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Continuity & Analysis

Andor - Kassa (2022) [S1E1]
Cassian Andor's reckless search for answers about his past makes him a wanted man.
Andor - That Would Be Me (2022) [S1E2]
Cassian attempts to lay low on Ferrix as agents of the law close in.
Andor - Reckoning (2022) [S1E3]
Cassian's desperation to avoid arrest leads him to a mysterious man with
unknown connections.




CONTINUITY
Andor begins 5 years before Rogue One and Episode IV. These three episodes deal with Cassian's past and his introduction
to Luthen Rael. Morlana 1, Ferrix, and Kenari are seen for the first time. Three worlds are the setting of these episodes:

The flashbacks repeatedly interjected into these episodes take place in 7954 (23 BBY), 18 years prior to the main story.

- Morlana 1 is a terrestrial planet located in the Morlani System, within the Free Trade Sector, a subdivision of an unidentified sector in the Outer Rim. It is
an Earth-like world with a large, single moon, significant oceans, a temperate climate, varied terrain, and an ecosystem. In the Imperial era, and very
likely the late Republic-era, the planet was the administrative capital of the Preox-Morlana Corporate Zone, a planetary grouping which was one of
the corporate domains within this Free Trade Sector. The government of this corporate domain, the Pre-Mor Authority, was based on Morlana 1,
as was its various agencies including its Corporate Security Headquarters. It is very likely the Morlani System was colonized and developed by
the Preox-Morlana Corporation which owns this domain. Morlana 1 was home to about 785 million people in the late Imperial era according
to supplementary material, which probably makes it the most populous planet in this starsystem. The full extent of Preox-Morlana's activities
is not known however they do seem to be involved primarily in materials, including at least industrial fabrication and reclamation.



Where is this "Free Trade Sector" located? Lucasfilm supplements have thus far only placed the Morlani System in
the Outer Rim. The Free Trade Sector is obviously a subsector, since there is no oversector with that name in any region
of the galaxy, unless this is an attempt to retcon the name of the Corporate Sector, a remote sector of the Outer Rim
designated for corporate domains which enjoyed greater autonomy under the Empire than almost anywhere else in
the known galaxy. The Free Trade Sector could also be a subdivision of the Corporate Sector, or indeed of any sector,
since small corporate domains were quite common in both the Republic and Imperial eras, and if clusters of corporate
domains existed in a given part of a sector, a subsector defined as a 'Free Trade Sector' could have been designated
when that sector was being incorporated during its colonial period. There are many regions in the Outer Rim where
that process had occurred within the last 1000 years, increasing the likelihood of both corporate domains and
corporate-developed regions within any given sector. It would be ridiculous to assume the Preox-Morlana Corporate
Zone is the only corporate domain in this Free Trade Sector, or that this is the only free trade subsector in the galaxy.


- Citizens and employees of the Pre-Mor Corporate Zone are issued Corporate IDs, which they are legally required to present upon request. All persons
without Corporate ID are classified as "visitors", and are subject to a separate enforcement code which includes a curfew, limitations to certain
locations and activities. Rights and laws within corporate territory are defined by the corporation which owns these planets as a private domain.

- Ferrix is a terrestrial planet located in the Morlani System, within the Free Trade Sector, a subdivision of an unidentified sector in the Outer Rim. The capital
and primary city of the planet is predictably also called Ferrix. Its small post-colonial population, Earth-like atmosphere, and sparse ecosystem suggest
this world was terraformed long ago to expand the number of habitable planets in this starsystem. Given that Morlana 1 and Morlana 4 are mentioned
it is almost certain that Ferrix is the second or third planet in the system, as it is already unusual for a starsystem to have four planets inside its habitable
zone. The society on Ferrix is the usual mix of Humans and others from the interstellar society typical of post-colonial planets. The main economic activity
seems to be scrap reclamation and associated industries however there is also some farming which may provide beyond local subsistence. Ferrix is
noted amongst those who would know by the saying "if you can't find it here, it's not worth finding", as it is something of a repository of used parts,
craft, and machinery. The planet is culturally unique like most post-colonial worlds, and its people have a sense of frontier independence, despite their
planet "technically" falling under the jurisdiction of the Pre-Mor Authority, whose sovereignty over the starsystem is recognized by the Empire. Despite
its sparse ecosystem, the planet has ample water including large oceans, seas, and lakes, as well as regular rainfall and underground water.


