There Are No Villains in "Andor", Only People

Star Wars has always been a franchise with themes of evil, hope, rebellion, and defying the odds to fight for the freedom of the masses. Although very prominent themes, no other series or movie in the story has correctly utilized the utterly impactful change that the world of Star Wars can bring to its audiences.

In comes Andor, a show focused on the journey of a criminal turned revolutionary named Cassian Andor. Andor was born into a tribe on Kenari, a forest world subjected to mass mining operations, which would later render it completely uninhabitable. Saved by a sympathetic scavenger whilst exploring the ruins of an imperial ship that had crash landed, Andor was raised on the planet of Ferrix. The first season explored his journey, from evading corporate security forces to taking part in a heist to steal imperial credits, and being imprisoned in an industrial facility building parts for the Death Star. 

The second season entered with a larger focus on Star Wars' politics and social issues. The set of episodes focused on a conspiracy by the empire to extract a valuable energy resource called Kalkite from the planet Ghorman, a French-esque society of fabric weavers. This is where the show really starts to appeal to our sense of humanity. As the empire escalates the situation and orders additional garrisons of troops, Ghorman rebel cells begin to spring up, organizing heists and attacks on imperial army troops. On one fateful morning, the empire opened up the main square in Ghorman’s capital city, luring in hundreds of protesters and rebels to protest the imperial occupation. Unbeknownst to the Ghormans, stormtroopers block all exits, while a sniper for the Empire’s security bureau shot at one of the troopers, creating the illusion of a rebel attack. The massacre that followed included gunfights between armed Ghormans and troops, as well as giant, powerful security droids killing innocent civilians with a single strike. Andor emulates real-world politics by showing the indifference of genocide. It does not seek to hide the intentions, but also does not demonize the genocidal. There is no cry or explicit scene saying “these people are evil”. In fact, there has never been a scene in the entire series that involved lightsabers, the use of the Force (magical powers), and the space wizards we are used to. Instead, the people who enabled such a gruesome crime against the galaxy were ordinary people. 

Dedra Meero and her lover Syril, are fanatic imperial workers. Dedra works for the Imperial Security Bureau (the Star Wars version of the Gestapo) and is in charge of subduing the local population. Moments prior to the massacre starting, Syril (in a blind fit of rage and desperation) grabbed Dedra by the neck, choking her and demanding an answer. Dedra - a character who has never shown vulnerability in the entire series cowered in fear as she pleaded, “You’re hurting me”. Once again, Andor does the impossible in reminding us that even though you are planning to commit mass murder of hundreds of citizens, you are still vulnerable, and you are still weak when confronted with a stronger opponent. In the midst of an exchange of red blaster bolts, Syril gained an understanding that he was part of the problem, shattering years and years of indoctrination and a belief in ‘law and order’. Yet, he was shot in the head almost immediately after. Dedra Meera was imprisoned and sent to an industrial prison similar to what Andor experienced, just because she was basically cc’d in the wrong email. 

The empire mirrors tyrannical regimes like Nazi Germany, where there often is a lack of definable villains. There are not many men in high castles who drink milk and laugh at the sight of pain. However, there are indeed millions of vulnerable people who are ready to be manipulated and ordered to commit gruesome acts of violence. A truly effective regime is able to weaponize normalcy, pushing your friends and neighbours to torture, execute, and commit genocide just because they were “ordered to do so”. 

That is the true horror of Andor; a show where we are allowed to see the humanity in the rebellion and the empire, but also shown the pain and death that cannot be justified. People like Syril and Dedra are not monsters, but cogs in a machine.