In the season 1 finale of Andor, everything comes full circle as most of the main characters are on the planet Ferrix, albeit for different reasons. The Imperial Security Bureau wants to bring Cassian Andor in for questioning regarding his connections to Rebel recruiter Luthen Rael and the Aldhani heist. To prevent that scenario, the Rebels are plotting to kill Cassian to protect Luthen’s identity. Syril Karn wants revenge after he was fired from the ISB following a failed attempt to arrest Cassian. All this is happening the same day Ferrix holds a funeral for Cassian’s adoptive mother Maarva. Expect plenty of chaos and a jaw dropping post-credits scene too.
Setting the Stage
The mood in Ferrix is tense and somber on the eve of Maarva’s funeral. ISB supervisor Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) has arrived in Ferrix and goes undercover with Corv (Noof Ousellam). Rebels Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay), and Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård) have arrived in Ferrix. Syril (Kyle Soller) is there as well, with former colleague Sergeant Mosk (Alex Ferns).
It’s also clear Cinta’s devotion to the mission is bordering more on obsessive, causing a massive strain in her relationship with Vel. Instead of picking up Vel, she decides to follow Dedra and Corv after she saw them leave the hotel/ISB headquarters dressed like locals. Vel is concerned the ISB will capture Cassian before they can get their hands on him. Luthen thinks it’s perfect. Let the Imperials do all the hunting, which will clue them in on Cassian’s location, then kill him before he can be questioned.
Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) is still in ISB custody, reeling from the trauma from her interrogations. Wilmon Paak (Muhannad Bhaier) is building what appears to be a bomb. Brasso (Joplin Sibtain) meets up with Xanwan (Zubin Varla), who admits he spoke to Cassian. Later on, when Nurchi (Raymond Anum) goes on a rant on how tragic it would be for Cassian to miss his mother’s funeral, Xan implies that might not be the case.
Guess Who’s Back!
Despite having many people searching for him, Cassian manages to sneak his way back to Ferrix. He pays a visit to the funerary stone for his late adoptive father Clem Andor (Gary Beadle) — who was hung by Imperials for breaking up a fight in the early days of Palpatine’s reign. He thinks back to the day his father taught him how important it is to be observant.
“People don’t look down to where they should,” Clem told him. “They don’t look down, they don’t look past the rust. Not us though, eh? Eyes open, possibilities everywhere”.
Cassian reunites with his old friend Pelga (Kieran O’Brien), who tells him about Bix’s imprisonment. While Pelga looks for an update on Bix, Cassian finally reads the political manifesto his late ally Karis Nemik (Alex Lawther) wrote before his death.
“Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly throughout the galaxy. There are whole armies, battalions that have no idea that they’ve already enlisted in the cause. Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward,” Nemik says.
“The day will come when all these skirmishes and battles, these moments of defiance, will have flooded the banks of the Empire’s authority and then there will be one too many. One single thing will break the siege. Remember this: Try.”
When Cassian is alone with family friend Brasso, he shares his regret of leaving Maarva behind, especially since they had argued the last time he saw her. Brasso — or more accurately Maarva — knew Cassian would blame himself, so he delivers Maarva’s final message to her son. None of this is his fault. “Tell him, he knows everything he needs to know and feels everything he needs to feel,” Brasso says. “And when the day comes, and those two pull together, he will be an unstoppable force for good.” And more importantly, Maarva loves Cassian “more than anything he could ever do wrong.” When Pelga stops by with news Bix is still alive, Cassian decides to rescue her from the Imperials.
Diversions
While riding home from yet another party (college students don’t party as much as the senators of Coruscant), Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) accuses her jerkass husband Perrin Fertha (Alastair Mackenzie) of returning to his old gambling habit. Perrin vehemently denies he’s been gambling again and insists whoever told her this is trying to take her down through him. However, this argument has been staged by Mon as a cover for the missing money. She knows her driver Kloris (Lee Ross) is a spy listening to every word.
Just as Mon expected, Kloris reports her accusations to ISB supervisor Blevin (Ben Bailey Smith), who accepts it as a possible explanation for the suspicious banking activity they’ve been monitoring. Meanwhile, the ISB is celebrating their success in intercepting Anto Kreegyr’s attempted raid on Spellhaus, killing him and his crew. Dedra is not happy as she felt Kreegyr was the key to identifying Luthen (codenamed Axis). Her boss Major Partagaz (Anton Lesser) reminds Dedra that the whole point of the mission was to wipe “the taste of Aldhani from the Emperor’s mouth”.
“You want to start a conversation? Find Axis,” he tells her. Hard to accomplish that objective without any leads. With a boss like Partagaz, Dedra doesn’t need enemies.
The next time we see Mon, she, her husband, and their bratty 13-year-old daughter Leida (Bronte Carmichael) are all dressed up for some special guests. Davo Sculdun (Richard Dillane) and his wife, Runai (Rosalind Halstead), introduce their 14-year-old son Stekan (Finley Glasgow) to Leida. It’s looking like Mon has agreed to a betrothal between Leida and Stekan, a Chandrillan tradition. It doesn’t help that Leida embraced these traditions to get under Mon’s skin, but will she go as far as becoming a teen bride? Just how deep is Leida’s hate towards her mother?
