Everything You Need To Know About Morlana One In ‘Star Wars: Andor’

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We are now a few days removed from the premiere of Andor, and the entire Star Wars fandom is a buzz with everything that we have been exposed to, and what it means to the overall story within the universe. Our friends here at Culture Slate have got you covered here and here, but a previous Legends concept has now become canon, thanks to the introduction of Morlana One, a corporate-run planet in a corporate-run section of space on the outer rim called Preox-Morlana. If you are trying to figure out why the concept of corporations running things in space sounds familiar, think Weyland-Yutani from the Alien franchise to give you a sense about what we’re talking about here.

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In the years after Star Wars: A New Hope premiered, a series of books called Han Solo At Star’s End was released. Within the book, Han talks about the corporate sector of the Outer Rim, a section that was not under Imperial rule but instead more of a section of space that showed how vast of a challenge it would be for the Imperials to run the entire galaxy. As described in the 1990s RPG book, Star Wars: Han Solo And The Corporate Sector Sourcebook: “…the Corporate Sector, a region of space so rich, it's said they pave the starport landing strips with nova crystals. The Corporate Sector was one wisp off one branch at the end of one arm of the galaxy, but that wisp contained tens of thousands of star systems. The Corporate Sector Authority had been chartered to exploit — some called it plunder — the uncountable riches there. Its wealth and influence eclipsed that of all but the richest Imperial Regions. The Authority was owner, employer, landlord, government, and military, and not a benevolent one.”

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Lando’s Cloud City was similar to this concept, which explains why Darth Vader’s threat to leave troops onsite was so threatening to a man who was used to being at arm’s length for such a long time. These corporate worlds were little pockets unto themselves, where everything from security, housing, and even food was delivered under the same corporate entity. If you lived or worked on that planet, you belonged to the corporation. Now, in Andor, we see that the concept was revived and is now considered canon.  

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In Andor, The Corporate Sector is now called Preox-Morlana and is a world in which everything has the appearance of Imperial rule, but technically and logistically is not. Everyone on the planet is a worker of Preox-Morlana, from the dock workers, to the security, even to the brothel that Cassian finds himself in. They report to the Imperials, and as long as things stay within acceptable limits, Preox-Morlana will continue to have some level of autonomy. But when the head of the Corporate Security Force leaves to attend a meeting with his Imperial bosses, his stand-in, Syril Karn, decides to investigate the deaths of two officers, despite being told to leave it. It leads him to attempt a capture of Cassian where multiple additional deaths of corporate employees occur, the Empire decides to enact their rights and take over the planet (and presumably the overall territory). This decision could have some far-reaching effects, considering giving control of that section to a corporation was an effort to help reduce the stress and strain of the resources within the Empire. We see these factors at play in the newest episode; the number crunching and bean counting become so important that perhaps we’re starting to see the cracks form, and an opening for the Rebellion appear.

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Sources: Inverse, Looper, Wookieepedia

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