Andor: Narkina 5-Recap

credit: Andor

How many get the feeling that the earliest days of the Rebellion were kind of half-baked and not at all unified? It would appear that one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing, and everyone is more or less confused about what needs to happen. As for Cassian Andor, he’s a little preoccupied with trying to learn the rules of his new surroundings, being that he has to listen and pay attention to those that hold his life in their hands, so to speak.

Getting along with his fellow prisoners, however, that’s another matter since it would appear that some of them want to help him out and make his stay a little easier, while others might not care as much and wouldn’t be sad to see him fail. On the outside, however, the Rebellion is still trying to figure out what it really is and what ideals they’re going to cling to, as the emergence of Saw Gerrera made it clear that Luthen isn’t the real wild card in this story, he’s just one among many within the Rebellion that is trying to stir up trouble. 

credit: Andor

It feels likely that Andor is leaning more toward the Rebellion at this point. 

Being incarcerated for virtually nothing is a big shock to Cassian’s system, as it’s seen, but after thirty shifts, he appears to be getting used to it. One can’t help but think that there’s something familiar when it comes to the devices that Cassian and his fellow prisoners are working on, but maybe some folks are reading too much into it.

In the meantime, it’s enough to realize that the Empire doesn’t appear interested in torturing and holding all of their prisoners, only the ones that might not be deemed suitable for the labor force. After all, why bother wasting a good source of labor that’s readily available? The fact that they feed and otherwise care for the prisoners is kind of interesting, but it goes to show that the Empire knows the value of keeping its workforce capable of reporting to duty day by day, even if it is kind of a bland and hard existence that doesn’t offer much in the way of freedom or even the possibility of being released at one point. The greatest reward is getting flavor in their food if they outperform their fellow prisoners, which indicates that the Empire isn’t entirely cruel, but it’s not exactly summer camp either.  

The Rebellion is definitely not a cohesive unit at this time. 

After watching this episode, it’s a good guess that there might have been a moment when some questioned how the Rebellion ever came to be what it was in the initial trilogy since it would appear that those in command, or those who are high enough up the ladder, don’t even agree with one another about how to do anything.

Unfortunately, the Rebellion is made up of such a motley assortment of individuals that it’s not hard at all to think of how tough it might be to get everyone on the same page. Working together would be nearly impossible for some folks who recalled what the galaxy was like when it was just the Republic and the Separatists, but now that the Republic is all but gone and the Empire is out to get anyone who won’t acclimate to their way of thinking, the rebels are still fighting among themselves when it comes to the method of gathering intel, supplies, and even the credits they need to keep their movement going. 

credit: Andor

The Empire is still largely ignorant of who’s involved in the Rebellion. 

It’s interesting to think that the Empire grew so rapidly and to such a size that it became difficult to keep tabs on everything that’s been going on since the end of the prequels. The rebels have had ample time to prepare and rally enough support to form a network that’s just barely coherent enough to keep itself together. With very few people in the Rebellion aware of what each part is doing, it’s easy to think that this group teetered on the edge more than once in the very beginning. Still, the arrogance and the self-assurance that the Empire operates with are astounding since imagining that the Rebellion would be able. 

The battle between the rebels and the Empire is shaping up bit by bit. 

It’s becoming easier to see how Cassian would throw in his lot with the rebels at some point, but it does appear that he has to experience what it’s like to be broken before he can finally become a member of the Alliance. In fact, it still has yet to be seen how the Alliance formed a solid core that could begin to push back against the Empire in a meaningful way. If nothing else, it is evident that people are growing tired of the Empire’s continual cruelty.