‘Andor’ Episodes 1 & 2 Recap: A Unique, Gritty Start to Cassian’s Journey

Andor

Kassa

Season 1 • Episode 1

EPISODE 3 »
Reckoning

[WARNING: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for Andor Season 1, Episodes 1-2.]

Raise your hand if you thought the word “brothel” would ever be used on a Disney+ Star Wars show. Nobody?

In Andor’s opening sequence, not only does the main character visit such an establishment (to collect information), but in the moments following, he kills two Empire-affiliated guards, one of whom is begging for his life. These adult-oriented details immediately make this Rogue One prequel feel like a more grown-up show than, say, The Book of Boba Fett or Obi-Wan Kenobi.

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But Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) isn’t trying to “rule with respect,” nor is he taking care of a child with ties to the larger saga. The closest existing comparison to his character might be Han Solo (Harrison Ford), since both are “hotshot pilots” who owe people money. Even then, Cassian’s story has a darker edge. He seems hellbent on finding his sister — hence the visit to the brothel — who it’s implied he lost contact with after something mysterious and presumably very, very bad happened on their home planet of Kenari.

As with any first episodes, much of Andor’s first two installments devote themselves to putting the major characters on the board and explaining why they’re important. Once Cassian returns to the planet Ferrix, we’re introduced to his cute little droid. We also meet Maarva (Fiona Shaw), a mother figure for him, his friend Brasso (Joplin Sibtain), who works as a miner, and his other friend Bix (Adria Arjona), who works in ship salvage. She and Cassian obviously have a history, despite the fact that she’s with another acquaintance of his, Timm (James McArdle).

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The message Cassian spreads to his friends is that he was on the planet the previous night, and if anyone asks them, that’s what they need to say about his whereabouts. That’s good because, on Morlana One, the head of Preox-Morlana Corporation Security, the two deaths have raised eyebrows. Not for the leader of the sector, who maintains that the deaths should be covered up, but for his Deputy Inspector, Syril Karn (Kyle Soller). When his boss leaves for an Imperial Regional Command review, he opts to continue the investigation in secret. That leads him to Cassian, and he gathers a team of twelve people and one other commanding officer to go to the planet and bring him in.

How did he know about Cassian? It all comes back to Bix and Timm. At Cassian’s urgent request, she contacts a mysterious buyer for an Imperial ship part he stole. That’s music to Cassian’s ears, as he’ll be able to scrape together the credits he needs to get off-planet before anyone comes looking for him. There’s a catch, though: Timm sees Cassian and Bix meeting to discuss this, and at one point, Cassian makes the mistake of putting his hand on her arm. It looks a lot more romantic than it is, but it’s suggestive enough to arouse suspicion in Timm, who followed Bix there. Angered, he gives the Pre-Mor folks a tip that Cassian was involved in what happened.

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We also get a few flashbacks to Cassian’s childhood on Kenari, in which he and a large group of children watch an Imperial ship crash on their planet. The flashbacks are unique; they’re very colorful, and the only spoken dialogue is in Kenari’s native language. As Cassian leaves to investigate the crash, his sister stays behind. He and his friends make it to the ship, but one of the crew members wasn’t dead, and he shoots one of the children. The blaster bolt hits her in the chest. As the episode ends, the horrified children kill the man with poison darts and then carry their friend away.

Rating: 4.5/5. In terms of setting up stories that feel fresh in the universe, Andor has a lot in common with The Mandalorian. It moves a little slow, sure, but it takes Star Wars off of sand planets (finally!) and shows a slightly more grown-up side of the galaxy far, far away. The visuals are stunning, especially in the episode’s opening sequence and final shot. Luna is as excellent here as he was in Rogue One, and the score by composer Nicholas Brittell, who also worked on Succession, shines.

Andor, Wednesdays, Disney+