Warning: There will be spoilers for the Cassia Andor series finale directly following.
If you haven’t seen it yet, proceed with extreme caution.
You have been warned!
The Cassian Andor season 1 finale is here!
And what a freaking episode it is!
If you were holding out and waiting around to see Jedi, Sith, Darth Vader, lightsabers,
the Force, or any of the other elements we have seen in just about every other Star Wars
project, then I’m sorry you were left disappointed.
Because you won’t find it in Andor…except the weird lightsaber weapon on Luthen Rael’s
ship.
Which still isn’t confirmed to be lightsabers.
Nor do I think it will be.
But anyway, this episode relies 100% on the human factor of war.
Then there’s the end credit scene!
Wow!
I’m not one of those youtubers who gets upset when I’m wrong.
And I was very wrong in this case.
I’m actually happy about it.
Why?
Because I thought this thing would ruin the show.
But it didn’t.
It was masterfully done in a way that didn’t ruin what we know about Rogue One: A Star
Wars Story.I don’t want to say what that thing is…just go watch it.
If you love Star Wars as much as I do, or you’re just a casual fan wanting to talk
about the greatest franchise ever created, then you’ve come to the right place.
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I actually didn’t finish this video in the timeframe I usually release videos.
I really like you all to know what time I release videos.
Which is right around 9AM EST.
But I couldn’t help it this time.
I’m so excited for the conclusion of season 1 that I couldn’t wait until tomorrow morning
to release it.
So…my apologies for going off schedule.
With that…let’s get on with it.
Tony Gilroy started this whole trend of average people becoming heroes in the Star Wars universe
when he wrote Rogue One: A Star Wars Story…yes…Tony Gilroy co-wrote the script…then continued
the idea in Season 1 of Andor.
It’s about how average people stand up to a tyrannical fascist regime and against all
hope, they still fight and rebel.
I know I’ve made other videos speculating that Luthen Rael may be a Sith or a Jedi.
But if he is any of those things, I don’t think it will be outwardly shown.
Just hinted at.
And I don’t think it should be, either.
Why?
Because the Andor show isn’t about that.
It’s about the human side of war.
Not superpowers or a mystical field guiding actions and obeying your commands.
It isn’t about the leaders of either side of this war either, but rather the people
who win and lose rebellions.
From the mid-level officers to the foot soldiers on either side.
Okay…other than Mon Mothma.
But there’s no Princes Leia, no Luke Skywalker, no Han Solo and no upper echelon of the Empire.
What makes this story and especially the season finale great is the emotion, the tension,
the chances taken by normal beings when they have no right to have any hope of a victory.
And in the beginning, it isn’t about a victorious rebellion.
It’s about showing the Empire that they won’t be subjugated without a fight.
That if you’re going to occupy and rule over them, it’ll be a brick-by-brick battle.
They feel as though they will likely lose, but it will be a hard victory for their occupiers.
And that is something we haven’t seen in Star Wars in the past.
It’s always been about the shiny leaders and their victories.
This Andor series is dark…dirty…gritty.
And it shows the lines between right and wrong being blurred.
I was going to do another scene-by-scene breakdown of the Andor season 1 finale, as I’ve done
in the past.
But I felt you know the scenes, if you’ve seen it.
Instead, I’ll sum it up in the tropes and arcs we’ve seen come together.
Cassian Andor returns to Ferrix, after learning of his mother’s passing.
We can tell he knows it’s a bad idea as he is very careful not to get spotted.
But he isn’t the only one who has returned to his home.
Everyone we have seen in previous episodes, who are looking for Cassian Andor have converged
on the funeral of Maarva Andor.
Hoping Cassian will return, so they can either capture or kill him.
Dedra Meero, Syril Karn, Luthen Rael, and Vel Sartha are all present in this explosive
build up.
As ISB Supervisor Dedra Meero sets the trap around Maarva’s funeral, Vel Sartha and
Cinta Kaz watch.
Luthen Rael shows up to ensure Cassian Andor is killed first-hand, and Syril Karn is still
wanting his revenge for Cassian Andor embarrassing him in the first arc of the story.
