Warning: There will be spoilers for episode 9 of the Star Wars Andor series. And really…the
whole show up to this point. If you haven’t seen it, proceed with caution. You have been
warned.
Episode 9 of the Star Wars Andor series is out, and we are no closer to knowing what
Cassian Andor, Melshi and the other inmates of Narkina 5 are building. There have been
a lot of theories and speculation as to what it could be. I, myself have created a video
saying it may be a probe droid. But as I watched the episode again and spent countless hours
studying the piece…it’s too large to be the under carriage of a probe droid. Not to
mention, the dangling arms of the Probe Droid are of different sizes and uses. As we see
from the components Andor is building, the 6 appendages are symmetrical. So…yeah…I
was wrong, I admit it. And that’s okay.
There are literally hundreds of theories out there about what they could be building. So,
instead of taking all those theories and discussing them, I’ll just use the most popular ones.
The popular theory on the item is that it is either the support structure of the Death
Star and another popular theory suggests that the Narkina 5 inmates are building Tie Fighter
parts. Specifically the center of the wing. Other lesser-known theories include At-At
feet and the structures which hold tie fighters in place in a hangar. But I am going to explain
why, if it is any of these things, it shouldn’t be the case. And before anyone says anything,
I am really getting into the Andor series. More than I thought I would. I also am loving
the theories everyone is posting in the comments. And I’m not hating on them, at all. It’s
great brain work.
With that said, let’s start off with the theory that Andor is building Death Star Structural
pieces making up the sphere we all know and love.
First, we will look at the timeline. The Andor series takes place 14 years after the fall
of the Republic and the Jedi Order. This is five years prior to the events of Rogue One:
A Star Wars Story, and A New Hope. As we see in Rogue One, the Death Star’s Shell is
complete. The remaining piece to install is the massive focus laser. That means the superstructure,
or spherical shape and all inner components has finished the construction phase. How do
I know the inner workings are complete? Because, after the focus laser is put in place, we
see the Imperial officers aboard the Death Star ready for trials. Not just the higher
ranks, but there are also weapons technicians, navigational specialists, and everything between
settled in to spread fear throughout the galaxy.
But Let’s go back to Revenge of the Sith, for just a moment, as it’s crucial to understanding
how long it took to build the floating ball of death. It can be argued that we don’t
know the timeline of the scene where Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and Grand Moff Tarkin
are watching the construction of the armored space station, at the end of Revenge of the
Sith. However, there is one clue that tells us that this isn’t very long after the rise
of the Empire. The main clue…Tarkin is much younger. And in this scene, we see the support
structure almost complete. The outer shell panels are in the beginning stages and are
sporadically present, as well. So, that means that it has taken them roughly 15 years to
be at a stalemate in the shell construction, if we are to believe Andor is building Death
Star structural parts. Give or take a few years. Then, within 5 years they get it all
finished, moving into Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and A New Hope. It seems unlikely that
it took that long, as the only complaint before those two awesome movies was that the planet
killing focus beam had not been designed to completion due to lack of technology, but
I guess it’s possible.
Funding disputes for different projects may have slowed production. Especially since we
know that around 3 years prior to A New Hope, Grand Admiral Thrawn was trying to get funding
for his Tie Defender program, and that meant taking away from project Stardust…or the
Death Star. So…it’s possible that the Death Star took a decade to get over that
hump…but the size of the Death Star tells us differently. How long does it take us to
build a high rise? A year? Two years? And that’s only a thousand feet tall or so,
on average for United States cities. Imagine building a small moon in the same allotted
time.
Okay, enough with the timeline. Let’s look at the piece Cassian Andor is building on
Narkina 5, to see how feasible it is to include it in the construction. It has 6 extensions
from the center. This would allow attachments from 6 other pieces. If a beam were attached
to each end, six more of these components could be added to those beams… and the structure
grows from there, forming a sphere, if needed. But there’s a problem with the design of
these components that Cassian Andor and the other inmates are building…pinned hinge
joints. Each of the 6 extending arms have extensions attached to them by pinned hinge
joints. Meaning, each arm is able to be positioned independently of the others. That creates
structural issues that we know aren’t present in the Death Star.
What do I mean by that? Hmmm…okay…if these items are in fact the support structure for
the hull, then that means the entire sphere is either mechanized to expand and contract
like a Hoberman Sphere. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a toy created by a Harvard
professor. It’s a sphere that begins small in its original form, then expands when a
pulling motion is applied. And we know the Death Star doesn’t have that capability
due to the outer shell not having room to expand and contract. Also…why would that
be added into the Star Wars lore by the Andor series when it was never discussed before?
It seems game changing for no reason. Simple…the Death Star doesn’t grow nor shrink.
