Andor: "Messenger", "Who Are You?", "Welcome to the Rebellion"

Spoiler Alert: Spoilers for Episodes 7-9 of season two of Andor, as well as a major spoiler for Rogue One ahead! There shouldn’t be any spoilers from later on in the series, but there will be spoilers of other Star Wars movies and TV shows, so consider yourself warned about any Prequel or Original Trilogy spoilers!

BBY 2

Through one and a half seasons of Andor, the Force has been absent. No Jedi, no Sith, no Inquisitors or Dark Jedi or any other thing involving the Force you can find almost everywhere else in the voluminous history of Star Wars continuity in all of its forms. Andor has been more interested in how people who have no special powers operate under an authoritarian system consolidating its power.

However, Andor exists in the same universe as Luke Skywalker, Yoda, and Emperor Palpatine. Therefore the Force exists in Andor, whether it is acknowledged or not. And here, in BBY 2, it makes an appearance. Not in the form of a powerful space wizard, and not even in the form of a dutiful guardian like Chirrut Imwe in Rogue One. Our one direct connection in Andor with the force comes from a humble Force healer (Josie Walker).

The Force healer takes an interest in Cassian (Diego Luna), which is not something he cares much for. However, Bix is interested in what the healer has to say. It’s nothing concrete, because the force does not work like that. Even a force wielder as powerful as Yoda can’t determine the will of the force with 100% certainty. But she can read enough through the mystery of the Force. As she tells Bix later, Cassian is a messenger. And he has somewhere he has to be.

Afterwards, Cassian’s shoulder feels better, but he is freaked out at what the healer said about him. Cassian doesn’t care much for the idea of fate. He concedes he’s been lucky, but is adamant that the luck will run out. He strives for control of his own story. But no one is entirely in control of their story. Especially a character in a prequel TV show. Cassian has an immutable destiny, and that’s to die on that beach as the Death Star destroys Scarif. He cannot deny this destiny, sure, but he’s still going to try.

Which is one reason why he agrees to Luthen’s (Stellan Skarsård) request to accompany Wilmon Paak (Muhannad Ben Amor) to Ghorman. It’s his way of showing Rebel General Dravin (Alistair Petrie) that he is in control of his own fate. If he fights for the Rebels, cool. If he and Bix leave to settle in a quiet corner of the galaxy for the duration? That’s cool as well. No one is going to tell Cassian Andor what he must do.

Here in BBY 2, this is causing friction for Cassian. In the 2 years since Yavin 4 was the site of the pathetic fight between remnants of the Maya Pei Brigade, the jungle moon has become a bustling Rebel base. Facilities are being built, command structures and SOPs are being set up, and a bunch of disparate Rebels are becoming a fighting force. Discipline is the name of the game, as Vel (Faye Marsay) has even shown up to handle intake of new recruits. Luthen’s days at the center of the fight are over.

But he is not done yet. The mission he has given to Cassian seems like an important one. You see, the Suppression of Ghorman by the Empire continues. And at the head of it all is ISB Supervisor Dedra Meero (Denise Gough). If she were assassinated, it would cause a whole lot of chaos, and perhaps put the Imperial operation into jeopardy. As far as Cassian is concerned, it’s worth a shot. 

Unfortunately, the days of Dedra’s involvement on Ghorman are growing to a close. Simply put, the destructive extraction of kalkite, a necessary component for the Death Star, from the core of Ghorman is a go. Unbeknownst to the Rebels, the Ghor, and almost the entirety of the Empire, Ghorman’s fate has been determined, and it will die for the glory of the Empire whether the Ghor like it or not.

“It’s Bad Luck Ghorman.” - Major Lio Partagaz (Anton Lesser), “Messenger”

As Major Partagaz lets Dedra know the mission is a go, for the first time we see her have doubts as to what she is doing. Perhaps she is uneasy at the arrival of “Crisis Specialist” Captain Kaldi. Sure, she doesn’t care for him because he seems to operate under his own volition, with only the barest of formalities that she is his superior (i.e. “the hand that pulls the trigger”). Maybe, buried deep inside her somewhere, she knows she is complicit in an atrocity. 

