Revolutionary Politics In ‘Andor’
Image Source: Star Wars Stills Gallery
Andor should have a special place in every Star Wars (SW) fan’s heart. Not only is the series very different from those we saw during the years before, but it also highlights topics that are usually not discussed in such a fashion. Andor is not just a series; it can be seen as a message. Some of its characters have powerful presences and deeply impacted the public’s perception of them. Cassian, as the protagonist, goes through a really interesting, soul-searching story arc, while others like Nemik and Luthen also passed through similar issues. These two in particular quickly became the center of attention for some viewers.
When we talk about a collective, the community of Ferrix (home to Cassian, Bix, Brasso, and several others) is truly special. Their moments of revolt caught our attention, showing that there was a high potential for transformation in that place. The inmates from the prison on Narkina 5 also showed this capacity for organizational skills, able to quickly achieve their goals once Cassian and Kino put their minds together. So these people are the ones we want to focus on. Their revolutionary potential is considerable, something the show dwells on them constantly during the season.
RELATED:
A Different View Of Reality
Image Source: Star Wars Official Databank
First seen in the fourth episode (“Aldhani”), Karis Nemik already seemed like a peculiar person. The time the crew spent together as they planned for the Imperial Garrison robbery showed viewers how Nemik was so much more than he looked like. The innocent baby face quickly gave away to a serious person, whose goal was to actually change how things were.
On one specific occasion, he and Cassian are talking and the conversation takes an interesting turn. When Cassian mentions that Nemik has an old navigational device (one that does not rely on current tech), Nemik briefly expresses how he sees the world, comparing his still-in-progress manifesto and the navigational device: “Two seemingly random objects, and yet this charts an astral path, this maps the trail of political consciousness. Both systems based on truth, both navigating toward clear and achievable outcomes.”
Nemik is seen by others as an eccentric person, too idealistic and far from reality. Arvel Skeen even mocks him for his manifesto, but Nemik has a clear head and knows his truth. He sees this moment as an opportunity to shake the Imperial tree and see what falls out. The comparison between the device and the manifesto is perfect; he understands that only memorable actions can provoke real change. But he does not see these transformations as impossible. They are achievable, but a little push is needed for it to happen.
Image Source: Disney+
His revolutionary ideals will live on long after his premature death. When taking off with the Imperial ship, the inertia causes the pile of credits to crush him. The last breaths he had were used to help what was left of the team to avoid the phenomenon called “The Eye”, a “recurrent band of crystallized noctilucent micro densities” as Nemik calls them. This event happens every three years, and it brings out lots of natives to watch it. Nemik’s death was truly shocking, but he lives on through his manifesto. As he points out:
“The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that. And know this: the day will come when all these skirmishes and battles, these moments of defiance, will flood the banks of the Empire’s authority, and then there will be so many. One single thing will break the siege. Remember this.”
He was right. Oppression does not last forever, and SW is all about that.
The Price Of Freedom Is High
Image Source: Star Wars Stills Gallery
Probably one of the greatest - if not THE greatest - upheaval shown in SW media during the past few years was the prison escape from Narkina 5. Cassian was enjoying a really nice trip to the planet Niamos, which looked like a paradise if it were not for the Imperial Shore Troopers. Out of randomness, Cassian is arrested and sent to a high-security prison seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Cassian quickly discovered that this prison was special. The most important aspect was the electrified floors, which made the prison basically inescapable…or so the guards thought. He quickly figured out the place’s dynamic, its people, and the routine they had to follow every day. Wash, rinse, repeat. Truly a hellhole from which there was no escape. Andy Serkis’ character, Kino Loy, defines well what he was supposed to do (or not do): “Losing hope or your mind, keep it to yourself.”
The pivotal moment of this arc was Kino Loy joining Cassian’s cause after the inhumane death of several inmates, especially one of the oldest, Ulaf. He had already been struggling with the timing to execute certain actions. The assembly line in each level of the prison, much similar to the one idealized by Frederick Taylor and put into practice by Henry Ford in the early 1900s, required perfection. While the younger adults were able to perform without many issues, Ulaf was elderly already. His death made Loy understand his role, and helping with Cassian’s escape plan became his goal too.
Image Source: Star Wars Stills Gallery
Cassian carefully planned his escape. The plan involved all other detainees and a lot of coordination, but this did not stop them; they subverted the hierarchy previously established in the prison by taking control of it. What they accomplished was amazing. Besides the escape aspect of it, what Cassian, Kino, Melshi, and others did showed a lot of spirit. One good comparison we can make here is the French Revolution of 1789; even though the one from Andor is not a country-wide revolution, it portrayed similar actions and ideological basis. According to the Cambridge dictionary, a revolution is “a change in the way a country is governed, usually to a different political system and often using violence or war”, but also “a very important change in the way that people do things”. Things clearly changed, at least for a few days. The detainees were capable of overthrowing the prison’s warden, who hid behind a voice modifier to portray himself as some sort of higher entity, something he clearly was not.
But taking over was just one step to their ultimate goal, escaping altogether. The surprise came when they realized the windowless prison sat in the middle of a large body of water, and the only way was to jump and swim to land. Many did precisely that, but Loy could not swim. He did not know how. His voice saying “I can’t swim” will forever live in our heads after such a good buildup for a character. Although his continuity in the facility seems to be a consolidated fact by now, this act showed lots of courage.
