Star Wars: Andor

[Vael]

Finally got around to finishing Andor Season 1 (on the plane; we haven’t had D+ for ages) and my God, the last four episodes are absolute bangers. Not only the best Star Wars TV but some of the best TV ever, and certainly the best TV about fighting authoritarianism. And if Star Wars isn’t about fighting fascism, what the hell is it about?

Of particular note are the four classic speeches (One Way Out, What Do I Sacrifice, Fight the Empire, and Nemik’s Manifesto) which are all absolutely amazing. It’s a pity Mon Mothma doesn’t get one, but maybe she will in S2. One Way Out is about capitalism and nobody can convince me otherwise. Nemik’s Manifesto should be the new pledge of allegiance in schools.

So many good speeches. It's up there with Babylon 5 for great monologues.

As others have noted, Mon Mothma gets a banger of a speech in S2 ... but I have to give credit to her scene with Tay in E7: Announcement

Mon: "What you see, what people say about me, it's a clear picture, isn't it. I'm a polite, sometimes-indecisive Senator who spends her days fighting and failing to protect Separatist do-gooders and battle Empire overreach. An irritation, as you so harshly put it."
Tay: "I've made you angry, I…"
Mon: "No, No. You've set me free. I've been wondering all day how I could be sure of confiding in you."
Tay: "I don't know what we're talking about."
Mon: "It's a lie. The Mon Mothma people think they know, it's a lie. It's a projection. It's a front. Smile. I've learned from Palpatine. I show you the stone in my hand, you miss the knife at your throat."

It's a great moment for the character, as the show tends to show us her at her more conflicted state, fretting about family and finance and just the strain of keeping up that projection. But here, it's all about how one of her "oldest friends" has completely bought into that projection of hers and she shows how she's managed to survive within the Empire.