Andor 1×04 Review: “Aldhani”

Cassian officially joins the Rebellion for the first time and prepares for his first mission against the Empire in “Aldhani.”

After a solid start in its first three episodes, Andor remains an exciting thriller that shows Cassian’s (Diego Luna) journey into a Rebellion spy in “Aldhani.” Much like the first three episodes, the episode maintains the series’ mature tone and gritty realism that feels fresh in the vast world of Star Wars.

As Cassian and Luthen (Stellan Skarsgard) fly away after escaping Imperial forces, Luthen continues to try to convince Cassian to join the Empire. He lists all the aspects that will make him a great asset and argues that the Rebellion will allow him to channel his anger in a way that will cause change. Cassian is resistant to the idea at first but ultimately agrees to help the Rebellion.

Luthen has Cassian create a fake alias, Clem, and introduces him to the leader of his first mission, Vel (Faye Marsay). Vel is furious about the last-minute addition to the team, but Luthen convinces her to take a chance on “Clem.” The two make their way to headquarters and the journey allows the audience to see how much the Empire has affected the galaxy around them.

The episode continues to show the horrors of the Empire, as the inner workings of the Empire headquarters of come into focus. Imperial officer Dedra (Denise Gough) is particularly interested in the Imperial artifact recovered at the scene of Cassian’s attempted arrest, but she is denied further information by her Superiors. The workings of the Imperial officers and the impact on the galaxy effectively continues to parallel real life fascism.

Luthen, who also owns an antique shop, welcomes Senator Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly). His assistant distracts her driver as the two covertly discuss Rebellion business in the backroom. Mothma is nervous that the Empire is spying on her at the Senate. The antique shop provides a lot of Easter eggs for fans, and it’s interesting to see a younger version of Mothma before she becomes a full-fledged leader of the Rebellion.

At home, Mothma has a tense conversation with her husband Perrin (Alastair MacKenzie). They are set to host a dinner party that Mothma has forgotten about, and Perrin has invited his friends, who are against everything Mothma has been working on. The tension between the two and their political differences continues to add to the tone and world building of the series.

Back in Aldhani, Cassian meets the rest of Vel’s group. The rest of the rebels are not pleased about the late addition to their mission, but Vel tells them that they have no choice but to include “Clem.” Though we only get brief glimpses of these rebels, they seem interesting, and we’ll hopefully get to know them more as they carry out their mission.

The group discusses their plan, using a rare meteor shower as cover to break into an Empire base. Though Cassian questions aspects of their plans, he agrees to the mission by the episode’s end. “Aldhani” continues to excellently build the conflict between the Empire and the Rebellion. With Cassian officially in the fold, I can’t wait to see Cassian’s first mission and his further integration into the Rebellion.

Author: Jessica Wolff

Jessica Wolff is a graduate of Drexel University with a BS in Film/Video. She has a passion for entertainment and representation in entertainment. She currently resides outside of Washington, DC.

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