How 'Andor' Episode 9 Is A Good Portrayal Of An Authoritarian Government
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Andor Episode 9 left us with a lot to think about. So far, the show has brought up important topics such as the fear of a totalitarian government, and wrongful imprisonment (like the circumstances resulting in Cassian’s prison time on Narkina 5). Most importantly, it spectacularly portrays how the Empire feels completely different in this series than from other Star Wars media. This article will discuss Andor’s depiction of how the Empire maintains its iron grip on the galaxy. Episode 9 highlighted specific moments, such as Cassian’s troubles on Narkina 5, Mon Mothma’s financial issues, and the torture of Bix Caleen.
First of all, let’s talk about Cassian’s precious time on Narkina 5 assembling something that we still don’t know what it is. Then, something happened on level 2 of the prison, and rumors start going around. Cassian and his fellow inmates end up figuring out that all workers from level 2 got killed because the guards made a big mistake. Turns out nobody’s leaving the prison. Workers just get rearranged from one level to another. The prison doctor’s comment about Ulaf finally escaping the prison in death triggers the change in Kino Loy’s thought process. The fact that no one is leaving changes everything. There is now no motivation to keep your head down, do your work, and then get out.
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To the Empire, the inmates are just numbers. As the title of the episode says, “Nobody is listening.” The prison guards did not care and were willing to kill an entire level to keep everybody quiet. The Empire will go to great lengths to cover up what is going on. They will take any measures available to them to get what they want. Killing a bunch of people for their own mistakes just proves the existing issue. As Cassian argues, they are like cattle. They are disposable, and new ones can always be brought in to replace them. The only way out is death.
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Genevieve O’Reilly has given an extraordinary performance as Mon Mothma so far. Senator Mon Mothma has found herself in a complicated situation these past few episodes, and these problems are coming to the surface in Episode 9. She has been using her money to fund the Rebellion’s efforts throughout the galaxy, writing it off as donations to charities. As a senator who opposes the Emperor’s proposals more than once, the Empire is watching her very closely. Even though her family is wealthy, an audit will discover a big hole in her bank account.
This is where Davo Sculdun comes in. Her childhood friend Tay Kolma (Ben Miles) suggests that she seeks a loan from this man with questionable morals. However, in exchange for financial assistance, Sculdun wanted to introduce his 14-year-old son to Mon’s daughter. Mon refuses to get her daughter involved. Now things will be harder for her family if the Empire discovers the unexplained withdrawals from her account.
Mon Mothma’s situation demonstrates the higher stakes one faces under an authoritarian government. She is constantly torn between her family and the greater cause of the Rebel Alliance. The consequences are more dire for her than they could be for an average worker. If the missing money is discovered, her family is not the only one in danger. The donations may be traced to the Rebel Alliance, and her connections to Luthen may be brought to light. A whole underground network will go down if the Empire ever learns of Luthen’s part in the Rebellion.
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Lastly, we need to talk about the methods chosen by the Empire to extract info from people of interest in Ferrix. Two people (that we know of) are being tortured by the creepy Dr. Gorst. Bix Caleen, a former love interest of Cassian, is one of them. The torture comes in the form of an audio device that uses the screams of the Dizonites, which produce extreme emotions and incredible pain in humans. The Empire considered it an “efficient” and a good tool that would, supposedly, extract important information. Torture is not new to the Star Wars universe. It was first seen (offscreen) in A New Hope when Princess Leia was tortured on the Death Star. Another moment was in The Force Awakens when Kylo used the Force to extract information from Poe Dameron.
Torture is a really common practice in the real world, unfortunately. It puts people in highly stressful situations and induces physical and psychological trauma to achieve something. However, most of the time, this leads to bad information because the person just wants the pain to stop. Bix will probably talk about Cassian and their relationship and perhaps his childhood. In the last few episodes of the season, we will see how the torture affected her.
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The three cases mentioned previously represent different faces of what an authoritarian government may look like. We, citizens of each of our respective countries, have to remind our leaders how they should act. There are no free passes. We need to set the bar high and scrutinize any breach of our rights and freedoms. Situations that Cassian Andor, Mon Mothma, and Bix Caleen face in Andor are not unheard of in our world. These practices remain until this day and should not be considered normal or justifiable in any way. Keeping an eye open and an attentive ear is necessary and will always be.
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