Star Wars: Andor - 1.04 - Aldhani

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Mon Motha

Out of options, Cassius Andor is recruited to conduct a dangerous operation in an Imperial garrison.

IMDB Score: 8.5 Runtime: 50 minutes (-8 for intro and credits)

 

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It is interesting that Disney has listened to the fandom and increased the runtime, but also they have now named all the episodes. It is a big change from the norm, especially by making a longer cut to satisfy the needs of the streaming audience. To be honest, they've only done right by this series, and maybe it is changing the ways they're thinking about producing SW content.

Andor and the Buyer. The escape from Ferrix was relatively easy for them once they'd escaped the atmosphere. There was nothing blocking them. Not even the raider carrier ship. And certainly not the Imperial Navy.

Lucian made the big recruitment speech in the hyperspace, without revealing who he really is working with for being able to buy a fancy, rare star cruiser. Fondor Faulcraft is certainly a sporty model, with plenty of space and luxuries for the owner to do all sorts of voyages.

Yet, Cassius said, "I'll take the drop-off."

The Buyer didn't took it well. He sniffed at it, and then blurted, "They'll use same rope to hang you, whether it is for a plasma coil or for twenty million credits. I'm offering you everything you want, all at once."

"What is 'Everything I want?'" Cassius shrugged. "Since you know everything about me."

"To put a real stick in the eye of the Empire," Lucien answered. "And get paid for it."

Still Caz didn't took it. It was as if he sniffed that the offer was a pipedream, a too good offer to be real. "I wondered who you were," he hissed. "Alliance, Sep, Guerrila, Partisan Front. One of them."

All he wanted was to be left on his own devices, to do his own thing than get fixed permanently to something bigger than his plans ever were. Sticking up to the Empire was never really one of them. "I fought in Minban when I was 16," he growled. "Two years of it. Straight out of prison, into the mud. I'm one of 50 that survived. And who did it turn out we were fighting? Ourselves."

The Buyer smiled, "You were on the ground in Mimban for six months. You were a cook. And you ran. That's how you survived." Then he continued on explaining how the Empire had put them to fight each other, and ultimately he'd be fighting the Empire regardless of his wishes. Then he added, "I didn't risk my ass for the astropath unit. I came for you."

It is so intriguing how the Buyer portray himself as a spymaster and he makes it all sounds something that Andor couldn't refuse to accept, even though maybe he could have done better if he'd really chosen the drop-off.

Now he has to face a five-day job for 200 grand in Imperial Credits for stealing a Quarter Payroll. A high risk, High Payload, Low Reward kind of job. Still more money than Cassius was going to get for the nav module. As a down payment, Lucien put a rare cyber crystal in Andor's hand and said, "Don't accept anything less than fifty grand for it."

The problem was that Aldhani didn't look like an Imperial Administrative Planet, but rather like a backward planet. What he didn't tell Andor, but only to Vel, that Cas was "disposable," for his important operation. Not the star that would salvage everything, but just a rent-a-body person.

Man, the Empire put down a hammer on the corpos for failing the security op on Ferrix. Before Deputy Inspector Karn got a grand plan in his mind, everything was fine. Nobody bothered them. To be honest, there wasn't even Imperial presence, until he got the clever plan.

"It took the combined ingredients of idiocy, ineptitude and total disengagement for this farce to have to reach the full apex of incredulous disaster," the Colonial Administrator Blevin gave them a bollocking. "My files is filled with the Corpo Security Disasters, but this takes the prize."

"Proud, are we?" Administrator Blevin stopped at the front of guilty looking Karn. "Take solace in this. You will not be replaced. You've rung the final bell on Corporate Independence. As of this morning, the Morlana system is under permanent Imperial Authority. Congratulations of that."

I thought the boy was going to cry. He should have for completely cocking up their corpo future. Failed hero he went back to Corruscant, to live with his mum.

Cas and Vel. As soon as they'd cleared the sight, Andor asked, "Who is he?"

"You should have asked when you had a chance..." Vel answered. Man, that put such a huge grin on my face. Especially when there was no answer and the mark turned to an Imperial Armoury and not some administrative building, with a safe. He wasn't happy about their numbers being seven against the whole Imperial garrison. Then again, the whole rebel camp weren't really happy getting an extra member.

Instead of accepting they were suspicious even though Cas was brought in by their leader, as her idea. Slowly they adjusted him into their op and even revealed that their escape was covered with a celestial event. A plan making a risky plan doable.

Mon Motha, the Buyer and his assintant at Luthien's Luxury Goods place at surface of the Coruscant. That man has more money than meger 200 grand to be able to afford to keep a shopfront at the Corruscant surface, or even have senators as his clientele.

It was surprised that Mon Motha turned out to be Luthien's Bank. The source for his endless funds, and as irony he wasn't happy for Mon Motha expanding her operations, even though he'd done just the same.

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Good episode. 8/10

 

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“Blue kyber. Sky stone. The ancient world,” the man mutters, before adding “celebrates the uprising against the Rakatan invaders.”

