S01.E04: Aldhani

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Out of options, Cassian is recruited for a dangerous mission to infiltrate an Imperial garrison.

Dropping Wednesday, September 28, 2022.

[wanderingstar]

The three-episodes-per-arc thing - and the sort of abrupt endings that come with it - will take getting used to. I found myself startled when this episode ended. I was getting all excited for the garrison heist, and then I was like "that's it!"

Seeing Luthen transform to go back into his other life was fascinating. He almost looked like it hurt. Loved the scenes between Mon and Luthen. But then I always love to watch covert meetings between two wily operators.

I know it's a trope of this genre, but I still loved how everyone in Vel's rebel group just despised the addition of "Clem" on the spot. Cool to see Eban Moss Bachrach as Skeen (that dude stays booked and busy) I'm guessing that not everyone in that group will survive the heist.

I was also thrilled to see Anton Lesser as the ISB Major. His exasperation with his underlings was amusing.

[angora]

Interesting that Luthen is so determined to wedge Cassian into this mission that's kicking off in just a few days. Of course Vel is right that it's upsetting the balance of the whole group, and now she's got to hurry to catch Cassian up on everything while also having to field everyone else's concerns and anger. Does Luthen really believe in Cassian that much, that he thinks throwing him in now will be worth all that upheaval?

Although, if it's a question of why this particular mission, the circumstances of Aldhani might go a long way to explain that, given Cassian's history. As Vel and later the other rebels were explaining how the Empire had displaced the inhabitants/dammed up their sacred river/etc., his facial expressions were telling a whole story. Maybe sending him on a mission to a planet where the Empire is doing whatever it wants with someone else's home is Luthen's way of pushing Cassian from "do this because I pay you for it" to "do this because you believe in it."

Love that Luthen's cover on Coruscant is that of some kind of antiquities dealer--watching him put on that persona was fascinating, and I just love seeing what ancient artifacts/rarities look like in the Star Wars universe. Mon Mothma's intro on the show was great too, excited to see more of her.

Okay, so the Empire is and has always been the worst. That speech from Anton Lesser's character about how they're "healthcare providers," :shudder: That said, I got such a kick out of that officer having ZERO patience as he ruthlessly dismissed Karn and co., making sure they knew that they'd effed up so badly that the Empire was going to take over operations themselves instead of trusting contractors again. Everything about that was perfect, from Karn's superior fecklessly insisting he didn't know anything to Karn's boots-on-the-ground buddy trying to raise his hand and the imperial officer shutting him down.

[Mr. R0b0t]

Still loving this show.  Great scenery, cracking dialogue and interesting characters.  Mon Mothma had me feeling a certain type of way....phew!!

[thuganomics85]

Great seeing Mon Mothma here and once again played by Genevieve O'Reilly, who pretty much has this character completely nailed down thanks not just playing her in Revenge of the Sith, but voicing her in a lot of the animated shows.  She's still awesome.  Her husband though seems to be kind of a dick though, sadly...

Luthen actually being a fancy antiquities dealer on Coruscant was a nice little reveal.  Stellan Skarsgard did a great job showing the different personas and making it believable that he has gotten away with it for as long as he has.

It might not have the most action in the Star Wars universe, but I'm all about getting into some Imperial work politics and maneuvering!  Curious to learn more about this Dedra character and why she's apparently suppose to be some kind of big rising star in the Empire.  She better be careful with dealing with her boss though.  Because he's Anton Lesser and I'd rather not get on Qyburn's bad side!

Looks like Cassian has gotten himself roped into a heist to steal one of the Empire's payroll shipments on the planet Aldhani.  It's being led by this Vel character and consist of the always popular ragtag group of scrappy folks who don't automatically trust him or a lot of what is transpiring on this mission.  This certainly won't be the last time he gets put in this scenario!

Not surprised Karn got booted after his massive fuck-up last week, but I'm curious to see what will be in store for him because I don't see his ending just going back home to his mom. 

[dwmarch]

I thought it was kind of hilarious how with the proto-Rebels the problem is not enough bureaucracy while the Empire suffers from too much bureaucracy. The rebels can't adapt to changing plans which would be a lot easier if someone had bothered to write them down. In the meantime, the Empire's intelligence agency could be proactively solving the thing they are most worried about but those TPS reports are due so let's focus on those instead.