Despite that slight pang of a conscience, she succeeded in her mission, and it will be a big benefit to her career. She and her boyfriend and undercover operative Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) can go back home to Coruscant and reap the benefits of the hard work. She took his work egging on the Ghorman Front, and built a paper trail of escalating resistance. Close to the end, she had given up entirely on the subterfuge, and was just pulling off false flag attacks deep within the Imperial compound. As Senator Dasi Oran (Raphael Roger Levy) tells Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), “they don’t even bother to lie badly anymore.” And why should she? The media has bought the Imperial line that the Ghor are arrogant bomb-throwing radicals out to destroy peace and order in the Empire. Effort is for people you respect, and the Empire does not respect their enemies. 

But of course, the Ghorman Front knew they were lying about these attacks they had no ability to pull off. It was so obvious that they sussed out that Syril was an ISB operative, as both Carro Rylanz (Richard Sammel) and his daughter Enza (Alaïs Lawson) react to his approaches to get them to back off rather coldly. It’s even so bad that Syril is suspicious of what exactly Dedra is up to. 

He didn’t know the details, but he knew she was keeping things from him and using him, and that made him angry. Never mind that he kept getting promoted through the ranks of the Bureau of Standards thanks to her. Back then, he didn’t seem all that interested in asking questions. But he feels hurt. And not just because of his feelings for Dedra. But because he genuinely cares about Ghorman. 

No, no, I’m not about to do the whole “Syril isn’t a Rebel yet” thing. Ol’ Syril might be questioning what the Empire is doing. But he still at his core believes in its mission and in the order it represents to him. He just doesn’t like getting jerked around, and he still thinks there’s a way for Ghorman to exist peacefully within the Empire. He doesn’t realize Ghorman is already dead.

As for the Ghorman Front, they are divided as to what to do. Do they fight, or do they keep the resistance strictly non-violent? Both sides of the question offer compelling points, but it doesn’t matter. Ghorman will be destroyed, and there really isn’t anything anyone can do about it. Had they known this was what was happening, even those reluctant to fight like Carro Rylanz would have realized it was the only way. Alas, they don’t realize Ghorman is already dead.

Into the middle of this situation arrive Cassian and Wilmon. Wilmon splits off to find the Ghorman Front and his girlfriend Dreena (Ella Pellegrini) at their hideout. Cassian checks into the hotel as Ronnie Googe, Mid-Rim News. Unfortunately, the Empire’s actions against Ghorman have increased security even at the hotel. Fortunately, the bellhop Thela (Stefon Crepon) from his last visit has been promoted to front desk. Cassian really does have friends everywhere, huh? His room faces the plaza and Dedra’s office across the way. It’s a perfect place for him to kill Dedra, even if the Stormtroopers on the hotel roof may mean he will die doing it. Too bad he doesn’t realize Ghorman is already dead.

“Gambol dum Ghor (We are the Ghor).” - The People of Ghorman, “Who Are You?”

By Nerw Ailmea, Alderaan Inquirer Staff Reporter

PALMO, GHORMAN, THE COLONIES – The morning started clear and sunny and with what seemed like good news to the Ghor. For about a year, the plaza around the Tarkin Massacre Memorial at the center of had been all but closed. Only essential travel and business was allowed by Imperial Security Bureau Director Dedra Meero and her security forces. Curfews were enforced, and the once bustling hub of the legendarily competitive Ghorman twilleries was virtually deserted. But today, the Imperials moved almost all of the barricades out of the center of the plaza. Only a path through to the Imperial facility’s front door was left up. Instead, they set up the barricades right in front of the ring of twilleries, the cafes, and the hotel. It looked as if the Imperials conceded the right for the Ghor to enact their general strike and rally in the plaza. Shortly after the barricades went down, the Ghor arrived to fill the plaza.

There was a defiant but almost jubilant mood in the crowd as they filtered in through the one entrance allowed by the ISB. People carried banners, and chanted in Basic, “We are the Ghor, the galaxy is watching!” Had we not been here for weeks reporting on the simmering conflict, it would be easy to think they were here in celebration of the Palmo Grav-Ball team.

But beneath the cheer and chants and flags, there was preparation. Many of the Ghor carried blasters with various degrees of concealment, and some were even passing out flame jars. To be fair, most of the Ghor were there to let the Empire know they were angry and to show solidarity with each other. But some were ready for violence. 

