ScreenCrush: The Podcast! - ANDOR Season 2 Episodes 1-3 BREAKDOWN - Star Wars Easter Eggs You Missed!

Episode Date: April 23, 2025

Andor season 2 is here! In the first 3 episodes, we see 4 very different stories that spell out the state of the galaxy: the rebellion is fractured, Mon Mothma is compromised, and Cyril's mom has finally met her match. We break down Star Wars easter eggs about the Jedi, the Sith, the Death Star, and even the High Republic.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You made this decision long ago. The empire cannot win. Hey, welcome back Screencrush. I'm Ryan Erie, and this is all of the Easter eggs references and little things you might have missed in the premiere of Andor Season 2. So this video is going to cover the first three episodes, but if you have not watched all three, don't worry, we are going to be spoiler-free for each section. So if you want to watch episode one, then come back to us. The chapters are marked below.

As a reminder, we do have Andor Parody merch and Screen Crush is now on all your favorite podcast platforms. And on April 26, you can come and meet me and Doug live for an encore live show at the Super Jersey Comic Expo. I'll be there all weekend, selling merch, meeting people, it's going to be a lot of fun. Links for everything are below. Now, let's break this baby down. We begin with one year later, meaning that this show is picking up one year after the events of season one, when Cassian officially joined the rebellion and became Luthan's personal spy. So the year here is for BBI, or before the Battle of Yavin that we saw in Star Wars and New Hope. This designation was first used in the legend's expanded universe novels to keep track of where all of those

stories fit in relation to the movies. We open on what looks like an early model of the Thai Interceptor. Now, we first saw these babies being flown in Return of the Jedi, and they are known for their maneuverability and speed. They were likely put into Imperial service because the Rebel Alliance won the Battle of Yavin by using small maneuverable ships to get past the Dead Stars turbo lasers and exploit their weaknesses. Thai interceptors were also the next gen of the Thai advance that Vader flew at the Battle of Yavin. So, this particular type of fighter we see in this episode was never actually put into production. But it's cool how you can see how its design led to all these other ships that we saw in the original movies. Notice that it has an expanded cockpit

with two jump seats so it could accommodate passengers. Now, the Empire probably did away with this because their Thai fighters didn't have shields. They famously thought their pilots were expendable, it didn't care if they lived or died. So in their mind, why waste the space on two extra people to be in the cockpit when everybody is considered expendable. So the droid rolling around here looks like a ground mechroid similar to B2 Emo. I didn't want to be alone. This is at the Cynar test facility, which is just like the coolest deep cut Easter egg. See, Sinar Fleet Systems is a corporation that manufactures weapons. Nia, who helps Cassian, even wears their patch on her jumpsuit. They were first mentioned in Canon back in the Clone Wars animated series. The latest from Cienar. Rocket launchers.

Shoulder fire, very expensive. And they manufactured military ships for the Republic during the Clone Wars. You can even see how the cockpit of Anakin Skywalker's Jedi Starfighter evolved into the Thai fighters that this company manufactures. They also manufacture the Thai advanced models that Chase Cassian later in the episode. So like I love this show's attention to like deep cut continuity while also having an incredible level of production design. But then there's this long road built across the mountains that leads to what is likely the living area with shops and facilities. for the workers. Now, in season one, we saw that Morlana 1 was known as a company town. This was something that emerged throughout the industrial age, where entire towns would be built

around a single factory. Again, this is something that I love about Star Wars. They're taking concepts from our world and just incorporating them into a new story. Now, the facilities commissary maintains the show's look of what I like to call 1980s futurism, which is, you know, what we saw in the original trilogy. It was an idea of what the future would look like built with practical materials that emulated the style at the time. I don't know if you guys saw Jenny Nicholson's epic video about the Galaxy's Edge Hotel, but the columns in this room look like they were the same design from that infamous column that blocked her view at the cabaret.

She tells him the password is... It's Kaffreene. And this is an amazing Easter egg that bookends the show. So the creator Tony Gilroy has said that this show will end right at the beginning of Rogue One when Cassian goes on a mission to a mining world called Kaffirn. So Cassian and Nia have this meaningful conversation that it beautifully expresses what makes this show great. Even on the backdrop of this massive Galactic Civil War, the show always puts simple character needs first.

She is having a very human reaction. I'm so nervous. I've had fun here. Now, that line is actually key because it goes back to the central theme of this show, Sacrifice. Nia has had a good time at the facility. She's made friends, and yet she has to sacrifice that part of her life for the greater good. Every character in this show has to give up something for the rebellion. Mon Mothma had to essentially sell her daughter into marriage.

Cassian gave up an easy life with his reward money. And Luthon, well... What do I sacrifice? Everything! And then he tells her, You'll never feel right unless you're doing what you can to stop them. Which goes back to what Nimick said about the empire in his manifesto. The imperial need for control is so desperate because it's so unnatural.

