Alright, so Andor Episode 4 is out now and in this video we're gonna be
breaking down the story, some of the easter eggs that you probably missed,
our theories for next episode, and also our reaction and review of this episode.
Last week we left Cassian battling it out with the corporate authority, learned of his Kenari origin
story, and saw him leaving Ferrix with Luthen into parts unknown. Still haven’t a clue why Luthen
wanted Andor, maybe it’s a Star Wars version of Taken, Liam Neeson, I mean Qui Gon, where you at?!
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With that out of the way, a huge thank you for clicking this, now let's get into Andor episode 4.
**SHOW BUMPER HERE**
This week picks up immediately after that escape, as we learn more about what Luthen actually wants
with Cassian, offering him an opportunity to do something bigger than scraping by day to
day. This is a similar call to the rebel cause we’ve seen a handful of times in previous Star
Wars projects, with Andor recruiting Jin Urso in Rogue One. Obi-Wan did it to Luke,
Ezra Bridger got something similar and it’s sort of like poetry they rhyme.
Through this conversation we discover they are headed to the planet of Aldani,
while Cassian reveals his past of fighting on Mimban,
and how the Empire had them fighting themselves. Now two interesting things
are that Mimban was the gruesome looking battle that was featured in Solo: A Star Wars Story,
so this giant universe, aint so big after all. But that the Empire’s tactics of oppressing the
galaxy, and using themselves against one another had been instilled for decades.
The job Cassian is recruited for is finally revealed being 5 days, big stakes (use a
picture of a steak), a prep team with a good plan, annnnnnddddd paying 200,000 credits.
**INSERT SHOW ME THE MONEY Jerry Mcguire CLIP**
Smash cut over to Coruscant, the capital of the galaxy. Which is heavily shown in
the prequel films, being this almost New York-esque metropolis that is home
to important Star Wars locations like the Jedi Council, the Senate, and of course Dex’s Diner.
But instead of grabbing some Jawa Juice, we head over to the Imperial Security Bureau or the ISB,
who just won’t let the rebels be, they’re gonna try to shut em’ down on Aldani. I’m probably
getting fired for that one. Annnyyywwaayy, the ISB is the central intelligence and law enforcement
agency for the entire Galactic empire, started shortly after the New Order rule of the emperor
with a handful of agents, growing exponentially in size, as they now run a majority of the galaxy.
This is where we are introduced to a new character of Dedra Meero in what appears to be
an imperial debriefing room. It’s showcased that the Imperials are wearing all white,
lack any sense of fashion or color, showing how order is maintained,
with no personality allowed or stepping out of line. It’s gathered through this briefing
that the ISB isn’t necessarily involved in law enforcement, but rather health care,
stomping out germs. Being the remedy for anyone or anything that may cause a disruption.
This obviously being a metaphor for viruses and how they view the rebels. Their ideology
spreads like a cancer to the imperials, constantly growing and infecting people to turn against their
oppressors, which we saw inkings of in the first 3 episodes. The conflict on Ferrix is brought up
by Lieutenant Supervisor Blevin, played by Ben Bailey Smith aka Doc Brown… Uhhh no no,
he’s actually a rapper & comedian, some of his stuff’s not bad. Anyway he discusses
how the incident was botched by the Corporate Authority agents, with Ferrix and the entire
Molana system now shifting control from the corpos to permanent imperial authority, aka stormtroppers
be patrolling the streets, so hide your kids, hide your wife, they snatchin’ up everyone.
There’s a final tease from one of the imperial officers mentioning that there has been an
increase in construction shipments to the planet of Scariff. Haha got a nice Rogue One tease,
because Scariff is where the finale of that film takes place, transmitting the
Deathstar plans to the rebels, and also where Andor’s story comes to a close… Yeah he dead
**INSERT SPOILER UMBRELLA ACADEMY CLIP ALERT CLIP**
Back on Aldani, Cassian cleans up, shaving his beard, which both ironically makes him
look more like his wanted hologram from the previous episodes, but also symbolizes that
he is back on the path of scum and villainy, in the sense of he’s breaking the law in the
eyes of the empire again. Taking on the name “Clem” for the next 5 days to protect
his identity. Which is a nice callback that I completely missed in episode 3,
but Clem is the name of his adoptive father he saw looting the ship with Maarva.
Further conversation with Luthen reveals him handing over a kyber crystal to Andor as a
down payment for the job. Now if you’re a big Star Trek fan, you know kyber crystals are what
power lightsabers. A Jedi’s apprenticeship saw them searching for one themselves,
commonly on planets like IIum or Jedha, bonding with the force user to give the crystal and
lightsaber its signature color. Now with the kyber having a sky blue color, and Luthen
firmly saying he wants it back when all of this is done makes me believe he could be an ex Jedi.
Wouldn’t that be a twist of fate, hey it could happen. We’ve seen crazier things in Star Wars.
