REVIEW ‘Andor’ Season 2 Chapter 1 (Episodes 1-3)

Andor Season 2 Chapter 1 (Episodes 1-3) sets the tone for the final season, as the events draw nearer to the events from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Diego Luna returns as the titular Star Wars hero to see how Cassian Andor’s storyline coincides with many others. Tony Gilroy wrote the first three episodes of Andor Season 2, with Ariel Kleiman directing the first six episodes. Plenty of other familiar faces return, as the power balance between the ever-growing Rebel Alliance and the crumbling Galactic Empire seesaws back and forth.

The first three episodes of Andor Season 2 Chapter 1 blend three separate storylines to reorient viewers to the cast of characters left off at the end of Season 1. The year is BBY 4 (four years before the Battle of Yavin), and the ramifications of Mon Mothma’s (Genevieve O’Reilly) deal with Davo Sculdun (Richard Dillane) are seen. We find them at the wedding of their children, Leida Mothma (Bronte Carmichael) and Stekan Sculdun (Finley Glasgow), on Chandrila.

Cassian is now leading missions for Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård). He winds up on Yavin with a group of disparate rebels; they hold him captive, not realizing they are fighting for the same cause, illuminating how fractured the rebel efforts truly are at that point. In the aftermath of Ferrix, Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona), Wilmon Paak (Muhannad Ben Amor), and Brasso (Joplin Sibtain) pick up their lives and try to get their footing on the agricultural Outer Rim planet Mina-Rau.

While Andor’s storyline centers on the efforts of the Rebellion, Andor Season 2 Chapter 1 is also a story of the rise of the Empire and how real people are behind the seismic shifts in galactic power. Regardless of Dedra Meero’s (Denise Gough) previous failures to catch Cassian and the elusive Axis on multiple occasions, Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) assigns her a top-secret new assignment. That secret is one she carries, even amongst a developing relationship with Syril Karn (Kyle Soller).

Syril steps into focus in Andor Season 2 Chapter 1. 

Another Imperial main character is Syril, the relentlessly dutiful Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) officer who is as keen on capturing Cassian and Axis as much as Dedra. Syril charts a new and unexpected path forward this season—balancing his new relationship with Dedra with his personal ambitions toward ISB glory.

Soller perfectly plays his serious yet clumsy character so well in Andor Season 2 Chapter 1, especially when Syril and Dedra host a dinner for Syril’s strict, overbearing mother Eedy Karn (Kathryn Hunter). While Eedy picks apart Dedra’s appearance and personality, Syril’s face says it all. He’s figuratively melting as he blankly stares into the metaphorical void while lying down in Dedra’s bed, while the two most important women in his life talk over dinner.

However, this is also a great performance from Gough, who lets Eedy throw shade at her before unleashing Dedra’s relentless authority to put Eedy in her place. Both Soller and Gough play their characters well, showing what dating in the ISB looks like between two officers obsessed with their work. How they awkwardly kiss and show affection is cringeworthy, but strangely endearing to watch.

Adding to the Empire’s returning characters, Krennic is back and as menacing and ambitious as he was when he was first introduced in Rogue One. In Andor Season 2 Episode 1, Krennic presents the main Imperial goal of the season to a secret council of Imperial heads—including Dedra and her ISB boss Major Lio Patragaz (Anton Lesser). Krennic’s endgame is to quash rebel activity on the wealthy, culture-rich planet Ghorman and extract as much kalkite minerals from Ghorman as possible.

Krennic is at the height of his power in Andor Season 2 since he’s not overshadowed by bigger Imperial figures such as Grand Admiral Moff Tarkin or Darth Vader. Also, this is the first time he’s seen planning these major objectives in secret from the Emperor and the higher-ups, just so he gets all the recognition when the whole plan is successful.

Krennic’s secret meeting in Andor Season 2 Chapter 1 comments on how every Imperial officer is always scheming their way up the Empire’s chain of command. Also, the officers who present the Ghorman smear campaign propaganda are important, seeing how the Empire spins public stories. Propaganda is a form of communication that uses selective facts to sway people’s opinions, and the propaganda video in this episode is a perfect example.

The Empire is more in focus in the second season of Andor.

Cassian’s story in Andor Season 2 starts with him infiltrating the Imperial arms and TIE fighter manufacturing base on Sienar at Test Facility 73. He’s been working with a rogue worker named Niya there so he can steal a TIE Interceptor. Even though Niya is a one-off character, Cassian’s words to her show how much experience he’s gained giving people small moments of inspiration, whether he means it or simply says it to save his skin. Even a passerby woman calls Cassian cute to Niya, showing off Cassian’s natural charisma, which continues to influence the people around him inherently.