[wanderingstar]

I also loved that Cassian chose the name Clem as his alias.

Edited September 28, 2022 by Gillian Rosh

[AimingforYoko]

2 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Not surprised Karn got booted after his massive fuck-up last week, but I'm curious to see what will be in store for him because I don't see his ending just going back home to his mom. 

IMO, two choices: Disgruntled rebel or born-again Imperial zealot.

[Spartan Girl]

So does Mon Mothma’s husband know she’s in the Rebel Alliance or does he not know because he’s on the Empire ‘s side?

[Fool to cry]

I can't believe how great the sets are. Not since the OT have I been impressed with sets in live action Star Wars and I've been trying to figure out why. The prequels did have physical sets but they were just "meh" and I think it's because they paled next to the more imaginative digital environments. Most of the sets sequels and D+shows were mostly derivative of the old movies.

[Cthulhudrew]

Kameni men must have crazy metabolisms, because Andor sure has a lot of stubble for a freshly shaved dude.

3 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

So does Mon Mothma’s husband know she’s in the Rebel Alliance or does he not know because he’s on the Empire ‘s side?

I got the sense he's more of a social dilettante than an insider. I can't quite get a handle on their relationship; in that scene both actors exhibited fondness and disdain. I appreciate the ambiguity (it felt real), but I don't yet know if that was the intention of the writing.

[paigow]

Seriously, Lt. GORN?????!!! Is J.J. Abrams working under a fake name?

[Athena5217]

I do not understand why Luthern gave Cassian the kyber crystal as a “down payment” then said he wanted it back. He used the phrase “down payment,” but a down payment is an initial partial payment. When you make a down payment, you do not get it back, because then it would. It be a payment. What am I missing?

[Raja]

31 minutes ago, Athena5217 said:

I do not understand why Luthern gave Cassian the kyber crystal as a “down payment” then said he wanted it back. He used the phrase “down payment,” but a down payment is an initial partial payment. When you make a down payment, you do not get it back, because then it would. It be a payment. What am I missing?

It would be like going to a pawn shop and the crystal was just a guarantee Andor could keep if Luthern didn't make good. 

[Cthulhudrew]

49 minutes ago, Athena5217 said:

I do not understand why Luthern gave Cassian the kyber crystal as a “down payment” then said he wanted it back. He used the phrase “down payment,” but a down payment is an initial partial payment. When you make a down payment, you do not get it back, because then it would. It be a payment. What am I missing?

Might not have been the most accurate phrasing, but the way I read it, it was really as much of a test of loyalty and trust as an actual deposit for services rendered. By stressing how priceless it is to him, Luthern was indicating he was taking a chance on Cassian's character not to run off and just hock it for cash. 

Also, when he reiterated that he was expecting it back even when Cassian hypothesized he might not make it, the subtext was that Luthern was confident in Cassian's abilities to pull this off.

[angora]

5 hours ago, Gillian Rosh said:

I also loved that Cassian chose the name Clem as his alias.

I'd forgotten that Clem was the name of his adopted dad/the guy with Maarva in the episode 3 flashbacks. The first thing that popped into my head was the show 3Below, where Diego Luna's character used the stage name DJ Kleb at a battle of the bands. My brain went, "Wait, did they just--? Oh right, that was Kleb." 🤷‍♀️

[Sarah 103]

14 hours ago, Gillian Rosh said:

I found myself startled when this episode ended. I was getting all excited for the garrison heist, and then I was like "that's it!"

That was totally my reaction too, then I realized it was a classic old school "tune in next week," which is very in keeping with the old movie serials that helped inspire Star Wars. 

[paigow]

8 hours ago, Raja said:

It would be like going to a pawn shop and the crystal was just a guarantee Andor could keep if Luthern didn't make good. 

And it is probably fake... or has a tracker / remote controlled explosive

[absnow54]

11 hours ago, Fool to cry said:

I can't believe how great the sets are. Not since the OT have I been impressed with sets in live action Star Wars and I've been trying to figure out why. The prequels did have physical sets but they were just "meh" and I think it's because they paled next to the more imaginative digital environments. Most of the sets sequels and D+shows were mostly derivative of the old movies.