- The dog-like creatures seen running around on Ferrix and used as guard animals are Corellian hounds, first seen in Solo. They are apparently somewhat
popular as pets or working animals beyond Corellia itself.


Flashback events take place in 7954 (23 BBY), 18 years prior to the main story, on Kenari.

- Lucasfilm supplementary material places the events of the flashbacks in 7954 (23 BBY), which is confusing due to
the apparent inclusion of a Separatist ship, which would place these events at least a year later. As explained below,
based on the dialogue in 'Reckoning' it seems the use of a Separatist insignia was an error by the creators, and the ship
was supposed to be a Republic ship. Lucasfilm's date of events is taken as canon in keeping with the dialogue, however
their explanation in supplements of the Separatist symbol is highly unlikely, and is probably just a cover for a mistake.

- Kenari is a verdant planet located in an unidentified sector of the Mid Rim. The planet has ample water and an abundant
ecosystem, and although it is seemingly a desirable place to settle it was apparently only settled in a limited fashion,
principally for the purposes of mining. Kenari was officially abandoned after an "Imperial mining disaster" which is stated
to have killed the all the workers. It is clear from 'That Would Be Me' that the disaster actually occurred in the later days
of the Republic. A small community of their children survived on the planet after it was abandoned following that
disaster. The Empire lists the planet as "considered toxic" and imposed an Imperial prohibition on travel to the world.


- Cassian used to be named Kassa, and was born on Kenari where he spent his early life.


- It takes "a lot of energy" for a droid to lie, due to the fact that it must now calculate its internal awareness based on factual memory, its fabrication of
events to potentially communicate to others, a fabricated set of reactions and actions which would be consistent with that fabrication, and keep
track of what disinformation it has communicated to others. This is quantifiable in droids in terms of power drain, however it is yet another aspect
of droid existence which mirrors that of organic beings, as lying takes much more mental energy for a Human, and it is far easier to tell the truth
so as not to have to keep straight who knows what and to pretend not to know certain things, all of which requires concentration and effort.
Main Article: Droid Intelligence

- Morlana 4 is an additional inhabited planet in the Morlani System, where Morlana 1 and Ferrix are also located. It is directly administered by the Pre-Mor
Authority, rather than being an affiliated planet like Ferrix, which suggests that like Morlana 1 it is owned outright by Preox-Morlana Corporation.


Why is Preox-Morlana not supposed to have brothels or allow Revnog? Chief Inspector Hyne states that his officers "were
in a brothel, which we're not supposed to have, the expensive one, which they shouldn't be able to afford, drinking
Revnog, which we're not supposed to allow." These officers shouldn't have been able to afford the brothel based on their
salaries, with the suggestion being that they are moderately corrupt and shake down people for money, which based
on Hyne's reaction isn't surprising to him. Revnog is a previously unmentioned drink, described by supplements as some
sort of alcohol. These could be Imperial restrictions which the corporation intentionally ignores to meet the desires of
wealthy individuals, however neither seems like something the Empire would care about, or be eager to legislate against.
Supplements suggest it is only Pre-Mor officers who are not supposed to be allowed the Revnog, which might indicate it
is a restricted substance only offered illegally to elite clients, however the assertion that they aren't "supposed to have"
a brothel in their Leisure Zone makes it sound like Pre-Mor could get in trouble with someone for this. This means that
either the Empire doesn't allow them, which could be the case but would be the first ever indication that the Empire is
concerned about sexual 'immorality', or that Pre-Mor doesn't officially allow them in order to please the prevailing
sentiments amongst the large population of the planets it owns, and wishes to present itself as morally upstanding.