I could also mention that joints such as this wear out faster than the solid portions of
a structure. What goes out first? Your vehicle’s frame or the shocks and struts? Moving parts
deteriorate faster…and replacing these items, which are attached to an outer hull would
be a financial nightmare.
Now, maybe these joints are supported and won’t expand. That creates two other issues.
Why make joints at all? The cost of making these highly machined and tolerance driven
parts is too high just to be made static…or useless as joints. The other issue is cost.
Where these joints would cost roughly 5 times the amount to make…just for them to be static
makes no sense. 6 solid arms would make more sense for a solid shell…and it would be
far more cost effective. Again, funding seemed to be an issue per Star Wars Rebels. So…it’s
simple…these aren’t Death Star structure pieces. But that isn’t saying they can’t
be parts making up the inner core…but that would be finished in construction at this
time. Yes…15 years after beginning construction, most of the main elements of the Death Star
outer structure and inner structure would be complete. With just the detailed workings
of the interior needing competed. Such as barracks, mess halls…or gallies if you’re
more familiar with Naval terms, and bulkheads. Think of it like this, as time consuming as
it would have been to build the exterior, it would have taken much longer to build the
interior.
And if Cassian Andor learns that it is the Death Star, it kind of takes away from the
whole surprise to the rebellion that the Death Star even exists.
But again, that isn’t saying it IS NOT the Death Star. I’m just saying it makes no
sense for it to be the Death Star in practical terms. Sure, it would be poetic for Cassian
Andor to be building the super structure that killed him and Jynn Erso in Rogue One: A Star
Wars Story, but it just seems irrational.
The next theory, as to what Cassian Andor and company are building on Narkina 5 is that
of Tie Fighter wing components. A Tie Fighter wing does have 6 panels and these pieces would
be about the right size for the center of the wings. And we have seen Tie Fighters fold
their wings for ground landings. So, the pinned hinge joints may be of use to the Tie Fighter
structure. But again, there’s an issue with this. As the prison components do have 6 distinct
arms that would fit a Tie Fighter wing, all the arms are hinged. That makes 3 sets of
two hinges when applied to the Empire’s standard fighter. But Tie fighter wings only
fold in half. 4 Hinges are all that it requires. That leaves 2 of the hinges useless and unnecessary.
Now, I’m not saying that these parts can’t be that of a tie fighter. But it seems unlikely
to make 6 joints when only four are needed. So…another unlikely theory, if we are going
to keep up with established Star Wars lore and continuity.
Moving on…Next up…the apparatus which hangs tie fighters from the ceilings of hangars
in Star Destroyers and ground air bases. It’s unlikely that it would be these…the hanging
apparatus…apparatuses… are clamps which hold the fighters by the inner wing arms,
not from the outer wing center.
The last theory suggests that Cassian Andor is being forced to produce At-At or A.T. A.T.
Walker feet. For that there are a couple issues with it. First is the size. These components
are much too small to be that of an Imperial Walker’s feet. In the Empire Strikes Back
we get a size comparison of the walker’s foot next to Luke Skywalker. The foot covers
his T-47 Snowspeeder entirely…or air speeder in other circumstances. The second issue is
that the Imperial walkers only have 4 hinged toes. One coming out from each side of the
round foot. The toes don’t hinge until just outside the foot. As I explained before, there
are 6 hinges on the components that Cassian Andor is building in the Star Wars Andor series.
I won’t be upset if any of these theories are correct. But it will kind of make me scratch
my head for the reasons listed above. You know, established Star Wars lore and continuity.
I know I sound cynical about these theories, but I actually think they are all great ideas.
And I am no one to knock anyone for speculating on the Andor series, nor any other Star Wars
project. Especially since we have very little clues as to what is actually being built on
Narkina 5. I admit that my own Probe Droid theory is also flawed, but as I said…it’s
fun to craft a theory. If it’s wrong, no harm no foul. I don’t know anyone at Lucasfilm
nor Disney. I’m not friends with Tony Gilroy, and I really don’t think any of them have
even seen any of my videos. And that’s okay too. I’m not one of those who thinks my
theories are the best ideas and I won’t be mad if they don’t use them. I just like
enjoying Star Wars and I’m really loving the Andor series. I know I say that a lot
but it’s a huge surprise to me, because I wasn’t particularly enthused for the show,
when it was announced.
I thought…”why?” And that’s the same thing I thought when Solo: A Star Wars Story
was announced. But now even though I still don’t understand why Andor was chosen for
its own series, other than Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was bad ass, I’m glad they did.
So, keep those Star Wars theories coming. I love hearing them. Even if I try to argue
a little bit, it’s all in good fun and we are all here for the same purpose…we love
Star Wars…and who could hate that?
This is Gerald from Star Wars Fanatic signing off, wishing you all great health, happiness,
and peace. Thank you all for watching and remember, this is the way…the only way!