Andor Can't Go Home Again

It's so nice to spend all day anticipating a show and then to have that show meet and exceed those expectations. Last night's Andor continued to satisfyingly add more complexity to the Star Wars universe. I'm so happy this show exists.

It's great to finally get a fleshed out character in Mon Mothma. She's the leader of the Rebellion, she ought to be as developed at least as Palpatine, but ever since she was briefly introduced in Return of the Jedi, hardly any attention had been given to her. Most people didn't even realise who she was when they first watched Return of the Jedi. I suspect most writers felt she would be a simplistic paragon, but even if she is, Andor shows the complicated path she has to navigate is a fascinating one.

We get a good impression of how intimately the battle is tied to her life. Her husband belongs to the opposing faction and the normal issues around a mother dealing with a teenage daughter are subtly complicated by these deadly, pervasive politics. Meanwhile, Mon Mothma is making a tentative alliance with a banker, a desperate move of trust with the ultimate aim of gaining unfettered access to her own money. So often in other Star Wars stories, money is a thing that fluctuates on plot convenience, but in Andor it actively drives part of the story, as it should.

Cassian has an idea he's going to take his cut from the heist and quietly retire with his mother and his droid. We get some scenes that demonstrate how lucky the show is to have Fiona Shaw playing Maarva. She shows the complicated, difficult levels of meditation and decision she has to go through to ultimately get to the point where she and Cassian must part. It's genuinely painful when he leaves at the end, promising to come back, and it's clear both characters believe they'll never see each other again. It's doubly painful because Maarva is inspired by the heist Cassian was a part of and he's not yet come to grips with his feelings about the Empire. He's a practical man, but in this, Maarva has the clearer vision. The detail about her husband being executed by the Empire was brilliant and adds another dimension to Cassian choosing to call himself Clem for the heist.

The Empire tightens its grip, levying heavy taxes and deploying Star Destroyers. But this is part of Rael's plan, for as the Empire tightens its grip, to borrow a line from Princess Leia, the more star systems may slip through its fingers.

Andor is available on Disney+. Please, please watch it.

Twitter Sonnet #1633

The crowed spaces fell above the wyrm.
A brittle bible flew upon the breeze.
A ribbon current swirls within the urn.
The foot questions spread among the bees.
The dancing skull was free to find a home.
A house exchanged a chicken coop for meat.
Beyond a couple years, we chucked the dome.
Sufficient life was found in royal feet.
A pepper faded placed below the chalk.
The dust became a spray of tiny stars.
The black was green when writing boards could talk.
You'll find the strangest sleeves behind the bars.
The money routed round the thorns was spent.
Another heist emerged to pay the rent.