Out of nowhere, Andor casually dropped the first Disney-era explicit reference to a deep, deep cut piece of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic lore. It’s the kind of thing, unlike Star Wars’ recent nostalgic, cameo-laden self-references, that will pass by most viewers completely. But for the people who know it, it’s an out of nowhere shock to your system.

Andor Just Dropped One of Star Wars' Wildest Easter Eggs

For a show that leans heavily on not doing Star Wars fan service, this reference is kind of bananas.

gizmodo.com

The Rakata first appeared in the 2003 Bioware video game Knights of the Old Republic, a beloved Star Wars game that’s set to get a lavish remake (... at some point). An ancient race of cone-headed, fish-eyed aliens, it’s revealed that they are the architects behind the devastating weapon at the heart of KOTOR’s climactic act, the Star Forge—a massive automated factory-fortress that, channeling the power of a star and the Force itself, could endlessly churn out fleets and armies of droids to wage war with.

And when we say ancient, we mean ancient. KOTOR is set about 4,000 years before the Star Wars movies, and the Rakata were around almost 30,000 years before that. Believed to be the first species in the galaxy to develop hyperspace travel, the Rakata were masters of technological prowess to a point that would even be inconceivable in the “contemporary” time of Andor, let alone the time of their height in the status quo of the galaxy. But they weren’t just good with machines, the Rakata could wield the Force as well—having learned of its powers from a similarly ancient race called the Kwa, but ignoring their teachings of balance to only tap into the destructive power of the Dark Side—and what made their technology so powerful was a fusion between their mechanical ability and this spiritual one that fueled every aspect of Rakatan society.

I personally knew that the cypher crystal was super valuable, and probably more than 50k, but I didn't knew how rare it really was.

 

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During the Imperial officers' meeting in Andor Episode 4, one of the security issues that must be addressed is added security resources needed in the Abrion sector of the Outer Rim Territories. Major Partagaz (Anton Lesser) demands to know the reasoning for the increased security focus, and an officer explains that they are "proactive measures" for "an increase in construction shipments going to Scarif..."

Star Wars: Andor Episode 4 Drops a Sneaky Reference to the Death Star

Star Wars: Andor Episode 4 opened the scope of the series up to a much wider perspective – [...]

comicbook.com

Scarif was a remote planet in the Abrion sector of the Outer Rim Territories. The Abrion sector was a key junction point, as it was a convergence of multiple hyperspace routes through the Outer Rim. Scarif was, therefore, a place that was accessible enough for the Empire to move the necessary resources for building the Death Star – but still remote enough that no one came looking at what Krennic and co. were actually building there until it was nearly too late.

The final act of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story sees Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), and their team of Rebel spies infiltrate Scarif in order to steal the Death Star plans containing the energy core weakness Galen Erso built into it.

I was also slightly surprised that the mountain goat posse knew Saw Garrera. I know I didn't mentioned in my original post, but I get a feeling that they are giving depth to the story by dropping in big name references.

The Scarif one was still fleeting, and I mentally just associated to the death star project without drawing a parallel to the ending of the Rogue One.

 

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Smith said he wasn't into the premise, but the first few episodes hooked him immediately.

"Number one, I trust this man to do anything because Michael Clayton is one of the greatest films ever made," Smith said. "That being said, this f---ing show is dope. This was the f---ing show that I had no interest in whatsoever. I'm like Andor? He dies! Why the f--k would I care? And this is the first show that I really feel like kind of expands the SW universe. We're not on Tattooine, we're not necessarily dealing with a Skywalker story. Yes, the Empire is this gathering storm, but here in the outskirts, the rebellion slowly begins. I had no idea I would like it as much as I do. And it's doing things no other Star Wars things have done. For example -- casual overnight sex. How about that?"

Smith and Star Wars have been bound together since his career started, with Dante and Randal debating which of the sequels was better in the first Clerks. Back then, of course, there were only three Star Wars movies, but they still managed to get into an argument over whether the contractors hired to complete the second Death Star were unfairly targeted for assassination by the Rebels when Lando blew up the superweapon. That discussion became so viral that George Lucas later joked about it on DVD bonus features for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

Kevin Smith Reviews Andor: "This Is the First Show I Feel Like Expands the Star Wars Universe"

Kevin Smith has had nice things to say about Disney+'s Star Wars-branded shows up to now, but [...]

comicbook.com

 

[Brian G Turner]

Oh, superb. I absolutely love the way they are telling a unique and original star Wars story without being focused on Skywalkers or Tatooine. It's brilliant that they've gone back to Coruscant, the heart of political power for the republic, and now the empire - makes total sense. And bringing in Mon Mothma is a stroke of genius. Also it's brilliant that we're seeing characters from both sides, rather than a simple black/white cheer for the heroes and boo the bad guys. This is such a good series so far, so well written and superb attention to detail in the production values.

Enjoying this far more than the comic-book pulp of Mando. Andor feels more like Star Wars to me than anything since the original trilogy.

 

[HareBrain]

Oh, superb

Believe it or not, it gets better!

 

[Rodders]

The acting was excellent, i thought Genevieve O'Reilly as Mon Mothma was very watchable and i enjoyed the obvious politcal intrigue. Such a dangerous game she's playing.