But the crowd mostly refrained from violence. In fact, the only fight I saw early on was a quick altercation between a random man in the suit typical of an Imperial bureaucrat and what may have been Ghorman councilmember Carro Rylanz. Whatever they were fighting about seemed personal. It was over quickly.

The plaza filled up, and the cheering and chants continued. There was a short pause when a TIE fighter flew close over the crowd, and again when the plaza filled to capacity and Stormtroopers shut off the entrance. At this point all in attendance hoped it was just a safety precaution to prevent a deadly stampede in the case of an emergency.

For a moment you could feel the mood of the crowd start to change. From jubilant and defiant they became more restless, as a tension filled the air. And then just like that a middle aged worker, later identified as Lezine (Thierry Godard) began singing the “Ghorman National Anthem”,  aka “We Are the Ghor”. Eventually the entirety of the crowd joined him. It was a wondrous sight to this reporter, a moment that could make even a droid shiver in amazement at what was transpiring. At this very moment, despite the long odds, and despite the rumors of heavy mining equipment being unloaded on the country side, even this cynical reporter felt as if the Ghor could succeed in throwing off the Imperial yoke. No wonder Supervisor Meero was always found with that pained look on her face.

And into this situation, which was a tinderbox doused in liquid fuel, an Imperial patrol of new recruits fresh from the Academy stepped out on a patrol. Were this planned by the ISB to spark a riot it wouldn’t have been so well executed. Yet somehow, though these green soldiers did their best, the Ghor refused to take the bait. 

And then, there it was, from somewhere on the rim of the plaza. The horrifying snap of a blaster going off, and a fallen Imperial soldier, dead before anyone heard the shot. In response, the patrol officer ordered his troops to fire at will, and a flag waver atop the Tarkin Massacre was dead, the first Ghor victim of the new massacre on Ghorman. 

It was pure chaos as shots rang out. From the green Imperial troops, and then the veteran stormtroopers who were containing the crowd at the entrance to the plaza. Some Ghor pulled out their own blasters and returned fire. Some Imperial soldiers and civilians died, sure. But most of the victims were the Ghor.

I found a relatively safe place to report from, watching the carnage ensue out on the plaza. As inspiring as the Ghor singing their national song in unison had been, this was just as horrifying. Death and destruction consumed the once tranquil plaza. At one point, the fight extended into my hiding place, as an enraged man tackled another man, and a desperate fight ensued. It turned out one of those men was a fellow reporter, Ronnie Googe from the Mid-Rim News. He had no idea who the man who attacked him was, but said his ignorance of the identity of his attacker may have saved his life. Upon asking him who he was, the attacker dropped his weapon in what seemed to be despair. And then he was killed immediately by Carro Rylanz. After we escaped the chaos on the plaza, we were able to confirm that the dead attacker of Mr. Googe was Imperial Bureau of Standards Supervisor Syril Karn, formerly of Coruscant. Why he was out in the chaos, and not safe inside the ISB facility with the rest of the Imperial operatives either nobody knows or nobody is saying.

There were many other horrors that day, as the violence spread out from the central plaza of Palmo across the entirety of the city and the planet. Not only were the terrifying visages of Imperial stormtroopers seen, but also the dreaded KX droids. With their dead eyes and impossibly strong bodies, they threw Ghor as if they were toy dolls all across the plaza. There were rumors that one of the KX droids was cut in half by a Ghorman Front operative driving a vehicle, but as of the publishing of this article this was not substantiated, and no wrecked KX droid was reported by Imperial officials.

The sun set on a different Palmo than when it rose that morning. Thousands were dead, perhaps more. Some were Imperials, and a few might have been Rebel operatives, but most were Ghor. Many historic webberies are reported to have already been destroyed by Imperial mining teams, and there are clear signs that the Empire is beginning a forced removal of many, if not most of the surviving Ghor from the planet.

As a journalist, I try to keep my distance from the story. But there are times when that distance is not helpful, when it is all too much to hold what happened at arms length. On those days, we must bear witness. I will never forget what I saw today in the murder pen formerly known as Palmo’s central plaza. This includes the horrors and atrocities, sure. But also the complicity of so many of my “so called” colleagues in the media. They spin the stories of a few casualties incured by the butchers of the Ghor into tales of brave Imperial martyrs standing against impossible odds against bloodthirsty radicals. My condolences to the loved ones of those fallen, but there were no heroes in Imperial gray or white today.