Tyrion requires constant effort. And this is another great thing about this, interconnected galaxy. We could see Nia again somewhere in a comic book, a short story, a TV show, or her story could just be left in our imaginations. The show even adds in little details like this, that Cassian's good looks are able to disarm people. She said you were cute. Now, last season, to me, Cassian seemed like this kind of spy Superman, who is always smarter than everyone else and can do everything. But when he enters this cockpit, he immediately freezes up and we see that he is in over his head. This prototype has completely new control.

probably one reason why it was never mass manufactured, too hard to train new pilots on a totally new system. In fact, these hand controls actually remind me of the operating gear that we saw in the Milano from Guardians of the Galaxy. And when he takes off and smashes into the hangar, I have flashbacks to literally any time I first pick up a Star Wars video game and I have to bash around the hangar until I learn to controls. The Stormtroopers enter and does anyone else get flashbacks to this scene for the Phantom Menace? Take this! And notice how these Stormtroopers

don't run for cover when they're under turbo laser fire. They stand their ground and shoot. Now, you could say this is just stormtroopers being idiots, but there could be something else at play here. As we have seen throughout season one, the empire runs on fear. Fear powers the energy of the Sith and every member of the empire is afraid of the emperor's wrath. Or, you know, as Tarkin says, fear will keep the local systems in line. Fear of this battle station. But then Cassian faces off against a rocket launch trooper. And note that it's one. snow gear similar to the snow troopers on Hoth, but this guy's suit is different. He is wearing fur and his helmet is different and his armor is scratched and worn, showing that these

troops have been stationed here for a long time. See, they are dressed exactly like the troopers of the Vandor Division, who we saw during the train heist and solo. Shout out to Dodd Sites for that observation. Now, if you've played the video games, you know that these weapons are basically the only way for infantry to quickly take down vehicles, you know, like fighters or tanks. This particular bazooka was used by rocket troopers in the game Jedi Fallen Order, which is set 10 years before this episode and 14 BBY. Now, did you notice that the alarm sound and the facility is actually different from the standard imperial alarm that we heard all throughout the original trilogy. This is because this facility is run by a corporation and not by the empire.

Now, I loved this opening sequence. It was pure, classic Star Wars fun. The way the ship doesn't work right for Cassian. It's just like how the Millennium Falcon never worked right for Han. Watch this. So Cassian uses the Thai fighter's energy cannons to weaken the blast doors just enough to escape and notice how the radar sound and the targeting sound are both from the original trilogy. And then we get a high-speed canyon chase just like... Or I want to do one, like tailspin.

Yeah, or like Independence Day. Yeah, it is Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Yeah, we get it. It's also like the Death Star Trench Run. And as we'll see, the Death Star is the shadow that's going to loom over this entire season, with various Easter eggs and little references building up toward the construction of the space station. So Cassian ends up winning by collapsing a stone archway, using the natural world against the empire. And this is a theme that we have seen repeated throughout Star Wars,

whether it's Teddy Bears defeating the Emperor or Dave Filoni's weird obsession with wolves in the show rebels. And then we go to planet Mina Rao, where Wilman, Brasso, Bix, and B2 have been holed up for a year. But why? Because these are all friends of Cassians from the planet Farrix, and at the end of season one, all of them were part of a protest against the empire, and now they're in hiding. Now, their storyline is meant to be a metaphor for migrant workers, especially in the United States. In a future episode, they even say... It's a tough spot for everyone. The councils need the help, or there's no harvest.

The help is undocumented. Now notice how their home even looks like a shipping container, hinting at how temporary, this place is for them and how they are people without a home. Under the Republic, people are pretty much free to go as they pleased, and citizens were identified with something called identichips. But in the show The Bad Batch, we saw the Imperials implement the use of chain codes, essentially a means of mass tracking all citizens. So these refugees are afraid of the empire coming around and checking their chain codes

and finding out that they're actually wanted fugitives. Now, Bix is having nightmares of Dr. Gorsd, the Imperial Security Bureau agent, who enthusiastically tortured her in season one. Oh, and if you're having difficulty speak, you can just check your head from side to side. At the end of season one, Bix was severely traumatized by the experience, not even recognizing Cassian. Cassian will find us. After her dream, she's comforted by Talia, the local woman the Brasso, was shacking up with.

And poor little B2 is still 100% devoted to Cassian. Okay, Cassian will want to know. Remember, Marva Clem, and B2 found Cassian when he was just a boy. So basically, B2 grew up alongside Cassian. Now, if you would like to become a member of the Rebel Alliance, we have designed these new shirts for you. We have the Rebel Scum Graphie. painted over the Imperial Roundel and the stay on target to celebrate the victory against the Death Star. Or, if you're on the other side and you would like to celebrate the founding of our glorious Galactic Empire,

get your Happy Empire Day shirt available at Empire Day Celebration kiosk or on our merch store where we design all the merch ourselves. Shop at our merch store is the best way to directly support our channel. We love designing these shirts for you guys. All the links are below. Now, back to the episode. And then we go to Chandralia for my favorite arc of these first three episodes. You'll remember that last season, Senator Mon Mothmo was working to funnel her family's fortune into funding rebel cells. But the empire started sniffing around her finances,

so she brought in a childhood friend, Tay Coleman, to help her hide the shortfall in her account. So Taye suggested they asked Davos Skolden, a gangster for help moving around this money. Skolden's only condition was that Maun's daughter Lata marry his son. And this is where the show really excels. They developed all of these planet's cultures from the ground up. Like last season, we learned that there is a very traditional, orthodox tradition in Chandrillian culture, arranged marriage. Mon Mothma's marriage was arranged and her life is miserable, and now she's having to do the same thing to her daughter. But Leda, her daughter, actually enjoys these strict traditions, which is why she's excited to show off her wedding dress to her friends. I also love the design of chandrilla and its architecture.

So this is one of the worlds that is near the galactic core, meaning that it has more wealth and influence than, say, planets like Tadouin, which are on the outer rim. Throughout the next three episodes, we see that chandrillion design favor circles, circular doorways, the wedding dress is displayed in the middle of a circle. They're circular banquet tables. We're going to talk about these as we go along. But why circles, person? Well, circles are actually a naturally occurring shape. The Earth is a sphere, train trucks around, our eyes around, and this is in stark contrast to the empire. In the empire, everything is created from straight lines,

often triangles or rectangles, right angles. Imperial architecture often juts out from the landscape, while the native architecture we see on other worlds is meant to blend in with the natural world. And remember earlier in the episode, Cassie described the rebellion as a circle. Being with you, being here at the moment you step into the circle. So we see this idea recur throughout Star Wars. The rebels and the good guys often live in round structures or around nature, while the empire always imposed upon the landscape with ugly, grotesque structures.