Much like what the Rebels protagonists did by destroying a crucial Imperial capital ship and freeing Lothal, Cassian and his peers showed that subverting an order with the goal of freedom is achievable. The price of it is high, do not be mistaken, but it is certainly worth it in the end.
Ferrix Brews With Potential
Image Source: Star Wars Stills Gallery
Home to Cassian and his family, Ferrix is a calm place to live. Before Cassian murdered two private security officers while he was looking for his sister, the local town did not seem like trouble. Of course, the calm was not permanent. After the Clone Wars and the establishment of the Galactic Empire, people were not satisfied. Protests against Imperial occupation began, and the people from Ferrix paid the price. One person mistakenly accused of being part of it was Cassian’s adoptive father, Clem Andor. Clem was hanged with other locals, something that triggered Cassian into attacking some clone troopers who were patrolling the streets.
Maarva probably found comfort in the “Daughters of Ferrix” organization, a social club that in reality was a citizens’ society. This group is not powerful by any means, but the characteristics of Ferrix contribute a lot to its function. People from Ferrix are very close - for both good and bad. They look after each other, something that, in times of trouble, comes in handy. We can see this clearly when Maarva became gradually more ill; people like Brasso, Bix, and Jezzi started to look after her by bringing her food and medicine. The official SW Databank gives us a good definition of who are the Daughters of Ferrix: “A social club of friends and neighbors, the Daughters of Ferrix proudly represent a subsection of the community in their salvage-driven world. Counting Maarva Andor among their past presidents, the Daughters of Ferrix look after their own in life — and in death.”
Image Source: Star Wars Trivia Gallery
Maarva’s death was a game-changer. One interesting post-mortem ritual the people from Ferrix have is turning their own into funerary stones. These stones, later on, are used to repair the walls of buildings, allowing their dead to remain part of the community. This is what happened to Maarva after she passed. In addition to this ritual, the community also does a huge parade across the town with a marching band, and the destination is Rix Road, the town square. This parade is accompanied by the whole community and its prominent members wear ritualistic robes much like those of the Daughters of Ferrix. The parade is a really emotional moment that shows how these people are extremely close, even though they may not know each other that well.
Maarva had always been an activist. Her past deeds portrayed this with excellence. Her last act before dying was to record a very emotional monologue, in which she blames the Empire and calls them a “disease” that must be fought in order to be cured. The last line is impactful, to say the least: “Perhaps it’s too late. But I’ll tell you this: if I could do it again, I’d wake up early and be fighting these bastards from the start. Fight the Empire!” Imperial forces just stood and watched while Maarva criticized them, but her speech rallied the people. They took the fight to the Imperial lines immediately.
When a bomb was thrown close to the Imperial headquarters (crafted by the son of Paak, one of the detainees), something triggered the parade goers. Ferrixians took the fight to the Empire, as Maarva wanted. Her final wish was a stronger opposition, and she got it. Probably one of the most iconic moments from SW series over the past few years is Brasso using Maarva’s stone as a weapon to fight a fascist government. Like George Lucas once said, “It’s like poetry, it rhymes.”
The revolutionary feeling was there in Ferrix all along; the flame was just a bit low. Maarva became the fire that set the streets ablaze and shook the very core of the Imperial occupation. Her friends were there. Her family was there, too. But most importantly, the community united behind one goal and one feeling: the desire to be free.
Conclusion
Image Source: IMDB
These moments and people from the first season of Andor were truly memorable. They showed the public how transformations are important in life. We are in a constant battle with powerful forces to preserve our rights and freedoms. Standing up is the only way to do that. Nemik was a nobody with a couple of ideas that he considered important. His ideas about how the Empire is an evil, liberty-suppressing machine caught Cassian’s attention. Cassian kept Nemik’s manifesto in a tablet, but its impact is ideological, not physical. This can be traced as one of Cassian’s reasons for choosing to be part of the Rebel Alliance.
The prison escape showed Cassian’s capacity to organize himself and others to reach a higher goal than themselves. This is a crucial ability when we have to prepare ourselves for times of trouble and massive changes. Even if this event happened only in one location on a distant planet, this memory probably helped shape some people’s minds. It is not every day that something like that occurs, so it has to be taken seriously, both ideologically and physically.
Cassian was raised by a very courageous couple - Maarva and Clem. They left a mark on Cassian’s personality and his actions. Clem was wrongfully accused and killed for something he did not do. But even as a brick in the wall, Clem was able to inspire Cassian to do the right thing in the end. Maarva was one of the Daughters of Ferrix. This made her one of the most well-known people in town, and when her time came, her family and members were there to represent her points of view. The unity of her community stands out as an example of how organization amongst the people makes a huge difference in the long game. Individualism is good and essential, but having a fallback place to stand your ground when times are tough can make it or break it.
All of the examples mentioned and discussed above show how these people were the perfect ingredients for change. The Battle of Scarif is upon us; it is just a matter of time before the real explosion hits, both figuratively and literally.
READ NEXT:
Sources: Cambridge, IMDB, Jstor, Star Wars Official Databank
Latest News
Featured