However, it isn’t just horrors I’ll remember. I’ll also think of the solidarity the Ghor showed, the comity and love for each other as they sang “We Are the Ghor”. I’ll remember the bravery of those who stood to fight for each other after the violence erupted. Especially those who helped the wounded and drew the fire away from their compatriots. May your sacrifices not be in vain.

As I file this, I am on a transport ship in hyperspace heading towards Coruscant. As little as the Senate matters as a responsible body of government, it still matters to some degree. Will this be the final straw for the body, which has gradually been stripped of its once immense power by the Imperial Bureaucracy. What will Senator Mon Mothma do? She has long been an unshakeable ally of the Ghor, even when Senator Oran seemed less than enthused for her help in recent years. Only time will tell.

Ronnie Googe of the Mid-Rim News assisted with reporting of this piece.

“Remember this day, remember Ghorman!” - Ghorman Senator Dasi Oran, “Welcome to the Rebellion”

News of the Ghorman Massacre hit Coruscant like a particularly severe storm. Fueled by a complicit media, most of the functionaries and Senators seemed to view it as a disgusting attack on Imperial order by the arrogant and irrepressibly radical Ghor. It was a dark time for those who loved freedom, as the Ghorman senator was carted off by Imperial goons without a single person doing anything to stop it. His crime? Being from Ghorman.

But to a precious few, it was clear that no one was safe, and a line had been crossed. Enough was enough for Senator Mon Mothma. Now was the time to say her piece, and join the Rebels for good. She pleaded with Bail Organa (Ben Bratt) to join her.

However, Organa resolved to stay, his Rebel involvement still kept completely covert. Somebody had to buy time, after all. Not only for Rebel Forces. But for his adopted teenage daughter, Leia Organa. Perhaps they would meet next year on Yavin IV. 

He would stay, Mon would go, and that was that. Before Mon went, she would douse any and all bridges with gasoline and light a match. She would make her last speech to the assembled Senate something for the history books. And then she’d get the hell out of there, courtesy of a team put together by Bail Organa.

But there was a problem with the plan. You see, Luthen and Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau) discovered that one of the operatives working for Organa was an ISB operative. They knew this because their agent inside the ISB, Lonni Jung (Robert Emms), had control of the double agent in Bail’s team. Talk about some good luck for once.

As such, Luthen and Kleya prevailed upon Cassian to extricate Mon Mothma after her speech. Kleya let Cassian know of the mission, which he agreed to, on the condition that once it was done, he was done. Luthen let Mon Mothma know he was sending an operative he trusted more than anyone not named Kleya, and that he would be known by the code phrase “I have friends everywhere”. He also let her know that her loyal aide, Erskin Semaj (Pierro Niel-Mee), worked for him. She was not happy about that, and like so many these days, she would say goodbye to Luthen on less than friendly terms. So bad was her reaction to the meeting that Luthen wasn’t sure she’d go through with the speech, or trust Cassian when he came to extract her.

As the sun rose on the day of no return, Mon Mothma fired Erskin. But her speech would go on. It would take some parliamentary manuevering by her allies, particularly Bail, but she would say her piece. After a whole bunch of her colleagues towed the company line first. But eventually Bail pulled off the manuever, and gave her the floor. 

To most of the denizens of the galaxy, when they think of Mon Mothma’s speech after the Ghorman Massacre, it’s the one she gave in orbit above Dantooine. It’s credited as the true beginning of the Rebel Alliance, as she called for all freedom loving peoples of the galaxy to band together to end the Empire once and for all.*

*This speech can be seen at the end of “Secret Cargo”, an episode from season 3 of the animated show Star Wars Rebels. Mon Mothma was voiced by O’Reilly in the episode.

But the far better speech, in my opinion, is the one she gave on the Senate floor. That it was able to go out is astonishing, given the Imperial control over the body and the official media. This was thanks to two crafty technicians. Using a strong work ethic to fix the lock on the booth holding the broadcast equipment, and also put the security key back where it was supposed to go. Despite the best efforts of the Imperial media supervisor in the Senate, this gave her just enough time to say the speech. The speech may have been censored immediately after its initial airing, but it did get out there, and some heard it. Including Cassian, who considered her words seriously.