- Imperial Regional Command is the military government of a sector, or large galactic region, along with their command staff. These regional commands
conduct periodic status reviews with local officials from planets or other political entities within their jurisdiction. The meeting which the Chief
Inspector will be attending would be led by the Moff which governs the sector in which the Free Trade Sector is a subdivision, or more likely
conducted by ranking members of their staff in lieu of the Moff's actual presence. It is also possible that a 'Regional Command' meeting would
be attended by representatives from the Outer Rim regional military government, who in this era would report to Grand Moff Tarkin. A routine
meeting of minor importance such as this is unlikely to require the attention or presence of a sector's leader, let alone the galactic region's
leader, as there are likely hundreds of such meetings every year per sector. Crime rates are amongst the items of report at such meetings.

- Valuable Imperial components are strictly controlled and highly valuable on the black market. The Empire's monopoly on high-tech industries and
military technology in particular is designed to ensure that the Empire's military is in possession of equipment with decades of advancements
which no one else in the galaxy is supposed to have. This is largely successful, which only increases the trade value of advanced components.
One example of valuable Imperial tech are their targeting units, whose use is obvious. Another valuable item is a NS-9 Star path unit, which
"can track every Imperial coordinate for nine radial parsecs." An untraceable Star path unit with vector crystals and seal still intact available
for sale on the black market would be a deal at 40,000 credits, according to Cassian. That would be over three times the cost of a small, used
starship, according to Luke's estimation of the cost of a ship in Episode IV.

- Morlana 1 has an orbital traffic control, something that should be a common feature of any organized planet with a population of any significance.
Traffic tends to be heavier during the period in which it is night on the planet's capital and most populous region, as this would be a more
optimum time to travel in most instances. It makes sense to conduct space travel at night, rather than during the daytime when most
travelers would want to be going about their business and interacting with an awake population. Planets which have population centers
more evenly dispersed across their surface would experience less of a divide between daytime and nighttime traffic, and the difference in
day and night on worlds that travelers are coming to and from would also figure into the traffic statistics, but it can be generally assumed
that worlds will see some uptick in orbital traffic during the period in which their capital is on the night side of their world. The controllers
on Morlana 1 are able to determine certain characteristics of detected craft, which may or may not allow for a positive identification.
Cassian's small craft is interpreted by the controller as a "sublight something, Orlean Star Cab or a Day van. Some old thing." His ship was
not stopped or questioned, despite having no identification transponder, due to the complacence of the traffic controller, who suggests
that he is busy enough during the night not to worry about a stray ship or two, which may be a common attitude around the galaxy
for local controllers monitoring busy skies. Investigating Cassian's ship would require the effort to "filter the entire night."
Main Article: Scanners, Sensors, and Cloaking Devices


- Bix sends out a message to Luthen by tapping into an old comms tower with illegal transmission equipment. This is later revealed to be a "fractal radio
unit." This tower is a supposedly non-functional but is capable of reaching the off-world HoloNet network. A fractal radio unit sends a form
of encrypted message, which ordinarilly does not provide a location trace, unless local frequencies were being specifically monitored.
Main Article: Hyperspace Communications

- The Empire conducts a periodic census of any given world's population, however the frequency of this differs greatly for each world, primarily dictated
by the size of the population, the world's importance, and its distance from an administrative center. A minor planet like Ferrix hadn't had
a census for 6 years, since 7966 (11 BBY). The Imperial census includes full name and place of birth, and likely some other details.

- Ferrix is an "affiliated planet" which means they are "technically" under Pre-Mor Authority's jurisdiction, as opposed to Morlana 1 and Morlana 4, which
are owned outright by the Preox-Morlana Corporation. Their 'affiliation' is due to Pre-Mor's obvious business on Ferrix, as well as its location within
the Preox-Morlana Corporate Zone. Affiliated planets have a degree of sovereignty and self-governance, however their influence with Pre-Mor
Authority is limited to "a Territorial Forum once a month where they are free to make official complaints." The Territorial Forum is likely
attended by representatives from other affiliated planets under Pre-Mor's oversight, as this material implies Ferrix is not the only one.
Ferrix is subject to Pre-Mor Authority's system government, as well as policing by their Corporate Tactical Forces.


