‘Andor’ Episode 4 Recap: Star Wars’ Insurgent Heroes Transfer within the Shadows

Episode 4 of Star Wars sequence Andor hit Disney Plus on Wednesday, revealing Rogue One hero Cassian’s subsequent steps into the super-secret revolt in opposition to the totalitarian Galactic Empire after abandoning his household, mates and residential in final week’s three-episode premiere. The fourth episode additionally introduces a well-recognized face in one in all Star Wars’ biggest heroes and a brand new one within the Imperial risk.

The present takes place 5 years earlier than 2016 spinoff film Rogue One, which revealed the occasions main into the unique Star Wars movie, A New Hope. Life on this galaxy kinda sucks on this period, when Emperor Palpatine’s forces are increasing their sphere of affect and enveloping strange folks in a vicelike grip.

On the run from the legislation, Cassian (Diego Luna) escaped with insurgent recruiter Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) for components unknown. Let’s try our hero’s new scenario, see how the seeds of revolt are being planted on the coronary heart of galactic energy and meet our impeccably tailor-made baddies. An Empire of SPOILERS awaits.

The pitch

HYPERSPACE — Luthen continues to be supercool as he convinces Cassian to hitch the insurgent trigger, reasoning that he is already earned a dying sentence by stealing from the Empire. The nihilist Cassian reckons preventing the Empire is a waste of time — higher to stay no matter life you may carve out beneath that regime. 

“You will finally die preventing these bastards,” the charismatic recruiter says. “So what I am asking you is that this: Would not you quite give it abruptly to one thing actual, than carve off ineffective items till there’s nothing left?”

It is basically a repeat of Luthen’s speech again on Ferrix, however Skarsgård is so magnetic that I might fortunately watch him riff on this identical level one million alternative ways.

Luthen reveals that he got here to Ferrix to recruit Cassian to hitch a heist on the quarterly payroll for the complete Imperial sector — presumably as a strategy to bankroll the revolt whereas hurting the enemy. 

The fabulously dressed Galactic Empire

CORUSCANT, THE GALACTIC CAPITAL — A piece of this episode takes us to the seat of Palpatine’s Empire and introduces the villains of the Imperial Safety Bureau, or ISB. This legislation enforcement and intelligence company is liable for maintaining the citizenry firmly beneath the regime’s management, and is usually scary and nasty.

However rattling, these folks look wonderful of their white uniforms. You may recall Orson Krennic from Rogue One dressing in the same outfit; he is a director within the ISB-linked Imperial Army Division of Superior Weapons Analysis and secretly engaged on the Loss of life Star at this level within the timeline.

Among the many impeccably tailor-made, and doubtless the present’s important Imperial baddy, is Supervisor Dedra Meero (Denise Gough). Listening to concerning the mess the company safety power made on Ferrix because it tried to catch Cassian, she turns into intrigued despite the fact that it is exterior her purview — finally suggesting that it hints at an organized insurgent effort. 

Her snide boss, Main Partagaz (Anton Lesser, whom you may keep in mind taking part in creepy ex-Maester Qyburn in Recreation of Thrones), would not assume there’s sufficient proof and is just too targeted on sustaining forms to take a more in-depth look. He just about tells her to remain in her lane.

The Imperials do loads of sneering at one another as they attempt to climb the ladder — this might be boring, however everyone seems to be so fabulously dressed and the performing is so good that it is all tremendous partaking.

Did I point out how a lot I like their uniforms?

An actor prepares

On the opposite facet of the coin is Sen. Mon Mothma, whom you may keep in mind from her iconic “Many Bothans died…” speech in Return of the Jedi. Filling the function right here is Genevieve O’Reilly, who portrayed the character in Revenge of the Sith (although most of her scenes had been deleted), Rogue One, and CGI animated sequence Rebels.

She’s secretly spearheading the nascent Insurgent Alliance and principally the anti-Palpatine. It is superior to see her on this paranoid setting — the Empire is clearly onto her, however she’s too distinguished to eliminate. 

As Luthen returns to Coruscant, he dons a lush curly wig, a superb outfit and foppish demeanor as a part of his cowl — the proprietor of a flowery vintage retailer catering to the capital’s elites. Skarsgård is as soon as once more magnificent on this facet of the function, and the multilayered efficiency makes his assembly with Mon a delight to look at. Luthen has clearly been learning house Stanislavski.

They can not belief Mon’s new driver, so he places on a giant flamboyant present as she enters beneath the guise of getting a gift for her husband. He drops the facade and turns into his intense insurgent self solely after they’re alone. 

She’s struggling to entry funds for the revolt and needs to carry somebody new into their tightly managed internal circle — a dangerous transfer, and Luthen is not wild about it.

“It is a daring selection, however I belief you may have the braveness to show again if it must be a bit a lot,” he says, reassuming his persona and hitting us with some tasty subtext.

Assembly the partner

At Mon’s beautiful residence, we meet her beforehand unseen husband Perrin Fertha (Alastair Mackenzie). He comes throughout as a hedonistic jerk, and might be the right cowl for her actions (although she’s clearly annoyed with him). It is attainable that is simply one other act and Perrin is in on the revolt, however we do not get any sense of that right here.

