor, who played a seminal role in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The latest Star Wars series, Andor, serves as a prequel to the events of Rogue One and traces Cassian’s arc with the intention of explaining how he ends up doing what he does. The sociopolitical situation in the galaxy during the events of Andor is pretty grim: the Empire is in full swing, to the point that the power-hungry have become complacent in their rule, as they’re smugly satisfied that no one can topple such an omnipresent authoritarian regime. This, however, is the perfect time for the dissenters to strike back.
Those acquainted with the ending of Rogue One are aware of Cassian’s fate. Before we delve into it, please note that there are MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Andor and Rogue One.
Rogue One ends on a rather bittersweet note. On the one hand, Cassian was key in delivering the schematics of the Death Star to Leia Organa, which essentially kickstarted the events of A New Hope. However, countless people died for the cause, including Cassian. We already know how Cassian’s arc ends, so the point of Andor is to ask: Who is Cassian Andor, and what motivates him to make the ultimate sacrifice?
Andor (Season 1), Episodes 1, 2, 3 Recap:
Disney+ dropped a three-episode premiere for Andor, which is a smart move for many reasons. As episodes 1 and 2 are character-driven, slow-burn affairs that introduce us to the show’s world and its inhabitants, it takes some time for audiences to settle into a show that speaks about the gritty experiences of the everyman. The wait until episode 3 is absolutely worth it, as it is a masterful narration that relays the anxiety and danger of the times while establishing the significance of Cassian as a potential threat to the Empire.
At this point in Star Wars history, there are no Jedi in Andor, as most of the ones remaining have either completely renounced their way or are in hiding. This is a politically-charged time period in which the Empire has complete control over the planets they control, making it extremely dangerous for pockets of rebellion to form, let alone execute a workable plan. The series starts with Cassian (Diego Luna) in the corporate zone of Morlana One, where he enters a pleasure establishment to ask about a woman. While attempting to seek out information about his sister, he lets slip that he’s from Kenari. After he is hassled by two corpo officials, he hits one bloke back in self-defense, but the blow proves to be fatal. Cassian has no option but to kill the other bloke with a blaster.
HOW DO THE IMPERIALS TRACK DOWN CASSIAN ANDOR?
Although the complacency of the empire almost guaranteed Cassian’s safety, imperial bootlicker Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) is hell-bent on finding the perpetrator in order to get a promotion. Syril is the kind of guy everybody detests in office spaces: he’s a spineless overachiever who pushes others to work harder so that it reflects well on his performance. With the aid of a corporal who eggs his comic villainy on, Syril issues a public notice that they’re looking for a dangerous Kenari man from Ferrix. As Cassian’s official documents and backstory detail that he’s from Fest, and only a few people know he’s actually from Kenari, viewers wonder how exactly things will go wrong.
Meanwhile, back on Ferrix, Cassian seeks out Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona), with whom he clearly has some sort of romantic history. Cassian seems to be desperate for money, as he urges Bix to arrange a meeting between him and a secret buyer she knows, as he has an untraceable NS9 Starpath unit to sell (with a still-intact Imperial seal). While Bix offers to buy it herself, he says that he does not want a partner but wants to leave Ferrix alone after getting paid. Bix agrees to call the secret buyer.
While this seems to have gone smoothly, Bix’s “work partner”, Timm (James McArdle), becomes increasingly jealous of Bix and Cassian’s frequent and often secret meetups. Putting two and two together after finding the Imperial search bulletin for Cassian, Timm anonymously tips Syril’s men that the man they’re looking for is Cassian Andor. It is unclear as to how exactly Timm knows that Cassian is from Kenari and what drove him to snitch to the Imperials, but Timm is clearly meddling in affairs that are not his business.
WHAT HAPPENED ON KENARI ALL THOSE YEARS BACK?