When Mothma greets this guest, she describes the passage of time as seasons, and I thought that was interesting, because, remember, that's how Uncle Owen measured time. Look, it's only one more season. I always wondered why there were seasons for moisture evaporating, so maybe it is just a Star Wars term for the passage of time. Mon Mothema's aide is named Imaj Erskine, but the first time we met him was actually in the show Rebels when the ghost crew escorts Mon Mothma to the rebel base. And we are reintroduced to Mons cousin Vell, a rebel who led the Aldani heist in season one. Now, I recently watched a great video on the channel Film Can't Die called How Aandor adapts history.

And it's a great watch about all the different historical figures that they adapted for the show. And in this video, he compares Vell to Patty Hurst, the wealthy socialite who fell in with the far left terrorist group. And then Mon Mothma watches as Luth and Rayo Leia. Now you remember, Stellans Skardskar's character is the rebel agent known as Axis because he coordinates between these various rebel cells. Mon Mothma favored very gradual change while Luthon is what's called an accelerationist. He is trying to escalate the war as much as possible, so the empire will overreach and inspire further rebellion. Last season, Luthon set up a huge robbery of the imperial payroll, which caused the empire to crack down hard with longer prison sentences. Mon Mothma was against Luthan's plan, so she's not happy to see him at her daughter's wedding,

not to mention the danger of another rebel operative entering her own home. Now, he's there to sell seldom a piece of rare art, but he's got another motive that we'll talk about later in the video. Back on Meena Row, Bix and Wilman are preparing a hydrator, and when Bix sees the farmer's daughter Bela, she says, Thursday? Which, of course, has a double meaning. She's asking if he wants water or a snack.

Hilarious! Now, as Bela approaches, Wilman quickly tells Bix why the relationship won't work. We're toolies. And this is a great conversation that sets up the characters, the culture, and the world, just a few sentences. But instead of like raw exposition, it is framed through this human desire, a young couple who wants to be together. Wilman likes this girl, but his status as an illegal

immigrant means that he can't be with her. As Bix watches an imperial ship about to land, Cassian is landing another imperial ship millions of miles away. Cassian lands to find his contact dead, and the planet is occupied by a rebel cell, which was formerly led by Maya Pay. Now, the point of this storyline is to show us that the rebellion against the empire wasn't always like we saw in the original trilogy. It was just like different people throughout the galaxy who all had different agendas. Saul Guerrera actually mentioned Maya Pei when he listed various factions last season. Mypae's a neo-Republican. Now she is what's called a neo-Republican, meaning that her primary goal is to replace the empire with the new republic. Now, the arc of this season is to take us from

this place where a rebel cell is literally fighting among itself to the unified rebel alliance that we saw in a new hope. This is also a commentary on a common tactic that the powerful use to keep us suppressed, divide and conquer. The wealthy and powerful want all of us fighting one another so we don't get wise and fight against them. And to contrast this, we go from the wild jungle to the imperial stronghold in the mountains, a visual way to show us that the imperials are ruling from on high.

This fortress is actually similar to the imperial base that we saw in Ariadu in the Bad Batch, which also housed a secret meeting with Orson Krennick, played by Ben Mendelssohn. Now Krennick first appeared in Rogue One, as the administrator who was in charge of building the Death Star. But other Star Wars media have explained just how difficult it was to put this base together. The book, Thrawn Treason,

dies into the logistical nightmare of gathering together so much material in secret. In Rebels, we learned that the Empire committed genocide to keep the geonosians quiet about them building the Death Star. And last season, we saw endless slave labor used just to create one tiny machine that fastened solar panels from the Death Star in place. And so much of this season revolves around a super rare mineral in Gorman that is used to coat the reactor. Now, this is also where we learned that the Empire's cover story is the Krennick is working on an energy project. The energy initiative remains the centerpiece of his agenda.

Which is actually the same cover story that Shield used to build hydro weapons in the first Avengers movie. What are they doing in the energy business in the first place? He mentions Colonel Yelan, Governor Tarkin. Colonel Wolf Yalarin was a Clone Wars veteran and ISB member. This was him in the first season and him on the Death Star in Andor. He also appeared throughout the Clone Wars. And Tarkin is, of course, played by Peter Cushing in A New Hope, and a creepy Cigy

cloned of him takes command of the Death Star in Rogue One. Now, Gorman is also a core world, with political influence and power, so the empire can't just sweep in and destroy it. They have to chip away in its influence. The propaganda arm of the empire is called the Ministry of Enlightenment, and they are already planting nasty rumors about Gormons. Some of what you're thinking about Gormans at this very moment exists because we put it there. Now, last season, Mon Mothman even talked about how she was creating initiatives to protect the people of this world. We should find some Gorman guests for tonight and see how amused they are. Mon's actions are probably what led to the Empire starting a whisper campaign against them,

likening the Gormons to spiders. We love the spiders. Oh, it's an image we can build on. Aggressive, unpleasant, keeping to themselves. So this goes all the way back to a theme, but this show revisits over and over, showing us how the Empire suppresses and erases native cultures. On Aldani, they reduced the number of pilgrims coming to see the eye to just a few hundred people. And on Gorman, they want to wipe out the entire planet. and this population of spiders that take years to weave silk.

