Star Wars: Andor

[pukunui]

The question I have is: even if they manage to overwhelm the guards, what then? How do they get out? Do they wait for another prisoner transport? I suppose there could be spacecraft for the guards to use somewhere.

 

[Randomthoughts]

The more the season progresses the more I feel the flashbacks were completely unnecessary. Even if the big reveal is that Meero is Cassian's sister, it's still time that was wasted. The show could have really used another editing pass to tighten it up.

Yeah, I agree with this. I really enjoy the show but the "find my sister" arc is all but abandoned during these later episodes. I assume it will be a thread that will be picked up in later seasons, or supply the zinger in this one. But the story could be tighter.

That being said, I really like the cloak-and-dagger and heist vibes these later episodes have, and how different they are from the normal fare of Star Wars. I like how Luthen isn't portrayed as a noble character (at least IMHO e.g., "people will suffer", "that suffering is needed" (or something like that). And I really like how the start of the rebellion seems pretty messy, with different factions (Luthen vs Saw), motivations and levels of involvement - from the true believers in Alhdanni (not all of them of course), to Mon Mothma and of course, Andor himself.

Wonderful show (but the beginning episodes were too slow).

 

[MarkB]

The question I have is: even if they manage to overwhelm the guards, what then? How do they get out? Do they wait for another prisoner transport? I suppose there could be spacecraft for the guards to use somewhere.

They're building components (unless it really is just busywork), so there has to be a cargo and shipping area somewhere - materials coming in, finished product going out.

One security measure that isn't confirmed as existing, and I haven't seen mentioned yet, but it's got to be there: Most of this facility, and all of the work areas, are below the waterline. If everything else fails, there has to be an ultimate failsafe that floods the whole building. Probably remotely activated.

 

[Celebrim]

I suspect the filtering by home planet is to match the inmates to the prison system - there's a distinct lack of non-humans in this one. You don't want to accidentally consign an electrically-resistant alien to your electrified prison - or one who can't get nutrition from the centrally-sourced food sludge.

My first thought while watching the episode was filtering by planet ensured the prisoners would be able to communicate and work together, which was necessary for the design of the prison. But then my second thoughts were like, "But they might also be able to communicate and work together too well."

 

[Celebrim]

They're building components (unless it really is just busywork), so there has to be a cargo and shipping area somewhere - materials coming in, finished product going out.

It's also a working city of some 5000 people. There has to be shipments of all sorts coming in. First, there are the parts for the say ~3500 harness assemblies that they build every day. Each of those seems to weigh say 800 lbs, so that's hundreds of tons per day of components that are going in and out. And even the sludge, they are probably eating like 7 tons of it per day. Assume they need deliveries of soap and disinfectant, plus enough amenities for the guards to keep them from revolting, plus all the parts that have to be maintained daily in a giant working factor complex to keep all those hundreds of thousands of parts working, plus transports for the contractors that you'll have to pay to repair all that stuff, and yeah there are dozens of semi-truck loads worth of things going in and out per day.

The trouble though is you at best would get one or two ships hijacked before the Empire learns what is going on, so maybe 1-2% of the factory could actually escape and everyone else is going to be made an example of, unless you can get outside help.

One security measure that isn't confirmed as existing, and I haven't seen mentioned yet, but it's got to be there: Most of this facility, and all of the work areas, are below the waterline. If everything else fails, there has to be an ultimate failsafe that floods the whole building. Probably remotely activated.

Brutal but logical. On the other hand, you probably don't want to flood the non-living spaces of the factory even as a failsafe. The factory is worth more than the workers in it as far as the Empire would be concerned. Most machinery does not like being emersed in water.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I’m really curious to see how Cassian gets out of that prison. Anyone have any idea what they are building? They look a bit like KX droid chassis.

Imperial Recon Droid apparently.

 

[pukunui]

Imperial Recon Droid apparently.

I've seen that as a suggestion on the internet, yes. Hopefully we'll get some kind of confirmation as Cassian leaves.

 

[Older Beholder]

Unless I missed it, I don't think anyone has said 'I've got a bad feeling about this' despite there being plenty of things to have had a bad feeling about so far.

 

[Celebrim]

Unless I missed it, I don't think anyone has said 'I've got a bad feeling about this' despite there being plenty of things to have had a bad feeling about so far.

The show is almost entirely devoid of memberberries. It's nice.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

You know what the whole "prisoner in charge of the other prisoners" thing made me think of right away, which younger folks would not see, if they don't know their history? Concentration camps and how certain Jewish prisoners were put in charge of keeping the others in line and behaving.

 

[Older Beholder]

The show is almost entirely devoid of memberberries. It's nice.

It's a credit to the restraint of the writers.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The question I have is: even if they manage to overwhelm the guards, what then? How do they get out? Do they wait for another prisoner transport? I suppose there could be spacecraft for the guards to use somewhere.

I think it's more likely that Andor will be tracked down by the ISB, then rescued by rebels, than escape by himself.

 

[Sacrosanct]

You know what the whole "prisoner in charge of the other prisoners" thing made me think of right away, which younger folks would not see, if they don't know their history? Concentration camps and how certain Jewish prisoners were put in charge of keeping the others in line and behaving.

That's pretty typical of most prison labor camps, not just Jewish concentration camps though, right? I seem to recall the Chinese labor camps up until at least the 1950s, The Burma Railway (Japanese labor camps), and Russian labor camps doing the same.

 

[phuong]

I wasn't sure if Andor was going to be exciting enough but by the end of the 3rd episode I was hooked hard and binge watched the rest of the series in one night. Just fantastic atmosphere, setting, characters, story telling. I really felt like I was back inside the original George Lucas universe.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

That's pretty typical of most prison labor camps, not just Jewish concentration camps though, right? I seem to recall the Chinese labor camps up until at least the 1950s, The Burma Railway (Japanese labor camps), and Russian labor camps doing the same.

I think inmate trustees are common in most prison systems.

It's much like prefects in boarding schools for that matter.

 

[pukunui]

Character check-in as of episode 9:

• Cassian is planning an escape with some of the other prisoners.
• Mon is still having to deal with a snarky teenager and is also having doubts about her mission.
• Vel is Mon's cousin.
• Tay is still alive and is suggesting Mon take a loan from a gangster who wants to be seen at Mon's apartments as part of the deal.
• Perrin is still stirring things up between his wife and daughter.
• Poor Bix is being tortured by the sounds of genocide.
• Syril has received a promotion and is also stalking Dedra at the ISB because he wants what she wants (or does he just want her?).
• Syril's mom is still guilt-tripping him.
• Dedra is getting what she wants, even though she feels like she's wasting her time.
• Heert is continuing to impress Dedra with his initiative.
• Kino is realizing that "staying on program" may not get him what he wants after all.
• Melshi is still biding his time.
• Ulaf is finally free.

 

[reelo]

The show is almost entirely devoid of memberberries. It's nice.

Here's one, though. But don't ask me about it.

 

[Ryujin]

Imperial Recon Droid apparently.

Also looks remarkably like it could be the junction point of the solar arrays on a Tie Fighter.

 

[MarkB]

The show is almost entirely devoid of memberberries. It's nice.

And when they do pick one, it's the most chilling you could imagine. That cutaway to the patrolling guard's feet as the door closes on the screaming Bix - augh.

I just finished watching the episode, and I'm still having chills. The sense of crushing oppression they deliver in each episode just keeps ramping up.

 

[wicked cool]

Another solid episodr