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andor one year later review - cassian andor in tie avenger
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Andor – One Year Later review S2 E1

Jeffrey Lyles , , , , , , , , , ,

The first 10 minutes of One Year Later probably would have benefitted from a long-form recap of last season. As the major spy thriller/espionage series set in the Star Wars universe, Andor is far more complicated than who’s swinging a lightsaber or hanging with Lil Grogu.

Andor producers also made the right call in pairing One Year Later with two more episodes to kick off the season premiere. As a standalone installment, this initial episode had some solid moments and seemed to fit the pattern of last season. Two episodes set up an exciting third one. One Year Later certainly felt like a catch up and here’s what’s happened since you’ve been gone kind of installment.

Cassian is at an Imperial testing base all set to steal an Imperial TIE Avenger. He’s calm, assured and far more like the ‘get the mission done, no matter the cost or sacrifice’ Rebel operative he was in Rogue One than the apprehensive Rebellion recruit at the end of last season. Cassian might have seen himself as he chatted with new Imperial defector Niya (Rachelle Diedericks), as she tries to stay calm before doing her part to help him escape with the ship.

Decked out in an Imperial pilot’s uniform, Cassian looks the part even if he might have skimmed the manual on how to fly new Imperial fighters. Cassian crashes the ship against the walls and bangs around the hanger like Bambi on ice. This alerts Stormtroopers, who helpfully aid Cassian in figuring out how to work the gun turrets.

Finally out of the hanger, Cassian does a little on the job training as he manages to evade two other Imperial TIE Avengers. This was an impressive dogfight and an exhilarating way to kick off One Year Later even if the rest of the episode eases off the gas.

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As Cassian flies away, his longtime friends Bix, Wilmon and Brasso are farming on Mina-Rau. It’s been one year later, but Bix is still dealing with the PTSD of being tortured by the Imperial officers. She is happy to use her engineering skills to help tend the equipment with her friends. Cassian’s droid, B2EMO, is less thrilled and constantly worries about Cassian’s whereabouts. He should have been back by now.

andor one year later review - wilmon and bix

It’s just as well as a massive Imperial starship arrives terrifying Bix with the thought that against the odds, they’ve found her and plan to capture her again. While the series has picked up one year later, for Bix the terror and dread of the Empire is still far from a distant memory. That’s a welcome shift as it shows the psychological horror the Empire can wage besides simply blasting their enemies away.

Speaking of blasting away with unlimited power, Director Krennic is meeting with some of the top Imperial aides — including Dedra Meero. The Emperor has set his sights on Ghorman, a planet known for its luxurious silk fabric.

Palpatine apparently didn’t start courting until sometime after Return of the Jedi so he’s not in the market for a new robe. Instead, he and Krennic want what Ghorman has in even greater excess — a valuable mineral that would aid in other efficient energy projects. But would we call the Death Star clean energy, Krennic?

andor one year later review - krennic

Of course, this strip mining is likely to leave Ghorman in ruin, but it’s no matter for the Empire. Krennic and his crew needs to devise a way to evacuate the planet so they can have free rein over it. Two propaganda officers offer their spin and there’s light discussion over the snacks Krennic provided. Side note: those mini cakes looked delicious!

Krennic is more interested in Dedra’s idea. She suggests having Ghorman rebels cause a problem that the Empire would need to come in and fix. She’s a savvy one though her absence from Rogue One suggests Krennic might tire of her usefulness or she’s not much longer for this series.

Things are decidedly more pleasant in Chandrila at the Mothma Estate as Mon Mothma and husband, prepare for their daughter, Leida’s wedding. Mon is clearly on edge as she starts seeing some familiar faces including one she did not anticipate running into — Luthen.

andor one year later review - mon mothma

Luthen is in full peacocking performance mode publicly as he privately keeps pestering Kleya for updates on Cassian’s whereabouts.

And where is Cassian now? He’s landing at a pre-arranged spot for a rendezvous with an ally — one a bit more capable of flying the TIE Avenger than he can hopefully. But what’s up with Niya? We barely knew her.

Cassian gets caught by a group of rebels, who seem like they’ve already killed his meet-up.

They’re in a bad way and are struggling with mistrust, a lack of food and other resources and a power struggle between two factions. Since they’re not willing to listen to reason, Cassian starts sowing seeds of distrust among the group while the two squabbling leaders attempt to make sense of the Avenger’s controls.

When the inevitable clash of the factions plays out, Cassian makes a run for the TIE fighter. No sense hanging around with these losers. Provided he can avoid the wildly spraying blaster fire.

One Year Later gets the season jumpstarted right away with a solid opening salvo that bodes well for the third installment of this set.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Photo Credit: Disney

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