I'm excited for all of these between PT/OT explorations, because I always liked the contrast of the aesthetic. The OT was very lived in, which made sense for a rebellion that was working with what it had, while the PT was so sleek and modern (with a lot of digital garbage added in so that TOO much was going on.) It was fun to see Coruscant with luxury speeders and Mon Mothma's crazy expensive apartment. I can't believe this show has made it 4 episodes without going to a desert planet! This must be a new record for the franchise!

8 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

That was totally my reaction too, then I realized it was a classic old school "tune in next week," which is very in keeping with the old movie serials that helped inspire Star Wars. 

I feel like the pacing is off. I don't know, I didn't get any sense of suspense at the ending, it just felt like they had a chart for how long each episode should be, and hacked off at the scene closest to that mark. There were 4 or 5 story threads in this episode and they all felt incomplete. We had Andor meeting a whole new set of characters (I panicked when they ran through the introductions, and everybody's names were just random sounds. HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO REMEMBER THAT?), you have the Imperial officer who is starting to pull the thread of a coordinated effort, you have Syril getting fired and going home, you have Luthen's double life, and then you have Mon Mothma's unfortunate dinner party. I'd rather they focus on fewer storylines at a time, so that I could get the full plot in one episode, instead of spreading 5 over 3 episodes that are released 3 weeks apart. It worked for the first batch of episodes because you could watch them all back to back. Keep Andor as the A-plot each week and then weave in a B and maybe C plot. Otherwise, I might just wait every 3 weeks, so that I can watch a cohesive 2.5 hour story block. 

[Ilovepie]

4 hours ago, absnow54 said:

It was fun to see Coruscant with luxury speeders and Mon Mothma's crazy expensive apartment. I can't believe this show has made it 4 episodes without going to a desert planet! This must be a new record for the franchise!

I loved that - it was so cool and sleek looking. And yay for no Tatooine!

My favorite scene was the ISB round table. My Star Wars knowledge comes from the movies, these shows and a few seasons of Clone Wars, so  I like seeing another side of the Empire. Anton Lesser is awesome as an Empire baddy. I loved the mention of building materials being sent to Scarif. Foreshadow!

Speaking of, Luthen's comment about Cassian being willing to die for his cause was sad knowing how this ends......

[Shanna Marie]

It occurred to me while watching this episode that Cassian is the perfect blend of badass and woobie. We know he's capable, an accomplished thief, and willing to kill, but there's also a haunted, lost quality to him that makes you want to take care of him. And it seems like the show/other characters also get this. Like, the introduction to the rebel band was basically "here's the new guy, he's got skills we need, now feed him and tend to his wound."

Karn getting the dressing-down from the Imperial officer may have been even better than getting it from his boss, though I would have liked to see the "told you so" scene between him and his boss later. "See, this is why I told you to stay out of it. But you just had to go behind my back, and now you've brought the Empire down on us. Happy?" I'm still not sure if this is going to turn him anti-Empire or if he's going to freelance to go after Cassian as a way of earning his way back and getting in good with the Empire. Though I'm not sure the Empire really cares about Cassian enough for that to earn him a lot of points. They don't seem to have cared about the dead men as much as they cared about the lax situation overall and the deaths/property damage in going after Cassian.

And we're getting to see yet another new human culture. I really hope we get to see the "meteor shower" because you know the effects will be awesome.

I actually kind of missed the flashbacks because I don't feel like that story's been entirely told and I want more details. We did get more backstory on Cassian, and it sounds like his life is worth several TV series. He seems to have been in constant trouble -- major trouble -- since he was a little kid.

[angora]

3 hours ago, Shanna Marie said:

It occurred to me while watching this episode that Cassian is the perfect blend of badass and woobie. We know he's capable, an accomplished thief, and willing to kill, but there's also a haunted, lost quality to him that makes you want to take care of him. And it seems like the show/other characters also get this. Like, the introduction to the rebel band was basically "here's the new guy, he's got skills we need, now feed him and tend to his wound."

ITA. On Ferrix, all his friends/family were like, "You look awful, what happened, what kind of trouble are you in?" as soon as they saw him--and surprise, surprise, insisting that everything's fine as he begged them for favors/money/alibis didn't exactly reassure them.