And also, planting rumors to undermine a world seems like it's taken straight from Dune, when the Benny Jesuit created the prophecy of the Lassan Al-Galib to control the people of Iraqis. Now, I loved how this meeting was intercut with the rebels infighting. As the rebel star, we cut to a fancy imperial snack. It's showing us that this is how the elites win by dividing us against each other. And then, Deidre Miro is cornered by Crenic. He asks if she's recovered from Farrix. And remember, she was attacked by the mob when the protests broke out.

And she tells him that in order to subjugate Gorman, they actually have to encourage a sloppy rebellion. And as we'll see, this actually means she has more in common with access than she could have ever dreamed. And notice that when they go to Colcassian, there is a photo of Marva by the communications console. Back on Chandrilla, the father's in-law have a candid drink. Thavo Scaldon and Monmothma's husband, Parent, actually know each other because Parent is a gambler and has owed money to Skullden in the past. The two of them admit that their kids aren't that good of a match, but neither of them really care. For Skullden, it's about getting legitimacy by marrying his family into high society. And Perrin does pretty much whatever as long as he gets to drink and gamble.

Now this is in contrast to Mon Mothma, who was also forced into an unhappy marriage when she was young. When she comforts her daughter later, she says, I'm sorry. And this has two meanings. One, she's sorry this is happening to her daughter because she went through the same thing. But she's also sorry that she was the one who put her in this position. Mon Mothma has essentially sold her daughter off for the rebellion, and this is her way of apologizing.

And I also loved this bit of the party where Luthan is pumping this imperial for information. And where are your station? I've been training on stair gun, but we're all being transferred now. Really? And then Clea and Vell reconnect. Remember last season, the two of them had a bit of a rivalry vying to be Luton's favorite. And the episode ends with the rebels in the jungle finally turning on each other, starting a kind of mini civil war. And this is indicative of the infighting across all the rebel cells that Guerrera talked about last season.

Martisan Alliance, sectorists, human cultists, galaxy petitionists, they're lost, all of them lost. And it's fitting that we're starting here, because we know that the Rebel Alliance ends up united in a different jungle on Yavin 4. So let's move on to episode 2, but first I should mention that the Star Wars intro includes B2 emo, just like it did in season 1. Now, we start in the jungle where this Rebel cell is starting to eat its own tail. They're looking for the body of the pilot they shot last episode, and instead they find her foot, letting us know, that there are monsters lurking in the jungle. Now, the monster is obviously a metaphor for the larger threat of the empire, but more specifically, it's a metaphor for the Death Star itself.

As we'll talk about throughout our coverage of the series, the characters in this show, even the bad guys, are kind of preoccupied with nonsense, while the real threat is the Death Star. Now, this particular storyline is about how scarcity and fear are weapons used to turn us against each other. As I mentioned earlier, the Sith feed off of fear and the presence of a planet-killing space station would provide the emperor with a galaxy's worth of fear. And then he wants to use all that dark side energy to cheat death and live forever, like he told Anakin. To cheat death is a power only one has achieved. But if we work together, I know we can discover

the screw. Now, while they are infighting, Cassian keeps a cool head and tells them to collect rainwater. It's a small character moment that shows how men like him are able to unite these various rebel factions in a common cause. Then we go to Coruscant to the ISB headquarters, which is shaped like a pyramid. And as I talked about earlier, this is the symbol of the Sith, and it fits the hierarchical structure of the ISB. Deidre and Leo Partigas are discussing her new assignment to oversee the slow destruction of Gorman. Now, Deidre would rather continue her work finding Axis for two reasons. One, she was the first person to realize that some central figure was coordinating different rebel cells, and she wants the glory from arresting him. And two,

she went through a traumatic event on pharynx, and she feels that finding access is the way that she could get closure. That way, all the pain that she's endured would be worth it. Now, as Pardagaz orders her to disassemble one culture, we cut to the lush celebrations of Sangerla. We see a circular doorway and circles on the ground, and the main banquet hall is also circular shaped, with the bride and groomed side forming opposite sides of this circle. So Luton brings in this artwork using a hover sled, similar to the one used to carry Han Solo's frozen in carbonite body in the Empire Strikes Back. This is a great scene where Perrin, dipshit that he is, is better at observing Tay's problems than Mon Mothma.

You should tell your boyfriend to back off the nog. Now, Perrin assumes that Mon Mothma has been cheating on him with Tay. After all, he is her ex, and I can't imagine the two of them have a happy marriage. Also, we saw that Tay and Mon Mothma did have a lot of sexual chemistry last season. So, Perrin can't resist adding in... He was always weak. Just because he wants to belittle Tay's manhood. But, as we see later on, Parent is right.

Tay cannot handle the pressures of helping to fund the rebellion. So this first arc is going to focus on the events on these three planets. And in typical Star Wars fashion, these interconnected stories take place in radically different climates so we can easily tell them apart. Back on Meena Rao, the ferricks crew are at the farm supply store, talking to their employer, Callan. Now, I gotta praise the economy of the riding on this show.

