Yet again, Andor continues to be one of the best things that Star Wars has given us. Each week, we’re thrown into the world of the series that highlights Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor prior to his introduction to the Star Wars franchise in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. In episode 9, titled “Nobody’s Listening,” we get to see more of Cassian’s prison sentence and just how far the Empire is willing to go.
The Empire has always been a commentary on a fascist regime from the start, and while we’ve seen how deep that power goes throughout the galaxy in other Star Wars properties, Andor really isn’t shying away from the horrors they’re inflicting on those who dare to question them—especially those they think are part of the Rebellion.
In episode 9, everyone was still separated from each other, but one thing was made abduntantly clear throughout all their storylines: The Empire doesn’t care who it hurts in its quest for power.
Save Bix
At the end of episode 8, I feared for what was to come for Bix. She was in the hands of the Empire and they were clearly willing to do whatever it took to get answers to where Cassian Andor was. Bix was the last person to see him, and even though the Empire didn’t know that, it was enough for them to capture her and question her.
The episode is frankly unsettling in how the Empire is willing to torture and harm those who are fighting back against them. And to Bix’s credit, she doesn’t fold. The entire time she’s being interrogated by Dedra, she refuses to give up Cassian. I don’t know what the future holds for Bix, but the only thing keeping her alive is that she has information that the Empire wants.
I just hope that she makes it out of Dedra’s grasp alive.
Mon Mothma alone in the fight for democracy
The twist of this season is that Mon Mothma’s cousin is Vel Sartha. Vel worked with Cassian to steal the payroll on Aldhani, and while it doesn’t seem as if either of the two is aware of what the other is doing, they have a better rapport that Mon and the rest of her family.
What was great about episode 9 was that we saw Mon Mothma back at the Senate, pleading with those sitting around her to still care about what is just and right and getting booed in the process. I was wondering when the change in Mon Mothma’s stance in the government would happen, and seeing her trying to fight for democracy at every turn she has available to her feels like it’s moving in that direction.
I do think that this episode has set in motion Mon Mothma’s eventual turn into the leader of the Rebellion given how frustrated she is with trying to do all she can from inside the government.
The Empire is willing to do anything to maintain power
Dedra was always going to be the worst of them but my god this episode showed her unwavering willingness to do whatever the Empire needed and it’s frightening. Dedra Meero climbed up the ranks of her division by diligently following what she believed to be Rebel activity, and while she was correct, she did so by upholding the fascist regime around her.
There have been characters in Star Wars who were part of the Empire, realized their horrors, and left, thinking of Tala Durith on Obi-Wan Kenobi as a more recent example. Dedra is not one of those characters. Dedra seems to love upholding the “order” of the Empire, and this episode showed us all just how far she’s willing to take her power to rise up the ranks.
She murdered, tortured, and intimidated her way to getting what answers she wanted, and it is going to be scary to see how far she’ll still go to get what she wants.
Cassian and the prison are in danger
Last week, we met Andy Serkis as Kino Loy. It was a stark contrast of scenery for Cassian as he went to jail and was being put to work for the Empire as part of his sentence, but we can see in episode 9 how desperate he is to leave. “Nobody’s Listening” comes from Cassian trying to reason with Kino to give him information about the floors.
Throughout the entire episode, Kino tells him to stop and that he shouldn’t be asking questions because he just has to put his head down and serve his sentence. But as rumors start to flood the prison that an entire floor was killed and no one is getting out, we see Kino’s willingness to just put his head down falter.
The end of the episode brings us Cassian asking one more time how many guards are on each floor and this time, Kino willingly tells him. So we better buckle up for next week because I think the boys are going to be doing a prison break.
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There are three episodes left of Andor and god, what am I going to do with myself after this series? It’s so good.
(featured image: Lucasfilm)