Y’know, there comes a point where the bullshit tyrants and their lackeys spew just becomes too much. It is here where the simple act of telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. And that’s what Mon Mothma is guilty of. In a few short minutes, she states her credentials, states what is happening in the galaxy, and who is to blame. It is, and has always been, Emperor Palpatine. He is the monster that will consume the entire galaxy, unless those who care about freedom stand up. There is no way out but through.

And then she’s done. It only took a few minutes, but the life she had known for her entire adult life was ashes at her feet. All that was left was a new life. A more fraught life that involved the risk that it would all end in her painful death at the hands of her enemies. A life where success was not guaranteed, and her immense family fortune could not save her. But a more honest life.   Welcome to the Rebellion, Mon Mothma.

Cassian met her as she left her Senate chambers, giving her the code phrase “I have friends everywhere”. Between them and their escape to Luthen’s safe house sat the entirety of the ISB, including the operative embedded in Organa’s extraction team. It would be a tall order. But she had Cassian. And Erskin, who stayed around to help her escape even after he was fired. 

They get past the compromised team of Bail Organa’s thanks to Erskin’s quick thinking and Cassian’s impeccable instincts. They escape the building thanks to the Rebels' preparation. And they are able to escape with Mon Mothma’s car because her driver (also an ISB operative) was not exactly the best at subterfuge. Just like that, Mon Mothma had left the Senate, never to return.

“So I’m choosing for the both of us. I’m choosing the Rebellion.” - Bix, “Welcome to the Rebellion”

Now came the final part of the plan: Get Mon Mothma off of Coruscant. But here is where Cassian’s part in the mission was done. Mon Mothma was effectively the new leader of the Rebel Alliance. Which meant her escape would need to be stage managed for its most effective story. Instead of Cassian secreting her out on his U-Wing, she would be escorted by Gold Squadron**. There would be no glory, as his mission would not even be logged by the Rebels. Nevertheless, he would be accompanied on his trip to Yavin IV. At some point, Wilmon and Dreena had arrived from Ghorman. Wilmon was wounded, and he needed the care of a doctor. Cassian would take both of them with him to the Rebel base. 

**This is a reference to “Secret Cargo”, an episode in season 3 of the animated show Star Wars Rebels. It includes a version of Mon Mothma’s speech that is considerably different from the one she gives in “Welcome to the Rebellion”, but conveys the same message.

Such is the work of Cassian the Rebel. He didn’t get into the fight for the glory, which was good, because he never would get any. Whether working for Luthen or the greater Rebel Alliance, he was an intelligence operative. Secrecy was his business, and that doesn’t go well with glory. The work was what mattered.

But of course, Cassian was insistent the Mon Mothma mission would be his last. As he arrived on Yavin IV and made sure Wilmon was handed off to the medics, he went to find Bix. He was ready to settle down somewhere quiet, and build a life with her. It was what mattered to him. And frankly, after all he had been through, who could blame him?

Bix was tempted, but she had taken what the Force healer told her to heart. Cassian had somewhere he needed to be, and for the duration she knew in her heart that was working to win the war against the Empire. She knew as long as she was around he wouldn’t be entirely committed to the work at hand. So she made the choice for both of them. She chose the Rebellion, which meant leaving Cassian alone at Yavin IV. It was a sacrifice both had to make for victory. 

That doesn’t mean she knew what was going to happen to Cassian. She hoped that he would return and that they could continue their life together. But she knew what the cost might be. Only in a Rebel victory or death would they be reunited. Reluctantly, but respectful of Bix’ wishes, Cassian would stay on Yavin IV and be the Rebel he must be. 

Ever onward to Scarif went Cassian.

Next Week: Dedra wishes to show Luthen something he might be interested in buying.

Amy Wren Says What? is a newsletter that comes out at least once a week. In it I talk about television shows, books, video games, and other topics. Right now I'm running a series of posts about the Star Wars Television show Andor, which will go live every Saturday for two more editions (the final three episodes and a wrap-up piece). If this is your first, be sure to catch up with the rest of the Andor series!

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