[Fool to cry]

17 hours ago, absnow54 said:

I'm excited for all of these between PT/OT explorations, because I always liked the contrast of the aesthetic. The OT was very lived in, which made sense for a rebellion that was working with what it had, while the PT was so sleek and modern (with a lot of digital garbage added in so that TOO much was going on.) It was fun to see Coruscant with luxury speeders and Mon Mothma's crazy expensive apartment. I can't believe this show has made it 4 episodes without going to a desert planet! This must be a new record for the franchise!

If they end up making deserts interesting again then this really will be the best show!

[Shanna Marie]

18 hours ago, angora said:

ITA. On Ferrix, all his friends/family were like, "You look awful, what happened, what kind of trouble are you in?" as soon as they saw him--and surprise, surprise, insisting that everything's fine as he begged them for favors/money/alibis didn't exactly reassure them.

And they all told him to do something about the cut/bruise on his face. Even the droid expressed concern for him and was trying to take care of him. When he was a kid, scavengers showed up and were immediately like "Let's adopt him!" He just seems to have that effect on people.

[Captain Stable]

On 9/29/2022 at 4:42 AM, angora said:

I'd forgotten that Clem was the name of his adopted dad/the guy with Maarva in the episode 3 flashbacks. The first thing that popped into my head was the show 3Below, where Diego Luna's character used the stage name DJ Kleb at a battle of the bands. My brain went, "Wait, did they just--? Oh right, that was Kleb." 🤷‍♀️

All I was getting was "Yes, I hear you Clem Fandango!"

[Clem Fandango is a work experience guy in the TV show "Toast of London" who keeps appearing, and interrupting the main star while he's trying to work.] 

[Tachi Rocinante]

On 9/28/2022 at 10:19 PM, paigow said:

Seriously, Lt. GORN?????!!! Is J.J. Abrams working under a fake name?

I though the same thing about the "Kuati signet".  Kuato? Really?

[Megras]

A Kuati signet would be from Kuat - a planet know for its shipyards in the Star Wars Universe. Now whether Kuat got is named for Kuato is anpther matter 🙂

[tennisgurl]

I really liked seeing Mon Mothma here, working low key with the early rebels and living in her cool Apple Store apartment, although things are not great in her marriage in seems like. They have an interesting dynamic, he comes off as a bored rich dilatant and rather uncaring of his wife, but there does seem to be some real fondness between them, I am guessing he has no idea about what she is actually up to. 

The early days of the rebellion and the Empire basically had the opposite problems. The rebels at this point have no infrastructure and are totally lacking in communication, while the Empire is bogged down in bureaucracy and spend more time filling out forms in endless unneeded lines of supervisors than actually dealing with any of their very real threats.  

Luthen's cover being a fancy antique dealer in the middle of the Empire is a cool idea, plus it means we get lots of continuity nods from throughout the franchise! I am really interested in why he is putting Cassian into this particular mission right now, is it just because he's the best man for the job or is it also because he wants to really sell Cassian on joining the rebellion? It seems like a bit of a coincidence that his first assignment with them is a low tech planet where the Empire has forced the earthy occupants out of their native culture, which certainly does sound familiar. 

Luthen telling Cassian that he is probably going to end up dying fighting the Empire one day was quite sad knowing how Rogue One is going to end. 

[Kel Varnsen]

On 9/28/2022 at 11:47 AM, angora said:

That said, I got such a kick out of that officer having ZERO patience as he ruthlessly dismissed Karn and co., making sure they knew that they'd effed up so badly that the Empire was going to take over operations themselves instead of trusting contractors again. Everything about that was perfect, from Karn's superior fecklessly insisting he didn't know anything to Karn's boots-on-the-ground buddy trying to raise his hand and the imperial officer shutting him down.

I wonder if that whole scene was supposed to be some sort of indication that the Empire are controlling everything else pretty well and had security pretty clamped down otherwise. Since Corusant is the capital of the whole galaxy, which has to be trillions of people. So you would think the events with Cassian escaping and a few people being killed last episode would be relatively minor. Yet they were big enough for those security guys to get called into the head office on another planet to get yelled at. Who has time for that. It's like if a crossing guard at my kids school made a mistake and got called into the prime minister's office. So if that is big enough for them to get called in (instead of maybe their boss's boss's boss) does that mean every else in the empire is running smoothly and people are being kept in line?