Flashback events take place in 7954 (23 BBY), 18 years prior to the main story, on Kenari.

- The Mining Guild or an associated entity used gouge mining on Kenari, leaving massive, irregular gouges in the affected
landscape. This type of environmentally destructive resource extraction was fairly widespread during the Republic era,
and under the Empire it is actively encouraged and even insisted upon by Imperial leaders. Kenari was "abandoned
and considered toxic" after a mining disaster which took place in the last few years of the Republic, and is now listed as
prohibited by the Empire. This seems excessive, as such a disaster's toxic effects would almost certainly only effect small
areas of the planet. It is therefore unclear why this entire world is strictly prohibited.


- Maarva has always given authorities documents for Cassian which falsely claim he was born on Fest. This is also on Cassian's "Imperial prison record",
a statement which indicates that he was previously arrested and incarcerated for some of his illegal activities. Fest had not yet been
seen or even mentioned in canon, but was a well-developed world in SW legends. Fest is a heavily-populated, industrial world located
in Atrivis Sector, in the New Territories of the Outer Rim. Its selection is useful as its population makes disproving this claim difficult.

- Karlo places his tip call from 'Gavalox Communications', at one of their street communications centers with comm terminals. This would seem to be
an authorized, local company which provides legal access to Imperial HoloNet. The advertising in the center promises "multi-network access"
and offers "pay as you go" service. This is all consistent with the nature of HoloNet and Imperial requirements for comm use.
Main Article: Hyperspace Communications


- Luthen Rael is the head of a rebel spy network affiliated with Mon Mothma's resistance movement. His ship is a heavily modified V-21.1 Chevlex 'Fondor'
haulcraft. One of his modifications was the installation of a 'Fondor' droid co-pilot built into the ship. His scanners indicate that the safest place
to land near Ferrix without risking detection is 2.3 "klicks" outside the city, a determination he is able to make while still in orbit. This also
suggests that local city scanners for a city like Ferrix would be limited to scanning the immediate approach to the city only.
Main Article: Scanners, Sensors, and Cloaking Devices


Flashback events take place in 7954 (23 BBY), 18 years prior to the main story, on Kenari.


The Transpo corsair which crashes on Kenari and its crew bear the insignia of the Separatist Alliance. This would seem
to suggest that these events took place during the Clone Wars, however Lucasfilm supplements have dated these events
as one year before the war began. It is later revealed in 'Reckoning' that this a Republic ship with Republic officers on
board. This makes it seem like an error by the creators, and that the Separatist symbol was mistakenly used instead of
the Republic solar emblem. It could have been explained in dialogue or in supplements that this ship and its crew were
part of some unknown organization with a symbol no one recognized, which would have hinted at Dooku and his allies
gathering secret forces in preparation for the eventual war, however the arrival of a Republic frigate and Maarva's
statement that these were Republic officers make it nearly impossible for this symbol to have not been an error.
The Separatist Crisis began in 7953 (24 BBY) concerning a political movement led by Count Dooku, who had organized
a network of disgruntled planetary leaders and independence-minded worlds into an increasingly vocal secessionist
faction within galactic politics. The popularity of these ideas in political discourse were encouraged by the Sith through
their various means of subtly influencing societies, stoking a growing political divide. There is no suggestion that this
divide was present in the Republic military, or that factions of the Republic's federal government were allied with
Dooku. The Separatist Movement was purely political, and the Separatist military would be formed out of the private
security armies of the galactic trade guilds and droid forces being secretly mass-constructed for the Alliance. If this had
been a Republic ship crewed by Dooku's allies on some operation, why would they be flying the flag of an organization
which won't exist for a year which would raise questions rather than use the Republic symbol they are authorized to
use, which would help provide cover for their activities? There would be little reason to intentionally use a Separatist
insignia here, unless it is part of some new disney-SW innovation to the backstory of the Clone Wars that is contrary to
the implications of Episode II. If this is a Separatist ship, these events occur in 7955 (22 BBY) after the war began.