^^Use McDonald’s it could happen and Rey is a Palpatine clips here**
There’s a hooded figure making their way to the ship, similar to Obi Wan but also
wearing a poncho that looks very similar to the ones Kal Kestis wears in the Jedi:
Fallen Order video game. I honestly thought it was going to be Kestis at first, but hey, we’re
one step closer to getting him in live action. I’m curious who would play him though, he… he kinda
looks like that dude from Shameless but, mmmm not really. The cockpit of Luthen’s ship also has
a striking similarity to the Millennium Falcon, especially when jumping to hyperspace earlier on.
It is interesting because Vel, ohh I completely forgot to introduce her. This is Vel Sartha,
leader of this ragtag group of people Luthen has put together for this mission,
which has apparently been 5 months in the making, so it’s pretty jarring to bring Andor into the mix
only 3 days before it’s supposed to go down. Anyway Vel does mention Aldani used to be a
robust countryside before the Empire took control, roughly a decade earlier. Expanding that Aldani is
the perfect hub for distribution, if someone were to try to take over the whole galaxy.
INSERT “Close to nothing, and not very far from everything” CLIP HERE
But Vel mentions there are still a few shepherds, nature lovers,
mystics, dead enders, guy’s named Frank in the hills which to me says some Jedi
or potentially force sensitive individuals are hiding out on this planet. Meaning the
dilapidated structures could have been an old Jedi lodging, and the stone temple that
the crew mentions in their plan later in the episode was an old Jedi Temple.
Much like everyone in this operation is told only the information they need at the time, it was
revealed to Andor that the job was stealing the entirely quarterly imperial payroll,
that's it. But it is actually from a huge imperial armory and garrison. Again carrying
similarities from Rogue One, this feels like a suicide mission, as we now see the
planet is patrolled by tie fighters from an airbase nearby, adding to the minimal
success of this job, and the fear the empire has over the cowarding people in the galaxy.
Luthen is now off to Coruscant, and we learn a bit more about him, as we see this literal
transformation of scoundrel, untrustworthy, seed of the rebellion, to this fancy-pants,
fake smiling elite wearing golden rings and bracelets, acting very regal and snooty with
his hand movements, Like “Ohhh look at me, I’m so fancy.” It’s a massive transformation from
episode 3, and kind of reminds me of bruce wayne’s playboy persona in the Nolan Batman
trilogy. But after this transformation, we can see this persona is the one that is fake, as
the fake joy is entirely sucked out of him when he’s all done and ready.
There’s 2 big blue moons on the horizon of Aldani, that look like the dual suns of Tatooine,
as we’re introduced to a couple of the other rebels on this craaaazzzzyyyy mission. Both Karis
Nemik & Arvel Skeen…I know it’s Star Wars, but I can’t pronounce these names. Give me a Bill or
a Ted, Idk, something easy. But they are played by Alex Lawther & Ebon moss-bachrach, who I thought
would be yelling out Italian Beef orders because I just saw him in The Bear, and chef kiss. Nemik
was caught sleeping, saying if Saw Guerra was there, he would have his head on a pike.
Saw Guerra who we know is played by Forest Whitaker, is a major player in the rebellion
and known for his guerilla tactics and aggressive approach of fighting the Empire. In live action,
he was in Rogue One but also featured throughout the clone wars, rebels,
the bad batch, along with a handful of novels. So it seems these pockets of rebels are all isolated,
but do have contact with one another, or at least knowing of the major players in the game. At camp
the other two members that make up this small group of rebels are Taramyn Barcona and Cinta Kaz,
as it is further shown every member of the group is a bit shocked by the arrival of Andor,
and that keeping information from one another may be a downfall of this upcoming operation.
Karn appears to be discharged from the Corporate Authority ever since it was
taken over by total imperial control. I’m taking it he was dishonorably discharged in a sense,
because returning home has this depressing feel, with his mother slapping him when
he returns. She does have a very similar hairstyle to what Leia has in The Last Jedi,
so hairstyles in the Star Wars world haven't changed much in roughly 40 years. I thought
for sure Karn would play a much bigger role, climbing the ranks, so I’m curious if he is out
of the corporate section, but going to join the imperial academy straight up in the next episodes.
Luthen’s day to day persona is finally revealed, like we thought, he is this rich elite,
being an antiquities dealer, dealing with some rare and unique items. Just a handful of items
around his shop is the beskar mandalorian armor that we’ve seen ole’ Mando wear,
a small dagger that looks similar to the Mortis Dagger from the clone wars, a gungan
shield from the battle of naboo in the back. I bet you’re thinking “Meese did not see that one” Sooo
uhh you’re welcome. But also these stone glyphs look similar to the meditation circles from Jedi:
Fallen Order. But going one further, these two with the fist and open hand,
look like they are straight out of Fallen Order’s upgrade skill tree, a circle with a symbol in the
middle. Now neither of these symbols are actual upgrades in the game, but they are leaning
heavily into the jedi temple lore and symbols from the game. It could be a long shot but…
**NEVER TELL ME THE ODDS Clip**
Meeting with Luthen is Mon Mothma, who is again a high ranking member of the rebellion
that we see in later films, featured to be in the planning of the events in Rogue One,
and the battle of the Death Star Part 2, as she opposed the policies of Supreme Chancellor
Palptine as leader of the Galactic Senate's Loyalist faction. So we’re getting her at
the time of her still pulling some power in the Senate, while also trying to spark the rebellion
on the side. Through conversation we find out her and Luthen’s relationship is secretive,
not a cheating affair type thing, but she is bankrolling the operation Luthen has going
with Andor and the others. It sounds like they have been planning this in private for a while,
but it’s a losing cause, almost making 2 steps forward and one back.