[Camera One]

The show certainly wasted no time in introducing a whole new set of character and plot direction.  It was a little confusing but still comprehensible, and a relatively skillful segue linking the last arc with this one.

I do find it interesting to see the political side of the empire, compared to the other Star Wars shows so far. 

Luthen's face and demeanor totally transformed when he went back to his "life", so that was really neat.  The clandestine meeting with Mon was fun to watch.  I don't know Star Wars enough to know where she appeared before.

I felt a bit for Vel having to defend adding this new guy she didn't even want.  

I guess to replace the deputy guy, now they have the equally despicable blonde woman climbing the ladder at security.  I am assuming the leader guy will promote her after the heist succeeds, and then she will be searching for Cassian, maybe recruiting the deputy guy.

This mission-oriented part seems more like the usual Star Wars plot.

[Shanna Marie]

9 hours ago, Camera One said:

The show certainly wasted no time in introducing a whole new set of character and plot direction.  It was a little confusing but still comprehensible, and a relatively skillful segue linking the last arc with this one.

This series has an interesting structure in that it's set up like three connected movies, with one interstitial transition ep between movie 2 and movie 3, and then a two-episode wrapup to deal with the big-picture plot. It helps to look at it that way. Eps 4-6 are basically the second movie in a trilogy. There's big-picture stuff that connects them, especially on the Imperial side, and it's all part of Cassian's character arc, but it's a new story that he was launched into by the events of the previous arc.

9 hours ago, Camera One said:

The clandestine meeting with Mon was fun to watch.  I don't know Star Wars enough to know where she appeared before.

She first appeared in Return of the Jedi (played by a different actress) as a leader of the Rebel Alliance. She was in Revenge of the Sith (played by this actress) as a senator, but most of her scenes were cut (you can find them in the extras on Disney+). I think she might have appeared in the background without having any lines in the movie as released. And she was in Rogue One as one of the rebel leaders. She kind of scolds Jyn Erso into cooperating with the rebels. She had really short hair in Rogue One (matching the look from Return of the Jedi), so she looks a bit different here (and somehow younger than she looked in Rogue One). She was also featured in the animated Rebels series (I think possibly voiced by this actress, but I'm not sure).

[jeansheridan]

On 9/30/2022 at 9:51 AM, Shanna Marie said:

And they all told him to do something about the cut/bruise on his face. Even the droid expressed concern for him and was trying to take care of him. When he was a kid, scavengers showed up and were immediately like "Let's adopt him!" He just seems to have that effect on people.

I generally like Luna and find him engaging but Andor as a character isn't doing it for me on this show. He seems kind of dumb and not street smart. I love Fiona Shaw as his mom. And I love love love Syril's mother. I want to see her with the blonde IBS character.  I want to see her with Yoda! She would destroy. She has to be the funniest Star Wars character ever.

[dwmarch]

On 1/8/2023 at 10:25 PM, jeansheridan said:

the blonde IBS character

ISB as in Imperial Security Bureau although based on the look Dedra perpetually has on her face I like your version better.

[LaylaGirl]

On 1/8/2023 at 11:25 PM, jeansheridan said:

And I love love love Syril's mother. I want to see her with the blonde IBS character.  I want to see her with Yoda! She would destroy. She has to be the funniest Star Wars character ever.

I am very much dating myself here, but she reminds me so much of Ida Morgenstern - Rhoda's mother on the Mary Tyler Moore Show and later on the show Rhoda. Not only her physical stature, but her tone of voice and the way she interferes in her son's life.

[Orbert]

That's who she reminds me of!  When she first showed up and was tormenting poor Syril, I was trying to think of who she reminds me of.  Rhoda's mother.  I wouldn't be surprised if Mrs. Morgenstern was an actual model for Syril's mom.  They are indeed very, very similar.

[andromeda331]

On 11/26/2023 at 10:10 PM, LaylaGirl said:

I am very much dating myself here, but she reminds me so much of Ida Morgenstern - Rhoda's mother on the Mary Tyler Moore Show and later on the show Rhoda. Not only her physical stature, but her tone of voice and the way she interferes in her son's life.

Your right! She does!