Andor 1×07 “Announcement” is just that for the Rebellion, an announcement. A notice to the Empire and the galaxy at large that the rules have changed and someone’s now fighting back. But it’s also an announcement of sorts for us, the viewers who grew up on an idealized idea of the fight against the Empire. Rebellions might be built on hope, but they can’t rely on just that. And neither can Cassian Andor.
Because Cassian clearly leaves the Aldhani job thinking that he actually got what he wanted: he lived, he survived, and now he can just hide and spend his money. Except that’s not the way it works, not with the Empire. And deep down, he knows this — he just hasn’t wanted to face it.
Could it have ended any other way?
Perhaps Cassian Andor was always going to end up like he did. The man who lost his home and family to the Empire not once, but twice, had few other places to go. But boy, does he try to escape. To avoid. To think of himself, and nothing else. The world has never cared about Cassian Andor, why should he care for it? Especially when he can just hide somewhere and leave peacefully.
But can he? Oppressive regimes are all alike in this one way …they never truly let up. And though sometimes they might lull you into a false sense of security, you can never be free while living in a world that doesn’t recognize freedom. Deep down, Cassian knows that. The thing is, he also knows — much like Luthen — that there’s no middle ground. If Cassian commits, he’s committing everything. He’s committing fully. No matter what it costs him.
And in that sense, has anything been more relatable than his reluctance? His fear? Because it is fear that stops him …of what can happen, of what he can lose, and also …of what he might become once he lets himself care. And fear might have kept him away for good, if the Empire weren’t, you know, the Empire.
The Petty Cruelties of the Empire
One of the biggest triumphs of Andor so far has been the way it has managed to convey the petty cruelties of the Empire. We’ve always understood, on a large scale, why the Empire is bad. But sometimes when you focus on the big picture of evil, it’s hard to miss the little day-to-day issues. The way innocent people are targeted and victimized for no reason other than existing. The profiling that exists. The ways a man like Cassian Andor, no matter what he told himself, was never going to — could never — be free while the Empire existed.
Ultimately, Cassian Andor’s choice to not just become a part of the Rebellion, but to give everything for it, had to come from this realization. It couldn’t come from loss or a desire for revenge, it had to instead come from a deep understanding of the injustices of the world he inhabits, and the way he can help change it. Whether his sister is truly out there or not, the truth is Cassian can do something to help every person he knows, and a lot of people he doesn’t.
And yes, he might find justice and a small measure of revenge fighting the Empire too. But more importantly he maybe, just maybe, can also make a better world.
The End Justifies the Means?
Andor 1×07 “Announcement” also contrasts the two ways of fighting the Empire, that of Luthen and that of Mon Mothma. Ironically, though the two clash in this episode and might continue to clash going forward, it truly does feel like both ways are needed. The politicians, the ones who can keep a smile on their face and lie to get information are important. But so are the people willing to do whatever it takes.
They don’t have to understand each other, or even agree on methods. In the end, all the Rebellion and the galaxy at large needs is for people like Luthen and Mon Mothma to work together despite those differences, just as many kinds of awful people work together to make the Empire work. Common causes and all.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Andor 1×07 “Announcement”? Share with us in the comments below!
The first seven episodes of Andor are available to stream on Disney+.