The Kenari flashbacks are spaced out amongst the first three episodes, which grants us access to the slow-burn mystery of Cassian’s home planet. Young Cassian and his sister were part of a tribe on Kenari, who banded together to investigate a crashed ship on the planet. Most of the crew members are dead except for one, who instinctually shoots the leader of the tribe with his blaster. While everyone runs away, Cassian stays back and inspects the ship, and is intercepted by scavengers Maarva Andor (Fiona Shaw) and a B2EMO droid. Taking pity on the boy who will clearly be killed by Imperials who are closing in, along with others on the planet. Maarva takes Cassian against his will, and he is forced to abandon his sister. Cassian, or Kassa, as he was known on his home planet, takes on the Andor name.
Although there is tension between Cassian and Maarva in the present day, the former does not necessarily fault the latter for his childhood trauma. Maarva’s intentions were to save the child, but she had inadvertently separated a child from his only family. Cassian might have forgiven Maarva, but he clearly has not forgotten. The whole Morgana One incident occurs because he is looking for his sister, who he believes is still alive.
DOES CASSIAN MANAGE TO ESCAPE THE IMPERIALS ON FERRIX?
Bix’s secret buyer, Luthen (Stellan Skarsgrd), arrives on Ferrix and asks Bix whether Cassian can be trusted. The two men meet in an abandoned factory, and Cassian wants to get the transaction over with, asking Luthen to pay up and leave. Meanwhile, Syril’s corpo team has already landed on Ferrix and is actively looking for Cassian, which sends Bix into a state of panic. Learning about Timm’s betrayal, Bix is disgusted by his behavior and storms off to the streets to search for Cassian. Using Cassian’s official records as a lead, the corpos ransack Maarva’s house and hear Cassian speaking to B2EMO over comms, which leads them to figure out his location in the factory.
Back in the factory, Luthen expresses skepticism about Cassian’s intentions: he posits that he’s either an Imperial spy or a thief, as it is a wonder how Cassian got his hands on an unopened Starpath unit with such ease. Cassian reveals: all he has to do is “walk in like you belong,” as the Imperials are smugly satisfied with their authority. Luthen warns that this is soon about to change, and reveals that he knows about Cassian’s past, including how his father was hung by the Imperials. Cassian pulls out his gun, but Luthen eggs him on by asking how he intends to outrun the approaching corpos. Asking him to fight them with him, Luthen proposes that they escape via Cassian’s ship near the ferry line.
After smashing Cassian’s comm, Luthen triggers a blast charge at the entrance of the factory, which takes out some of Syril’s men. Escaping via a back tunnel, the two make it through the streets, although Cassian is unable to retrieve the Starpath unit. Syril positions himself to scope out the fugitives but is surprised by Cassian, who asks him how many men are with him at gunpoint. In a display of quick thinking, Cassian sends a bomb-rigged speeder through the town square, creating a distraction for him and Luthen to escape on a speeder bike. Syril looks on in shock and dismay as he is unable to process the severity and consequences of the massive mess-up he has singlehandedly constructed.
Andor (Season 1), Episode 3 Ending, Explained:
After building up the tension about Cassian’s past over the course of three episodes, episode 3 reveals the truth about Cassian and Maarva’s dynamic. This moment is mirrored with Cassian flying into the unknown with Luthen on his ship, as the ending of episode 3 marks a new beginning for our would-be Rebel spy. Maarva’s intervention in Kenari saved Cassian and led him on a completely different path, and history is being repeated with Luthen, who will most likely introduce him to the Rebel cause, setting his course towards the events of Rogue One.
However, the lull of the past still holds Cassian back. Back in Kenari, he had to leave his sister behind to an unknown fate, and this time, he is leaving Maarva, Bix, B2EMO, and his friends behind to escape the Imperial wrath. Needless to say, Ferrix will pay the price for standing up to the Empire, and people like Bix, who are already rebelling in their own way, are now in danger due to their connection with Cassian. Will Cassian Andor come back to help his friends? This remains to be seen in upcoming episodes of Andor, which are bound to be more action-heavy and frenetic than the ones released so far.