- Willi, the man who accosts Luthen with conversation on the shuttle ferry, provides a lot of information in a short amount of time, with a mountain of
potential implications which could be expounded upon in great detail. In the interest of brevity, only the direct continuity takeaways are presented
here. The cost for parking a ship at a city and planet like Ferrix could be 60 credits, which is steep but not outside of what one might expect for
parking fees. Ferrix has grown considerably in just the last few decades, and in keeping has added amenities but also expenses for visitors. This
includes replacing the cheap but rustic ground car from the space port with hovering shuttle ferries, however they are more expensive and
have developed a traffic backlog due to the rise in visitors to Ferrix. Willi comes to Ferrix regularly because he works in the propulsion industry,
for a concern which provides "add-ons and boosters", and Ferrix is known as an excellent place to acquire parts. He also suggests to Luthen that
hotels are the biggest rip-off on Ferrix, and that pickpocketing is commonplace.


Flashback events take place in 7954 (23 BBY), 18 years prior to the main story, on Kenari.

- The crew of the supposedly Republic ship died from toxic gas released after damage to their ship's reactor or some
other component, which must be assumed to sometimes be a hazard of space travel. The scavengers who come to
steal valuable parts from the crashed ship are able to scan the air and determine "vapor density" and the toxicity of
the air, to determine if it is safe to breathe. The toxic gas must have dissipated or "burned off" as Maarva suggests.
Main Article: Scanners, Sensors, and Cloaking Devices


When a Republic frigate arrives in orbit, seemingly on the trail of the crashed corsair, Maarva states that "They'll kill him.
They'll kill us" and that Cassian's people "just killed a Republic officer" and as a result it will "be open season here
the moment that frigate lands." Putting aside that the symbol on the ship and crew was that of the Separatist Alliance,
which must be assumed to have been an error by the creators, what gives Maarva the impression that the Republic's
military is so bloodthirsty? Even before the Clone Wars began, the Republic's military was ultimately led by the Jedi
Council, and was considered an instrument of the Senate whose duty was to uphold the Republic's law and values.
It would seem like murdering children, even if they had killed one of their officers, would not be their obvious move.
It is possible they would shoot armed scavengers on sight if those scavengers were on one of their crashed ships,
however it seems unlikely Cassian and his friends were going to be killed if they went off and hid. Maarva makes
the Republic's officers sound like savage killers eager to go hunting through a jungle to exact revenge.



- Transmissions which are received by a local transmitter can have their source's position determined using the proper scanning equipment. This can
reveal direction, range, and signal intensity, indicating the position from which it was sent. It is likely this is also the case with a similar signal sent
from a ship or craft. This is not strictly a matter of hyperspace communications, however it is assumed that all transmissions utilize the same
means, and that hyperspace communications simply use standard comm signals but transmit them through hyperspace at incredible speed.
Main Articles: Scanners, Sensors, and Cloaking Devices & Hyperspace Communications


Who is Chobb? The implication seems to be that Chobb is a deity, or at least a divine figure who is highly regarded such
that taking his name in vain is a form of profanity. Zorby first invokes Chobb in this manner, and then later Salman, which
could suggest that Chobb is a divine name local to Ferrix, or perhaps this region of space, however non-canon material
has suggested this name is far more widespread. Salman asks regarding Cassian, "What in the name of Chobb has he
done this time?" to which Bix replies, "Oh, God." Unless this was an adlibbed line this seems an odd writing choice, unless
mentioning both Chobb and God in succession was meant to highlight the various divine names and concepts common
in the galaxy. The Human belief in God is not widely discussed in SW, although it is not absent from casual conversation.
The Force is widely regarded as a supreme being of sorts, and some SW cultures do worship the Force as God, however
strictly speaking the Force is not properly synonymous with any one concept of God from Earth history. Unless Bix's
statement is a continuity error, this idiom suggests God is a very old concept in Human society in this galaxy, and like
Chobb, is still called upon or otherwise invoked even by those who aren't involved in belief systems involving these ideas.