He is organized a flowery dinner for his outdated military buddy, and Mon notices two excessive degree Imperials among the many visitors:

• Ars Dangor is one in all Palpatine’s important advisors, and sure one of many guys in humorous hats seen in his throne room in Return of the Jedi.
• Sly Moore is the bald, pale-skinned girl seen by Palpatine’s facet in Assault of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. She’s one of many few individuals who know his true identification as Sith Lord Darth Sidious. And her first title suggests she’s to not be trusted.

She additionally mentions the planet Ghorman’s transport lanes being lower off, doubtlessly dooming folks to hunger. The Empire will finally slaughter harmless protesters on this world, pushing Mon to publicly blame Palpatine and declare open revolt round three years after this level within the timeline. 

Mainly, Mon Mothma is surrounded by enemies, cannot belief anybody and all of it sounds quite nerve-racking. It is fairly wonderful to look at. 

A crew of rebels

ALDHANI — Earlier than his journey to Coruscant, Luthen drops Cassian off on this sparsely populated (however quite inexperienced and plush) world. The Empire took it over to be used as a distribution level in its galactic conquest, messing up the natives’ historic lifestyle beneath the guise of employment alternatives.

We’re additionally launched to the suspicious insurgent crew of all-new characters led by Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay), with Imperial Lt. Gorn (Sule Rimi) as their man on the within. They’re principally fairly darn sad with having Cassian be part of the group simply days earlier than their heist goes down.

Their goal is an enormous, fortified Imperial garrison they usually have to interrupt right into a vault with a purpose to get their arms on the payroll earlier than escaping in a freighter. They will use a celestial occasion as cowl, however it’s all fairly darn harmful.

Cassian is beneath strain to catch up in time for the heist and has to tug all-nighters, which jogs my memory how I used to deal with task deadlines in my faculty days, however with manner larger stakes right here.

Rogue ideas, unanswered questions and Easter eggs

• This present is so grounded and plausible that it is simple to neglect that the galaxy is run by a cackling house wizard who shoots lightning from his arms and as soon as shouted “Uuuuunlimited powerrrrr” as he did so.
• The music that performs over the opening titles is wildly thrilling; composer Nicholas Britell (Moonlight and Succession) provides an entire layer of depth to this present.
• The attention-catching helmet in the back of Luthen’s vintage store seems to be precisely just like the “Darkish Lord’s Armor” worn by Galen Marek (aka Starkiller) in The Pressure Unleashed. The character adopted this search for the 2008 sport’s darkish facet alternate storyline. It isn’t canon, however it nonetheless seems to be cool as heck.
• Additionally seen within the store — which is an Easter egg treasure trove — are a Mandalorian armor set, a Twi’lek Kalikori, tablets with arms linked to The World Between Worlds, what seems to be an Indiana Jones whip encased in carbonite, and attainable Sith and Jedi holocrons, amongst different cool gadgets.
• Cassian mentions being pressured to battle for the Empire on unpleasantly muddy world Mimban when he acquired out of jail at 16, and it sounds lots just like the chaotic battle seen in Solo. Cassian might have crossed paths with our boy Han.
• Luthen provides Cassian a reasonably superior necklace as a down fee for his work with the rebels — a necklace with a kyber crystal. These uncommon stones are attuned to the Pressure and an important a part of a lightsaber, in addition to the Loss of life Star’s planet-destroying superlaser.  
• The crystal “celebrates the rebellion in opposition to the Rakatan invaders,” in line with Luthen. This species was first seen in noncanon 2003 online game Knights of the Previous Republic, so this enjoyable reference brings them again into the continuity.
• Cassian makes use of the alias Clem, after the late adoptive father we met in the earlier episode’s flashbacks.
• The ISB assembly features a point out of Ryloth, the Twi’lek homeworld seen in CGI animated sequence The Clone Wars and Rebels.
• The Empire is outwardly mining on the distant world Arvala-6. Arvala-7 is the planet the place Mando finds Grogu in the primary episode of The Mandalorian, which takes place a couple of years after Return of the Jedi.
• The Empire makes use of the Ferrix fiasco as an excuse to grab management of the Morlana system — basic colonialism. The Company Safety guys are concerned, together with our pal Syril Karn (Kyle Soller).
• The title “Hosnian Prime” is among the many bulletins as Syril arrives residence to Coruscant — that’ll turn into the capital of the New Republic many years after the Empire’s fall and is destroyed by the First Order in The Pressure Awakens.
• The slap/hug Syril’s mother Eedy greets him with hints at a bizarre relationship.
• One of many Aldhani crew mentions insurgent extremist Noticed Gerrera, an superior however harmful character seen in The Clone Wars, Rebels and Rogue One.
• Marvel’s present Darth Vader comedian sequence sees dinner visitor Sly Moore embroiled in legal syndicate Crimson Daybreak’s plot to kill Vader. This story is ready between The Empire Strikes Again and Return of the Jedi, so practically a decade after the occasions of this present.
• I have been wanting a Mon Mothma story since 2016, once I occurred on an announcement that her previous can be revealed in a novel. That turned out to be an April Idiot’s joke, however the thought was so thrilling that it is caught in my thoughts for the final six years. I am glad Andor is giving her the highlight.

Come again for extra Easter eggs and observations subsequent Wednesday, Oct. 5, when episode 5 of Andor hits Disney Plus.