This is a brief conversation, but they give us the ticking clock. The Imperials are coming. They're counting everyone, and all the Farix crew can do is hope that they get skipped over. And Kellyn seems like he genuinely cares about these people that he's employed. Also, I want you to notice the camera movements in these scenes. Like we start on a shot of a windmill, a staple of westerns, like Once Upon a Time in the West. But the camera is always moving across this landscape or in the store,

as if to just give us a massive sense of scale. Whereas, on the jungle planet, the camera is almost always stationary to give us a sense of claustrophobia. Now, here there is another kind of ticking clock. The rebels are either going to starve or be eaten by the beast. One side has food and a ship, and the other has a, the pilot who can actually fly the ship, but neither side wants to compromise even a little bit to make an exchange. Also, small detail, notice how we can see this branch burst through the windshield,

a neat way to show that their ship is damaged beyond repair. And notice these ration packs, similar to the portions that Ray eats and the Force Awakens. The aubesh on them reads, beans, most of them, I think, read ready, and this one reads Tov Tov, Tov, and Tov is a Hebrew word that means good. Then we go to Cyril Karn, and this dumb little teacher's pet was one of my favorite characters from season one. He was corporate security on Morlana 1, and he disobeyed orders to hunt down Cassian and or for the murder of a company man. So this set up a chain of events that led to Cassian falling in with the rebels and Cyril being fired from his rent-a-cop job. Then, his overbearing mother, played by the brilliant Catherine Hunter, cashed in a favor

from Uncle Harlow to get him a desk job. So season one set up one huge, lingering question about Cyril that I really hope has answered this season. What is in his private box? You've been in my private box. I have ways of knowing. Now, when his boss first showed Cyril around this facility, he was so insignificant that even the Imperial Mousstroy didn't move out of his way. But now, he's the boss, lecturing the new recruit in a reverse of his first day on the job. There are no small jobs at the Bureau of Standards. There are no small jobs here at the Bureau of Standards. So Cyril tells this story about some numbers that didn't look right to him, and he kept digging until he found some misdeeds.

I had uncovered a cabal of corrupt purchasing agents who were stealing imperial supplies in four sectors. The funny thing is, though, it is very likely that all he uncovered were materials being used for the building of the Death Star. The empire have to move men and material around through secret channels for years to keep the construction of the space station a secret. Back on Mina Rao, Wilman is talking to Bila, the farmer's daughter, when the empire shows up in a CSL 430 hover transport, like the one we see here in the show Obi-1 Kenobi. and that show took place just six years before this season. Now, the Arabeche here is difficult to read, but on the right, I'm pretty sure this says drink. Now, when the Imperials enter the shop, they ask, Do you take credits?

Because, in the Outer Rim, they don't always accept imperial credits, and sometimes they favor the currency that is local to the planet. You know, as Wado pointed out here. Republic credits are no good out here. I need something more real. When the Imperials enter, they have an air about them, like this place is beneath them. Notice how the commanding officer picks up a bit of grain and runs it through his fingers like he's checking for dust. Meanwhile, the lieutenant is creeping around on Bix, asking her on a date simply by pointing out that the city is close and the food is good.

But he doesn't actually try to get to know her or relate to her as a person. He is treating her like an animal that he can feed to get a reward. It's not that far. It's a beautiful ride over the field. When she mentions her husband, he tells her that they have shut down all the comms while they are performing their census. And the threat here is implicit. Your husband can't save you. And at first, he stands outside the shed.

But as he prized closer into her personal life, he begins to block the doorway. Now, the view behind him is very open and bright, while Bix is crammed in, surrounded by darkness. And as he enters the shed, the world outside gets blurrier as he looms larger. And notice, as he creeps closer, there's the sound effect. That's the same sound effect that Bix heard in her dream when she remembered the man who tortured her. The three storylines in this arc show us the three levels of the opposition to the empire. We have the disorganized cells that are starving, who are driven by fear. I mean, they're fighting the empire now, but they might just become criminals tomorrow.

And then we have people who are just trying to make a living. And for them, the empire is stopping them from being able to work. And then we have the elites on planet Chandrala, who the empire mostly keep quiet by maintaining their place in society. So the families of the bride and groom are walking up a mountain, for a ceremony besides their counterparts. Perrin walks with Davos and they talk about how this bit of land used to be private, but now it's open to the public for a price.

It's all private back then, of course. Signs up everywhere. Kick the poachers out. I remember the science. Well, it hasn't been bad for business though, has it? So this is showing us how the elites don't really think of all the people who are starving or trying to earn a living.

They only see the masses as a means to maintain their own wealth and power. Vell is catching up with their cousin, asking if Laida is happy. And of course, Laida is far too young to actually know what she wants out of life or what would make her happy. But this talk about relationships prompts Ma'an to ask about Sinta. No word from your friend?

Sinta? No. Her? Well, Sinta was a member of the Aldani rebels and Vell is in love with her. But for Senta, the alliance cause always comes first. And her obsession and anger actually caused a rift between her and Vell. And then we cut from the elites to the lower class in the jungle who are surrounded by a literal fog of war. Now, this term

is usually metaphorical, meant to represent the fear and confusion that surrounds wartime, but in this case, this fog is actually allowing them to move the Thai fighter undetected. Now, their plan to move the tie fighter is beyond silly. All they could do is kill or injure the only person who can actually get them off the planet. But fear and hunger do drive people to act irrationally. Meanwhile, on Coruscant, we find out that Deidre Miro is shacking up with Cyril Karn. He had a crush on her last season and then saved her life on Farix. Now, notice how even in her private life, Deidre is always very proper.

listens to opera. She wears a silk blouse with shoulder pads. It looks very similar to her officer's uniform. She is a person that seems incapable of separating her work life from her home. When Cyril gets home, he is surprised to see that she's back early from her trip, and he's disappointed that they can't cancel their plans, which we find out about in the next episode. But I do want to point out this globe on their table and how the ring reflected in it does make it look like the Death Star. Again, showing us how the Death Star keeps popping up in the show like Hidden Mickey's around Disney World. Now, back at the wedding, I have to point out this pro-human bias among the elites. We only see one non-human wedding guest.

