Cassian is now a prisoner of the Empire.
The rebellion has begun! Andor is now streaming on Disney+, following the fan-favorite rebel in a tale set five years before the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and we’re watching. Join StarWars.com every week for Andor Analyzed, in which we list the best moments from each episode.
Spoiler warning: This article contains story details and plot points from the eighth episode of Andor, “Narkina 5.”
The Empire has no idea who they’ve detained.
In the eighth episode of Andor, Cassian Andor is hauled off to the sterile prison facility on Narkina 5 under the alias Keef Girgo. It’s a bleak existence, a seemingly endless string of grueling 12-hour work shifts assembling Imperial widgets in competition with six floors of other inmates. The winners get some flavor added to their daily sustenance, a peachy liquid dispensed through a tube. The losers? Punishment by electrocution, with the jolts sent directly through the floor into their bare feet.
Here are five highlights from the latest episode of Andor.
1. Andor arrives at Narkina 5.
Capping off a disorienting interruption to his undercover holiday, Cassian is sentenced to six years of hard labor at the Imperial factory on Narkina 5. With his last breath of fresh air, he steps into the heart of the Imperial machine, where the floors are tungstoid steel and the guards can send a surge of muscle-spasming energy through your body at any moment.
2. When Syril met Dedra.
It’s been a while since Syril Karn met a like-minded individual, but in Dedra Meero he sees a kindred spirit in his quest for justice and a galaxy free of chaos and disruptions. Unfortunately, this is an interrogation and Dedra is much less impressed than he. “Forget this happened,” she tells him curtly.
3. On program!
And we thought the Imperial prison looked bad on the outside. Andor’s introduction to life on the inside is demoralizing and bleak. Floor manager Kino Loy, a fellow inmate with a hint of power, barks orders to keep the factory lines productive for 12 hours each day. Inside blindingly white cells, the inmates spend their off hours sleeping and eating from a tube attached to the wall. Stripped of all individuality and privacy, they have only a countdown clock to keep them company. They don’t even get the luxury of a hot shower, instead submitting to mass delousing sprays. In the blink of an eye, 30 days have passed, and Cassian’s fate as a faceless servant of the Empire is grim.
4. Saw Gerrera is back.
On Segra Milo, we’re reunited with guerrilla fighter Saw Gerrera. Many fans previously met Saw in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, or Star Wars: The Bad Batch. But if this is your first introduction, his tense exchange with Luthen gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect from the extremist rebel contingent.
5. Bix’s arrest.
We’re worried about Bix. As she’s taken in for questioning by Meero and her ISB henchmen, we see Salman Paak being dragged away, his battered body a chilling reminder of the depths of depravity the Empire will stoop to in the name of order.
