Andor ending explained: The small moments of the Rebellion pack the biggest punch

Key Art from Andor season 1

Andor is BACK!

This show has had a grip on my entire being since it first came out, as Rogue One is my favorite Star Wars movie. And if there was anyone who came out of that movie who deserved their own show, it was Cassian Andor.

And for this season, the producers decided to do something different: the episodes would be released in batches of three, and after each batch, there would be a year-long time-jump. The idea of creating trilogies of episodes to better show different points in time as the Rebellion fully kicked into gear is honestly genius, and I can't wait to see how this pattern plays out throughout the season.

The first batch of episodes brought so many iconic moments, such as Cassian stealing an experimental TIE fighter, only to completely be unable to fly it. We had Dedra's brutal (but necessary) takedown of Syril's mother, and Mon Mothma discovering that if she hadn't been a politician, she would have been a perfect Rave Queen.

Andor Trilogy One Ending Explained:

As usual with the show, we have three overlapping plots that show the different sides of the Rebellion: the rebels on the ground through the eyes of Cassian and Bix, the rebels in government through the eyes of Mon Mothma and Luthen, and those trying to stop them through the eyes of Syril and Dedra.

As a result, in breaking down the ending, it's important to break down each one individually:

Mon Mothma and Luthen

It's fascinating watching someone live out the worst three days of their personal life, but this series of episodes did just that as her roles as Senator, Rebel, and Mother intersected in the worst possible way: her 14-year-old daughter's arranged marriage. When we left her, she was taking every shot she could get her hands on and dancing like it was the end of the world - and in many ways it was. Her best friend from childhood, Tay, had spent the weekend blackmailing her, and it was decided by Luthen that Tay needed to be taken care of before he got too greedy and exposed all the work they had done to get money into the Rebellion's hands.

Luthen making this call and setting the plan into motion also brought Cinta back into the narrative as Tay's assassin. With Vel having been waiting for her kind-of girlfriend to reach out, seeing her on a mission at her family home with no contact definitely stung. I had a feeling their relationship wasn't going to last the rebellion, not when Cinta was always going to put the mission first.

Each person in this plot line is balancing on a tightrope of their public personas against their personal beliefs, and I can only assume that the struggle is going to get worse as they continue.

Cassian and Co.

This found family has gone through it. With Cassian being separated from them for the majority of the episodes, the tension of the rest of the Ferrix unable to know if he was alive as an Imperial audit knocked out all of their communications. Cassian swooping in to save the day should feel like a hero moment, but instead, he watches as Brassos is killed. In many ways, Cassian came too late: their neighbors turned in the Ferrix survivors now that the work was done to save their skin, Bix was almost assaulted before she unleashed all of the rage she had been holding in and killed her attacker, and Brassos is killed in the confusion of a TIE fighter firing on a truck full of Stormtroopers.

It ends with them leaving Brassos' body in a field, after Cassian leaves a tender goodbye kiss on the forehead for his brother in all but name. But where Cassian got his goodbye moment, it's not the same for Bix and Wil, who need to escape before Imperial backup arrives. The last shot of them is clear of one thing: any last hold of wanting justice and freedom is gone. This group's biggest motivator is definitely now revenge.

Dedra and Syril

I was pleasantly surprised to find myself rooting for such an Empire-loving couple, but here we are. With Dedra's brutal takedown of her partner's mother, it's obvious they are going to rock power-couple status. Dedra's been advised to take the Ghorman job, even though it's going to look like a demotion. We're left with Dedra finally getting Syril's mother under control, with a promise to make sure Syril calls and visits regularly as long as the older woman doesn't make their life miserable anymore. There's not a lot more we can take from where this plot line ended for now, but I have a feeling Eedy will eventually pull the toxic mother-in-law card and believe that Dedra is stealing her son away from her.

Especially if they end up having to move to Ghorman for her "demotion."

What Next?

If I had to make a bet, all plots are going to lead to Ghorman. Within the Legends universe, the Massacre of Ghorman (which in that timeline happened in 17 BBY) was considered the worst atrocity the Empire committed up until the destruction of Alderran. And it seems to me the writers have pulled from that idea from the books, to create something similar happening this season. The pieces are already connecting to get there: the guest at the wedding who has a Ghorman mother, and is a close friend to Mon Mothma, seems like he will be the one to pull in that plot line. Dedra, despite her protests, will be in charge of the operation to take over the planet, making her and Syril the easiest ones to pull in. But based on the propagandists in the initial meeting about Ghorman, I have a theory as to how Cassian and his family will end up involved: that's where the Ferrix survivors are going to end up next. It's common knowledge that the planet isn't on the best terms with the Empire, but it has a service everyone loves, so they can get away with it. On the surface, it looks like it'll be a safe place to go...up until it's not.

I also believe the stolen TIE Fighter is going to continually be a problem. With it being top secret and highly specialized, it's going to be something the Empire is constantly looking for. It's too valuable an asset for the Empire not to want it back, and it's entirely too hot for the Rebellion to keep. I feel like this is going to be an underlying problem on top of the obvious Ghorman plot, especially if Cassian ever goes back undercover.

Overall, a year can change a lot, and I cannot wait to find out where all these characters are in the next three episodes and how they're going to continually break my heart.