Now, the empire famously favored humans for service in the military, with non-humans being given the status of second-class citizens. And we can see the same attitude infiltrating the culture of chandrilla. Rather, is it sandrilla or chandrilla? It doesn't matter, I say what I say. And then we finally see what's going on with Tay. Now, he secretly helped out Mon Mothman by dumping some money into the rebellion's accounts to help hide their funds.

But now he's getting divorced and his investments aren't paying off. And this moment shocked me. The irony is, it's the rebellion that certainly most rebel activity soured my investment. He is talking about the rebellion outright in public. Now, I love how they filmed him here, with this extreme close-up with a very shallow focus and shot from slightly above, to show that Tay is a man in over his head and to make his presence feel off-putting. Meanwhile, Mon Mothma is filmed without much look room, implying that there is something out of her eyesight that is dangerous, something she missed. In this case, she missed how unhappy Tay's life had become.

Now, compare this to how secretive the two of them spoke in season one. Like I said, we've both changed. I've done more than grow weary of the empire. So this is showing Mon that Tay can really no longer be trusted, but he's her oldest friend, what she's supposed to do. If you betrayed me, I would not hesitate to do what is necessary. What? Nothing.

Now, Clea returns to Lutheran's antiquity shop on Corrassant, and just like last season, this place is loaded with Easter egg. But I'm only going to point them out when the camera actually focuses on them. For instance, here we see Padme's headgear from the Phantom Menace and Plow Coon's mask. Now, when she goes back to the communications console to listen for Cassian's call, notice that it all lights up in blue. Traditionally, in Star Wars, red lights are always the bad machines, and the blue lights are the good guys.

But there's a slight twist on this with B2 emo during this nighttime scene. When we see the campfire reflected in B2's eye, implying that some dangerous threat is lurking just around the corner. And this takes us to Mon and Luthin talking about Tays, being a problem. She insists that Tay is going to give them a number, something to make him whole. But Luthin can see the look on Tay's face. And Tay is thinking that the rebellion's not worth it, and he could probably get more money just by turning them in. I know the squealers when I see them. And then Perrin stands in the middle of the circle and gives

his speech, where he promises, you simply stand still and the galaxy will deliver a daily basket of fresh anxieties to your door without failure. And think about the double meaning these words are having for Mon Mothma. She was not the one who ruined Tay's investments. She He did nothing, and yet his pain still found her. And then Perrin lays out his life philosophy. The music buried beneath all that noise, joy, joy! And the rich are able to do this. They can live life to the extent of their own pleasure, while across the galaxy, people are suffering.

So then we cut to the rebel cell, where the Thai Fighter is another metaphor for the Death Star. Even if they're able to turn the Tie Fighter, all the other group can do is shoot and kill Cassian. But they could use the Thai Fighter for leverage, just as the Death Star was meant to be meant to be used as a tool to govern and inspire fear. Fear will keep the local systems in line. Fear of this battle station. Now, when the groups meet to parlay, notice one side has torches and the other one has lanterns,

a great visual way to show this divide between them. This is also because one side has access to the gear on their ship and the other doesn't. And I loved this scene, where we think they're like going to have trial by combat and instill they play a silly game of rock paper scissors. Notice how they each have a second, which is an old rule taken from ancient doing tradition.

Have your seconds meet face to face. Negotiate a beast. Or negotiate a time and place. So, these rebels fighting each other with some kind of children's game is the ultimate metaphor about this storyline. While there are actual credible threats out there like the Empire or the Death Star or the monsters in the jungle, these idiots are settling petty grievances like their kids at recess.

And then, when Cassian finally gets to the tiefighter, they react by shooting at it. And what does that gain them? If they had worked together, these two leaders could have flown away with him. then gotten a transport to return for the others. So this is a great place to show the rebellion at the start of this series, because, like Saul Guerrera said, They're lost. All of them lost.

And now let's talk about episode three. We begin with the Thai fighter drifting in space with Cassian trying to hotwire the ship to contact his rebel handlers. Now, the last episode ended with Cassian jumping to hyperspace, which is rare for a Thai fighter. Only certain fighters, like the advanced or the defender, have hyperdrives. This is because Imperial Capital ships have large hands. anger base to house all their starfighters, while the rebels are more prone to small hit-and-run

attacks. So their starfighters all have to be able to travel through hyperspace. I think Cassian dropped out of hyperspace in order to contact Clayah. The Imperial ship is incompatible with the old-school systems they use to communicate, so he has to hotwire the ship, leading to this hilarious misfire. And I really love this gag, because it cements that Cassian is a Han Solo type of character. I got it. Back on Meerao, this droid is pumping water and this one is working as a sprinkler as B is having the time of his life playing with this kid. Notice the child is carrying a toy bowcaster that looks a lot like Chewbacchus.

At least, I hope that's a toy. Can I try that? I like this thing. This picnic lunch is probably in the middle of a workday and it's a chance for all the farmhands to bond. The symbolism here is to always show their. Rebellion or the common people surrounded by the natural world, while the Imperials are always housed in buildings made of cold, gray, and white metal. Notice that these aliens look like the Talpenni, who first appeared in Rogue One. And I like the subtle detail that they're wearing

overalls, and the rest of the workers are all wearing denim or these earthly tan colors. It's a subtle way to tell us that these are people of the land. Also, notice the practical puppet in the background here of a space yak eating with them. The budget for this show has to be insane, and it's all on screen. And then the boss, Kellan comes by. And in just a few scenes, this guy is fleshed out as a pretty complex character. For the past couple episodes, he seemed like a really good guy, someone who was looking out for the migrant workers. And in this scene, he seems appalled by the injustice. Someone needs to tell him what's going on here. Why can't they just leave us in peace? But as we find out later on, he turns on his workers almost right away as soon as his own

livelihood is threatened. Because he was never really worried about the welfare of his workers. He just wanted to make sure that he got his harvest in on time and that he stayed out of trouble. Much like Tay, his opposition to the empire only extends as far as the reach of his pocketbook. So the theme of this episode is Secrets. Everybody is hiding some type of lie from someone else. The Farrix crew are hiding their real identities. Dedra is hiding Gorman from Cyril and Ma'amothma is hiding the true reason that she sold off her daughter. On Chandrilla, Mawn's conscience finally wins out and she has a word with Lita.