But back to Luthen…in my last video, I hinted around that Luthen would rather take matters
into his own hands than sit around and wait.
Sure, he waited for the Aldhani Heist to conclude but we could tell he didn’t want to.
His assistant was there to talk him down and bring him back to where he needs to be.
This time, he didn’t listen to her when she told him his presence could exacerbate
the problem, and that he should come home.
But being impatient, he went to Ferrix anyway…and the end result…well…let’s just say he
wasn’t expecting what he found…a man with nothing left to live for.
Dedra Meero finds herself in the middle of an uprising and isn’t prepared.
She had set the riot troops out for the funeral but that was more of a show of force, rather
than an attack.
She thought by flexing the Empire’s manhood, the citizens would just go about their funeral
in peace and the trap for Cassian Andor would be successful…if he showed up.
But the uprising did prove one thing…there was someone unexpected who had her back.
Syril Karn.
If there was any thought as to why he was even there, it was for this moment.
His ambitions and motivations gained him favor with the woman he admired, as an unintended
consequence.
Just as the uprising was about to begin, and the final moments of Maarva’s message played
out from B2EMO, the loveable droid was kicked over by an Imperial officer.
This made my own emotions kick in and I wanted to relieve the officer of that foot.
Yes, it’s a disturbing reaction, but that’s how emotionally involved this show gets us.
No, I wouldn’t really cut off his foot.
It was a euphemism.
Okay, I knew this season would end on a cliffhanger.
If you were expecting everything to be wrapped up nice and tight…again…I’m sorry you
were disappointed.
But the writing once again shows nothing less than amazing attention to detail.
The acting is far above anything we have seen in any Star Wars project, and the directing
is phenomenal.
Let’s not forget the music.
Especially in the finale.
It makes us sad, when we feel the loss.
It makes us ready to stand up and fight alongside the crowd, and it builds the tension all the
way up to the final battle.
I’ve liked the music in the whole series, but this was some of the best.
No triumphant fanfare.
No marching anthem.
This soundtrack was raw…dirty…and often times out of tune for the purpose of getting
us to the point where we are on the edge of our seats.
I don’t know how much praise of this episode you are going to listen to but I will leave
this final thought with you.
As everyone involved in standing up to the Empire, and there are many who deserve the
title “hero”, there are two that became my favorites.
The first being Wilmon Paak.
The son of Salman Paak.
Remember him?
He was the first to be brought in by the Empire and tortured with the headphones…then killed.
His son Wilmon chucked the homemade bomb at the Empire and really took them off their
feet.
But he didn’t do it for the greater good.
He didn’t do it for some victorious rebellion.
He did it…for his father.
He did it because taking his father from him hurt him deeply, and we can feel his pain.
A true hero amongst average people.
The second, and I may sound like I’m not acknowledging others with bigger roles, but
I’m not…but the hero I’m speaking of is the Time Grappler…or the Hammer Guy in
the tower.
By vigilantly hammering away at his Beskar anvil…yes…it’s confirmed to be Beskar…he
sets the tone for the coming revolution.
He continues this even through the fighting.
When he Spartan kicks the stormtrooper out of the tower, we have to cheer.
It’s as if he’s saying, “this is MY tower and you scum will not invade MY territory.”
It’s like his own little fort which he is defending…to keep his place…to keep his
honor…and to do his part in the larger uprising.
That hammer will continue to strike its bell regardless of his own danger.
As I said, that isn’t downplaying others in the revolution.
Brasso is a homie to be reckoned with.
He even headbutts a Stormtrooper…ouch.
And let’s not forget those who perished and will never see the success of their fight.
In all, I still give the Cassian Andor series an 11/10.
It’s better than anything we’ve seen in recent years and the production of the series
is on a grand scale.
If there is anything about this series you’d like me to talk about, please leave it in
the comments.
I left out a lot of the show because I don’t want to spoil everything.
This is Gerald, a Star Wars Fanatic signing off, wishing you al great health, happiness
and peace.
Be good to each other, thank you for watching and remember, this is the way…and positivity
in the Star Wars community is the only way!