A Funeral to Remember
The ISB are going over the arrangements for the funeral. Half of Rix Road has been closed for one block, with a max limit of 40 people — concessions the Imperials made with the Daughters of Ferrix, a social club Maarva was a past president for. They also have traps, snipers, and a containment unit in place for Cassian, though Dedra makes it clear she wants him alive. Nurchi tells the ISB where he thinks Cassian will be for double the reward money and a free ride.
The Time Grappler (Neil Bell) clangs the anvil earlier than scheduled. The people of Ferrix hit the streets in large numbers to mess with the Imperials’ heads. Brasso carries Maarva’s funerary stone while a marching band plays mournful music. Andor’s family droid B2EMO/Bee (voiced by Dave Chapman) leads the procession. The ISB is struggling with its efforts to control the crowd, while Luthen and Syril watch from afar. The best part of the whole sequence is when Bee projects a holographic image of Maarva, delivering a pre-recorded eulogy. Decked out in her Daughter of Ferrix robe, Maarva gives a powerful speech on how the people of Ferrix have kept their heads down, ignoring the negative influence of the Empire. She refers to the Empire as “a disease that thrives in darkness.”
“Maybe fighting is useless. Perhaps it’s too late,” Maarva says. “But I’ll tell you this. If I could do it again, I’d wake up early and be fighting these bastards from the start.” She ends her speech with three little words: “Fight the Empire!” Using your eulogy to start an uprising — Maarva Andor, you’re a true badass.
Hot-headed Captain Vanis Tigo (Wilf Scolding) knocks Bee over to end the transmission, leading to a riot by the locals. Things escalate when Wilmon shows up and throws his makeshift bomb at the Imperials’ front line. He’s seeking revenge against the ISB for torturing and killing his father Salman, then hanging his corpse in the street. It doesn’t just explode — it made contact with several cases of ammo, which sets of a chain reaction of explosions.
That’s when the blood really starts to flow. Nurchi is killed in the explosions. Tigo demands officers open fire into the crowd. Xanwan is gunned down by blaster fire. Pelga manages to save B2EMO. The Time Grappler kicks a Stormtrooper out of the bell tower. Corv is stabbed to death by Cinta when he realizes she’s been following him.
Dedra is nearly trampled to death by the angry crowd until she rescued by Syril. A visibly shaken (literally, she’s shaking) Dedra isn’t thrilled her stalker is the one to save her, but she does express her gratitude while Syril stares at her creepily. Don’t be surprised if these two become an official couple in Season 2, with their subplots revolving around a relationship that’s as beautiful as it is toxic. Because Disney hasn’t learned from the whole Kylo Ren/Rey drama from their post-Lucus Star Wars trilogy a few years ago.
And Cassian is nowhere to found. He’s actually in the hotel, where he finds Bix. Initially, she’s reluctant to leave out of fear, but the two are able to slip away from all the chaos and go straight to Pelga’s yard. Bix is slowly coming out of her dazed state when she’s put on a ship with Brasso, Bee, Pelga, Wilmon, and Jeez. Cassian stays behind and tells a devastated Bee to look after Bix until he meets up with them again.
“I will find you,” Cassian tells his friends before they leave Ferrix.
Answering the Call
Luthen rides his speeder back to his ship in the desert. As he prepares to leave, he turns around and finds Cassian is standing right behind him. Cassian theorizes Luthen came to Ferrix to kill him, which Luthen doesn’t deny. Cassian gives him an ultimatum: “kill me or take me in.” Luthen responds with a smirk, pleased to see Cassian has finally embraced the cause.
And that’s how the story ends — with a smirk and Cassian joining the Rebel Alliance. But that’s not the last scene of the season…
Post-Credits
One of the most buzzed about moments in the Andor season finale is the scene that plays after the credits roll. You know, those weird six-pronged widgets Cassian and the prisoners of Narkina 5 were building? We get a close-up of some droids putting the smaller widgets in place to create something bigger. The camera pans out to reveal these contraptions support the panels for the dish-shaped laser of the Death Star — an incomplete super weapon the Empire will use to destroy entire planets.
What makes this scene disturbing is the knowledge that Cassian and some of his rebel allies are killed by the Death Star in Rogue One, after stealing its blueprints. Basically, Cassian (unknowingly) had a hand in building the weapon that would kill him years later.
Will There Be a Second Season?
Show creator Tony Gilroy confirmed there will be a second season back in May, which will also be the show’s final season. Season 2 of Andor will consist of 12 episodes, spanning over the course of four years, and will lead directly into the events of Rogue One. Filming has already begun. While a release date hasn’t been released, there’s speculation the show will return in 2024 — maybe 2023 at the earliest.
Season 1 of Andor is available to stream in its entirety exclusively on Disney+. You can read recaps for all 12 episodes here.