She is remembering her own mother, who was drunk on her wedding day, and decides that she's going to tell her daughter what she wanted to hear all those years ago. Nothing on the other side of that door matters. We can walk out there right now and tell them what to have a lovely afternoon. But it turns out that Mon greatly misread her daughter's cold feet from the day before. I wish you were drunk. Remember, her daughter is actually into this more strict Orthodox religion of their planet. So she's actually excited to be a part of this arranged marriage.

Afterwards, Mon knows her place and she asserts her outward-facing, public persona. Wait. You're to stand behind me. Now, one of the parts of this show that I love the most is the attention to detail they paid in creating these different cultures. Chandrilla is a very old society and these rituals feel like they're ancient, passed down from hunter-gatherer days.

The ritual also seems tied to trees and nature. After the maiden enters through a circular door into a circular chamber, she must cross a branch in order to enter the rotunda. I think this symbolizes that she is entering the center of the trunk of a church. tree where the groom is waiting. Kase, Masi, niatami. Grimitami. Now, the structure of this ceremony reminded me of the rings of a tree, but in reverse.

The young people are in the center of the trunk while the elders are further outside. Now, when the father gives away the bride, he presents the groom with his knife. Tabeama K. Dronodama. And then he cuts a braid of Lita's hair. Now, this might remind you of the ceremony to make a Padawan a Jedi Knight. Dumbly I do, Jedi. But these tight braids are also a sign of her orthodox religion. Remember, in their chance, they even equated the braids to the safety of their traditions.

Safe in the braid of the old... I can't believe this. So we go from the colorful, natural world of Mina Rao and the complex culture of Sandrilla to Deidre's Place on Coruscant, which is as cold and sterile as an apple store in Wisconsin. Even her clothes are always black or white. It's like she was designed by imperial engineers, which is kind of true. We find out that she was literally raised by the emphasis. I was raised in an imperial kinderblock.

And she chooses an outfit that is black and domineering, with a front that even looks like the necktie that Cyril wears to work. And then, the amazing Catherine Hunter as Edie enters and immediately tries to exert control over Dedra and Cyril. You look nothing like what I expected. Don't you wonder what I thought you'd look like? She also asked for Spiced Tea. Do you have Spiced Tea? Now I'm wondering if Spice Tea is, you know, like a, it's kind of an old lady's party drug. I mean, we know that spice is.

is a drug in the galaxy, so maybe Spice Tea is sort of like a cosmopolitan party drink. Now, back at the antiquity shop, this armor in the back room is actually the star killer armor from the Force Unleashed Games. When Clea tells Cassian that his friends are in trouble, he pulls a page right from Luke Skywalker's playbook, drops his mission altogether, and goes off to save them. Back at the dinner, Catherine Hunter douses the table in this gross cheese after Cyril took pains to make sure everything was neat and orderly for her arrival. So this is her way of declaring a kind of ownership of this table and of this. household and of reasserting control over her son.

And then we find out why she is so overbearing. Cyril's dad left to be an adventurer or an explorer, which also explains why Cyril wanted to go off and do something exciting, like be a police officer. But then she lays down the ultimate insult calling him, A young, delicate boy with only a mother's love and determination. So this cuts right to Cyril's greatest inadequacies. He wanted to be a police officer to prove his manliness and his worth.

And that career just drove him back into his child. bedroom. Later, he even retreats to his room to sulk like a little boy. Doesn't like being called down. And I also appreciate how Edie stabs her food, while Dedra is more precise, slicing just the edge of the cake with precision. Now, after Cyril leaves, Dedra lays down the law with her future mother-in-law. But when I say the word plan, that makes it sound optional, which is not the impression you should be taking away. And she reveals that Uncle Harlow is actually a gangster. So, here's hoping that we get that Uncle Harlow spin-off show on Disney Plus. This episode is also a fascinating look at motherhood.

Edie uses motherhood as a means to control her son to make herself feel important. And this is the kind of mother that Maad Mothma was afraid of becoming, because she is also using her daughter to achieve her own personal goals. Back on Mina Rao, the ferricks crew prepared to leave and they don't want to break the news to B, because remember, B is a sensitive little droid who gets very attached to people. But they also have to wait to tell B they're leaving because his circuits make it very difficult for him to lie. I know it takes a lot of energy, but can you make a life with me? Back at the wedding, notice everybody is watching the bride, except for Vell, who is disgusted by this tradition.

And then we find out why Luthin is at the wedding. Davos-Skaldon bought an ancient Shandrillion sculpture from him. Skaldon says, It was stolen 25,000 years ago when Shandrilla was sacked by Rakatin invaded. So, this is pretty fun and there's a lot to unpack here. The ricotta were an alien species mostly from the old legend's continuity. They were a race of dark side users that conquered the galaxy, and they were briefly mentioned in Andor's season one. Celebrates the uprising against the Rakuten invaders.