Now one interesting thing Mothma suggests is she may have found another person to bring into the
circle to help with the rebellion. Who this mystery man or woman maybe is only a guess.
My first thought was Leia, but at this time in the story she is only 14 years old, so not sure
how much of an influence she may have. And I get it, Padma was only 14 years old in the Phantom
Menace,blah blah blah, but times are a changin folks. “The government is run by some creepy old
man with unlimited power” southern accent …wait a minute. My guess is on Bale Organa, who then will
eventually bring Leia on board. It feels like a right way to usher in and connect these stories.
Either way, I am assuming this Luthen relationship will continue through the show,
because she’s only taking the artifact on loan, and will be back at some point. With Luthen saying
INSERT CLIP “Trust you have the courage to turn back if its too much”
My guess is after the Andor mission goes sideways, they go into full panic mode
when the ISB is slowly breathing down their necks, or their plans are foiled
because of the increasing number of imperial spies that are keeping a close eye on her.
Lastly Lieutenant Gorn is the final member of the attack force to be revealed,
an inside man working for the empire, arriving on a speeder
bike that looks and sounds eerily similar to the speeders from Endor.
Probably tuned for more lush and forested areas than the desert speeders we’ve seen elsewhere.
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Anyway they run through the plan which is a drastic contrast to what we’ve seen the
rebel’s debriefing stations look like in other films. The original trilogy saw this clean,
pristine debriefing room with screens, while Rogue One’s took a step back, still having a holodeck
to explain everything, while Andor’s is made of sticks and rocks, showing the shoestring budget
they are working with, and how this job is going to be pulled off with pure skill and a lot of luck
Vel goes over the plan, mentioning the Empire took control of the sacred land roughly 13 years
earlier, claiming it for the Emperor. Name drop, we got a name drop here! The Empire was interested
in the caverns because of their unique storage capabilities, along with a vault being built into
the cavern. The first thing that came to mind is all of the vaults the Emperor hid things in around
the galaxy, one of which is featured in the final mission of Star Wars BattleFront 2,
so this could be one, holding more than just the payroll credits they are trying to steal.
Anyway they run down the plan, saying they will bust into the armory, head to the vault,
with Andor essentially piloting a flying shipping crate out of the single runway in and out of the
vault, and fly to safety with the payload. Andor claims it’s impossible because the tie fighters
will be on them in minutes, when the second bit of the plan is revealed from Gorn, saying
they will have a moment to escape in what is called the “eye of Agamotto”... No,
no that's not right. The “Eye of Aldani”, which is a massive meteor shower,
illuminating the entire sky, allowing them a small window to escape. That’s the plan,
it sounds awful, but that’s the plan as Andor further studies specs to catch up on everything.
_____________________________________________________________
THEORIES
Now I am expecting the next couple of episodes to be this explosive Ocean’s Eleven heist
playing out, similar to the trench run in new hope, its a suicide mission but a small task
force can probably pull it off. However there’s going to be some sort of hiccup,
or information that is kept from Andor as he’s the one to be blamed for it all.
Again going back to what Luthen mentioned to Vel, Andor is essentially a mercenary,
therefore he is disposable. Though I don’t think Luthen has any ill-intentions,
they need a fall man in case the empire is on their scent, and Andor will end up being that guy,
and wind up in an imperial detention center. Either learning more information he didn’t know,
finding more rebels for the cause there, somehow escaping. My republic credits are on him escaping.
_____________________________________________________________
REACTION & REVIEW
Although I enjoyed the origin story set up of the first three episodes, episode 4 of Andor
is really getting the ball rolling on where and what the main mission of Andor is going
to be. Not only is it perfectly setting up the Rogue One suicide mission aspect,
but building out of the core cast into their own micro storylines, is whats hooking me right
now. Seeing the problems Luthen, Moffma, Dedra, Karn are dealing with, and how it is all going
to tie back to this main mission has me intrigued. It feels like there are stakes,
each character having their own motivations in the Star Wars world, while exploring the
feeble rebels to the rich elites, the power hungry politicians, and the corrupt Empire.
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CLOSING
But obviously I’d love to hear your thoughts on episode 4 of Andor, and
if this series is going in that Rogue One direction you were hoping for.
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If you want something else to watch, be sure to check out some of our other cool videos over
there, whether it be our House of The Dragon breakdowns or Rick & Morty Season 6 coverage.
With that out of the way, thanks for sticking through the video, I’ve been Jared,
and I gotta study some Aldan phrasesi, so I’ll see you next time. Take care and peace.