Ultimately, Cassian successfully jumps into the TIE Interceptor cockpit and learns the flight controls on the spot. Luna’s great acting and reaction on his face sell how much Cassian realizes he’s missing the full intel on the type of starfighter he is meant to steal and fly off with. The whole infiltration on Sienar shows how much Cassian has to adapt when he doesn’t have the full picture, but he gets the job done by the end of the day.

Cassian’s observation and speechcraft know no bounds as he gets captured by the splinter cell rebel group—the Maya Pei Brigade—at the meeting spot with his contact on the jungle planet later revealed to be Yavin 4, the iconic Rebel Alliance base first seen in Star Wars: A New Hope. 

When members of the stranded Maya Pei Brigade distrust Cassian and each other, two sides of the rebel group begin firing at one another and have a small, drawn-out battle that lasts days. Meanwhile, Cassian is calm and patient enough to know when he can make his move to escape.

The first two episodes cover Cassian’s escape from the Maya Pei Brigade, and how he’s willing to do anything to get the job done—even if he has to outwit and kill fellow rebels. The whole ordeal also informs how fresh and disorganized the Rebel Alliance is in BBY 4. This two-episode hurdle is a great way to not only reintroduce Cassian a year after the events on Ferrix, but also offers a first look at rebels on Yavin 4 as the base evolves throughout Andor Season 2.

The injustices committed by the Empire are also in focus, just as much as Imperial characters.

It almost takes all of Andor Season 2 Chapter 1 for Cassian to make it back to Bix, Wilmon, and Brasso on Mina-Rau. With the three of them on Mina-Rau waiting for Cassian’s return, Bix is still overcoming her trauma from the brutal interrogation techniques Dr. Gorst (Joshua James) conducted on her in Season 1. At the same time, Wilmon finds some happiness flirting with one of the locals named Beela. Meanwhile, Brasso tries to keep all three of them safe by gathering local information to avoid the unforeseen Imperial planet-wide inspection from catching them.

Brasso’s perspective provides a small outlook of the fear migrant workers face under Empire rule, constantly looking over their shoulders. The commentary on-screen is topical to real-life events, highlighting the reality of undocumented workers in the United States and other countries. The show captures the grim mentality of those on the run, trying to find as much solitude as possible.

The most riveting character of the three on Mina-Rau is Bix, as she continues to have nightmares about Dr. Gorst trying to kill her. In addition to her damaged mind, Andor Season 2 Episode 3 sees her fighting off an Imperial officer named Lieutenant Krole, trying to assault her. This is the first blatant Star Wars depiction of such a brutal act of violence, showing the disgusting sides of war. The writing doesn’t shy away from the issue either.

Bix explictly says to another nearby officer who heard the scuffle, “He tried to rape me.” These are uncommon words to hear in a Star Wars production. It’s a sign that Lucasfilm trusts creator/writer Gilroy in showing the raw darkness of war within the Star Wars universe while respecting the essence of the IP.

The sexual violence shows the scumminess of Imperial soldiers exploiting locals between their mission stations, much of which sadly happens in real war theaters up to modern times. Character deaths and some forms of torture are usually the most mature themes a Star Wars TV show or movie narrative will focus on, and make darker themes more ambiguous.

Andor Season 2, Chapter 1, explores reality rather than space fantasy through Bix’s story.

The last major set piece of Andor Season 2 Chapter 1 is the overly extravagant Chandrilan wedding with Mon, her family and compatriots—introducing what a royal wedding looks like in this universe. In addition to showing Chandrila’s rich culture, it starkly illustrates how far removed politicians and royal families are from the rest of the galaxy that’s suffering under Imperial rule. The wedding also shows how much political intrigue is hidden in the background, as Sculdun talks to several Imperial officers visiting the wedding and Mon discusses rebel activity with Luthen.

Music and dance play a big part in the wedding, showing off multiple Chandrilan marriage customs. For those fascinated by Star Wars wedding traditions, Andor Season 2 Chapter 1 shows off every Chandrilan ceremonial dance and rite. The dance music at the end of the Chapter is haunting, though.

As Cassian eventually makes it in time to rescue his friends on Mina-Rau, Brasso is shot dead by the Imperials checking for work visas. The upbeat wedding party music adds to the unsettling feeling that on one side of the universe is a ridiculously fancy wedding that Mon gets hammered at and is trying to forget about the stresses from her rebellious activities. On the other side of the universe, Cassian, Wilmon and Bix escape the Imperial soldiers on Mina-Rau while quickly grieving the loss of their companion.

Andor Season 2 Chapter 1 keeps the hope alive for a great season ahead, as it brings new themes and stakes with expert storytelling beats. This chapter cleverly highlights one year’s progress for the Rebel Alliance and the Empire and sets up intriguing plot points in a way that doesn’t feel too condensed or dragged out. With every sacrifice along the way, every hero and villain in Andor has a part to play leading up to the events of Rogue One and future movies and shows.

Andor Season 2 Chapter 1 is now streaming on Disney+ with new episodes Tuesday.