The timing here is also interesting, 25,000 years ago. This is before the Old Republic, and it's also at the dawn of the Jedi Order. And James Mangold is currently developing a movie about the beginning of the Jedi Order set during that time. So, this tiny mention could be setting up the villain of this new trilogy, a fledgling Jedi Order breaking apart the Rakotan dynasty to pave the way for democracy across the gals. At the reception, we find out that Mon Mothma's aide Erskine was born on Nabu, home planet of Palpatine and Padmay, and that his mom was Gorman, and notice Luthan's reaction to that news. My mother's Gorman. Oh.

So Gorman has been the sight of trouble for years now, and it's going to be a prominent setting for the rest of this season. And Tay is a hot mess, and he lets it slip that he is cozying up to Skolden. So the gangster is probably guaranteeing Tay that he'll cover all of his debts, but in exchange for what? And this is what worries Luthin when he says, You know the number. We'd be vulnerable forever. Now, if Tay gets in Skullden's pocket, then they will blackmail Ma'amad Mothma and she will never be safe. She says to him, I'm not sure what you're saying.

And his reply is perfect. How nice for you. Remember, in season one, we saw that Maude Mothma favored gradual change. She was never a militaristic leader like Luthen or Saul Guerrera. In fact, in the show Rebels, when she becomes leader of the Rebel Alliance, Saul Guerrera decries the decision because he thinks that she is too weak to lead. If you continue to allow this war to be fought on the impious terms, not yours, you are going to lose. Now, the dance at the wedding begins with a very strict ritual, with a style that seems like it's taken from the very structured dances of the Renaissance.

This is a lot like most weddings, which begin with the traditional dances of the bride and groom and parents, before they devolve into a hot mess when your uncle pops his knee trying to break dance. And this also happens in the show, with a circular floating DJ Roomba bringing the party. Now, back on Meena Rao, they had to break the news to be. And notice part of the communications console is a galactic star chart, similar to the map to find Luke Skywalker that we saw in Force Awakens. But their plan to leave is quickly thrown out the door because Wilman just had to say goodbye to Beela, the farmer's daughter.

Now, we talked earlier about how the theme of this show is Sacrifice, showing how all the rebels have to give up something they love for the cause. And Wilman does the opposite here, choosing love, which eventually leads to Brasso's death. Now, when Brasso goes to Wilman, his speeder makes the same sound as the same. speeders and Jedi, right down to the Doppler Echoes. Cassiot arrives in orbit intercut with Mon Mothma doing shots, and I love this double escalation we're getting. Like these are two very different scenes.

One is at a wedding party, and the other is a battle, but the stakes feel incredibly high on both planets. Notice how everybody starts off dancing in a circle, you know, the natural shape of the chandelion culture, but Mon is just going for it, dancing by herself, even though she is is surrounded by friends and family. And then the creepy lieutenant invades their home. Now, earlier, I said their home looks like a shipping container, which isn't quite right. The sides look like they're actually made of an accordion type material,

like they can drop these pods from the air and then extend them like campers. It's another way to show just how much of a migrant lifestyle they are leading. So the Imperial hangs up his hat, a way to indicate that he's staying for a while and also to claim ownership over this home. Then he lays out their economic situation, which directly parallels what's happening in America today. And then to help or there's no harvest. The help is undocumented. The rules are clear.

And then to bolster his own ego, he makes the migrant problem all about himself. It all ends up on me. But Bix still has some agency so she fights back, intercutting with Mon Mothma, who is losing her agency and surrendering to alcohol to forget her problems. Everybody in this episode is facing their worst fears. For Bix, she's being assaulted again.

For Mon Mothma, she's literally become her mother, getting drunk at her daughter. wedding. While outside, we see that Tay's new driver is Sinta, Vell's ex. So Sinta's family were killed by Stormtroopers and she grew up in poverty, and this is partly what drove a wedge between her and Vell and season one. So it probably gives Senta a small amount of pleasure to be given this mission, to kill one of the elites who is a threat to the rebellion. Now, Vell looks at her and I think she looks somewhat betrayed because Senta never told her that she was coming to her home planet. Now, the lieutenant's assault on Bix is incredibly hard to watch. It's gritty, it's

realistic, and yet it takes place in the same universe as this. And I love that when she clocks this piece of shit in the head, he actually acts like somebody who just took a hit to the brain. He's dizzy, he can't stand, as opposed to the show Daredevil, where people get knocked around in the head all the time and then pop right back up. I also want to point out this asshole's wide-thigh trousers. Now, these are called Jodepers, and they were standard for Nazi officers, but they were originally intended for horseback riding to be born with knee-high boots.

So, from the air, Cassian follows the words of his handler using the weapons of his enemy against them. I'm condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. He shoots the grain silo to bury the stormtroopers similar to collapsing the tunnel when he escaped with the ship. Again, we're seeing the rebellion using the natural environment to work against the empire. Brasso runs, but it's too late. He is killed by Wilman's carelessness. And as Cassian loads them up into the tiefighter, notice that this silo has AU written Arbesh. A.U is the periodic symbol for gold, which might imply that these are fields of golden space suite, or something. And I thought that the ending of this arc was a masterpiece.

Mod Mothma, drunk, spiraling in and out of frame, out of focus, forced to dance with joy on the worst day of her life as we cut to black with silence. I cannot wait to break down the rest of this season for you guys. But hey, do me a favor. Let me know if you think we should do this one episode at a time or all three episodes at once. And don't forget to check out our merch links and come to the Super Jersey Comic Expo this weekend to see our live show one last time to meet me and Doug and to talk about people we don't like. Or you can also find me on our free to join Discord server. Links for everything are below.

And if it's your first time here, please subscribe and smash that bell for alerts. For Screen Crush, I'm Ryan Erie. Thank you.