Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Episodes 1-4 of Andor.Star Warsisn’t necessarily a dystopian story, but the events of the original trilogy explore what it is like to live under a fascist dictatorship that is unflinching in its brutality. We’re getting to seewhat life is like in the Galactic Empire era inAndor, and how the Rebel Alliance begins to come together to stand up for freedom.What makesAndoruniquein the modernStar Warscanon is that it isn’t connected to the Skywalker Saga, the force, or the Jedi Order. It explores the lives of average civilians who are helpless, starving, and desperate.
Andorexploreshow Cassian’s (Diego Luna) journey beginson the planet Ferrix. The trade sector planet is in the backwater region of the galaxy, which is far removed from the political decisions being made on Coruscant. Ferrix and the other planets within the same system are under thecontrol of Preox-Morlana, a corporate conglomerate that rules fromMorlana One. Preox-Morlana has leveraged its relationship with the Empire to continue its mining operations as the bureaucrats profit.
While the Empire is content to place these seemingly less important systems under the control of another ruling body, they aren’t about to let a crisis go unpunished. After Cassian andLuthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard)create an uprising that kills several Pre-Mor officers,Syril Karn (Kyle Soller)and the other Preox-Morlana leaders are called to a meeting with the Imperial Security Bureau Lieutenant Blevin (Ben Bailey Smith). Blevin announces a change in power that virtually strips Preox-Morlana of any advantages it may have had.
Preox-Morlana’s Role on Ferrix
Preox-Morlana is a corporate authority that’s somewhat similar to the Trade Federation and the other Seperartist groups in the Clone Wars era. Characterized by its greed, Preox-Morlana mines for precious resources in the Trade Sector of the galaxy. The central hub on Morlana One includes an urban sector where security officers are given orders. Chief Hyne (Rupert Vansittart) is lax in his duties; he refuses to investigate the death of the two Pre-Mor officers that Cassian killed in the Leisure Zone.
While Hyne feared that an investigation would lead to evidence that the Pre-Mor officers were frequenting brothels, Karn refuses to let the issue go. When Hyne is called to a meeting with his Imperial superiors, Karn goes behind his back to organize a search for Cassian. He leads a security team to Ferrix to capture Cassian. However, Cassian and Rael outwit him and escape. The fiery explosion inspires the people of Ferrix to openly show their defiance of both Preox-Morlana and the Empire.
The Imperial Security Bureau quickly notices this; Major Partagaz (Anton Lesser) and his council are discussing any potential threats that have emerged. They act swiftly to reprimand Preox-Morlana for their botched effort. Blevin tells Karn, Hyne, and Sergeant Linus Mosk (Alex Ferns) that the Empire will seize control of the Morlana system. Any independence that Preox-Morlana once had has ended.
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The Imperial Response After Karn’s Mistakes
The individual officers involved in the incident are punished for their hasty scheme. Blevin dresses down Karn, Hyne, and Mosk with contempt; he says that of all the corporate disasters that he has overseen, this is by far the most embarrassing. Karn is stripped of his titles, and sent home to cry to his mother, Eedy (Kathryn Hunter). Blevin callously remarks that at least he will not be replaced, because his position no longer exists.
Mosk and Hyne are sent to a transfer center and reprimanded. Although Hyne claims that he was not directly involved in the effort on Ferrix, Blevin says that he is just as responsible for allowing his underlings to operate behind his back. Blevin’s actions cause a rift within the internal politics of the ISB.Lieutenant Dedra Meero(Denise Gough) feels that she should have control over the region, and that the search for Cassian should be hers to deal with. Meero notes to Partagaz that a NS-9 Starpath unit was stolen from the Steergard Naaval Yard, but Blevin rejects her plan.
The Rise of the Empire’s Centralized Power
This change of power may only impact one system, but it shows how the Empire has worked to demoralize resistance efforts throughout the galaxy. The Empire knows that if there is any hope that people have to cling to, they could inspire them to take action. It’s not just that rebels are punished, but that the very idea of rebellion must be eradicated. Cassian refers tothe Empire’s plan on Mimban, where various rebel factions were left to fight among themselves. This demoralizes Cassian, and makes him skeptical about joining any formal alliance.
This is also a sign of the Empire’s centralization of power. InStar Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope, Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) announces that the Imperial Senate has been dissolved and that regional governors now have direct control over their territories. The political body of the galaxy is restricted to the Moffs within Emperor Palpatine’s (Ian McDiarmid) inner circle. Any remnants of the government that existed during the Galactic Republic era have been eradicated.