- Luthen is something of a recruiter as well as a spymaster for his rebel network, who hopes to recruit Cassian if he is indeed the one who obtained
the restricted Imperial technology. His regular arrangement is for Bix to provide him with parts she obtained by bribing quartermasters to
leave valuables on old Imperial ships before they come in for scrap. Cassian's possession of an NS-9 Star path unit suggests to Luthen that
Cassian is either an Imperial spy, someone "fronting for the person I really want to speak to," or that Cassian is indeed the man he is hoping
to recruit, since the unit "isn't something they'd let pass." Cassian stole the unit from the Imperial Naval Base in Steergard, where he posed
as an Imperial technician using a stolen Imperial uniform and tool kit. How he obtained access to the base is not discussed.


Where is Steergard? It is obviously a large location, as it has to be large enough to have a naval base located within it.
Steergard could be a city so well-known that mentioning what planet it is on would be unnecessary. It could also be
an asteroid large enough to contain both a base and other facilities, or perhaps the same within a small moon. Cassian's
statement that the stolen unit was "sealed on the Imperial Naval Base in Steergard" suggests that Steergard itself is not
a planet or habitable moon, as he would have said 'on Steergard' or 'over Steergard', however the writers of this series
made the strange choice to use the preposition 'in' instead of 'on' a world. If someone said that Japan was 'in Earth'
rather than 'on Earth', one would logically assume Japan was underneath the surface of Earth. If Steergard is a city
or otherwise a location on a world, it is obviously not on Ferrix or in the Morlani System, as the Empire did not have
a military presence in this system prior to these events. It does not really matter at this point where Steergard is,
however the specific use of the name instead of referring to a planet would suggest that Steergard is a location of
significant fame, and is probably located on an important world. Regardless of what Steergard is, it must be located
within one of the two 'ISB sectors' supervised by Lt. Meero. One of these sectors' general area cannot yet be
determined. The other contains the Kurost Sector in the Mid Rim, where the planet Sev Tok is located.


- Luthen says his "rule number one" is "never carry anything you don't control" and his "rule number two" is "build your exit on your way in." Rule
two is good advice for anyone entering a dangerous situation, especially in clandestine operations. The first rule only applies to those in
technological civilizations, but is nonetheless a valuable suggestion which applies even to our comparatively primitive society.

ANALYSIS
Corporate domains are a feature of the galaxy under both the Republic and the Empire, and although they enjoyed new levels of sovereignty and freedom
of action under the Empire, their reach, and ultimately their status, was steadily eroded under the Empire in anticipation of their eventual absorption into
the monolithic Imperial structure. They were amongst the last islands of semi-independence left in the galaxy, in part because of the central role which
large corporations had played in the rise of the Empire and its initial stability, but largely because corporate domains were the least threatening to Imperial
rule, and were the form of government and society which most closely resembled that of the Empire. Corporate domains were often seen as repressive and
undemocratic by critics of corporate power under the Republic, and pointed to as evidence of the prevalence of corruption in galactic society. The historical
irony is that once the Empire began to transform the galaxy's society, and began nationalizing the galaxy's capitalist economy into a fascist economy, these
stable, corporate domains usually offered far more personal freedom than anywhere else in the Empire. They also offered economic opportunity outside
of the Empire's restrictive rules, which benefited both the large corporations and small business owners. At the same time, the corporate domains were
still petty, economically-motivated autocracies, many of which included dystopian elements which were little different than those employed in parts of
the Empire. Their freedom to act under the Empire, and the need to enforce Imperial standards for security, meant that their sometimes tolerant nature
would only extend as far as it didn't compromise their standing with the Empire, which in turn, slowly transformed them along with the rest of the galaxy.

The Empire's policy towards corporate domains during the second decade of Imperial rule was to leave them to govern their domains, providing routine
oversight to ensure their compliance with, and deference to, the Imperial system. This allowed the Empire to spare the expense and resources needed to
govern and police their worlds, while still ensuring they remained integrated in the galactic security state. The Empire monitored each domain, who would
either maintain order to the Empire's liking, or eventually fail which would provide legal pretext for liquidating their corporate holdings and appropriating
their planets and property. The goal of corporate leaders was to fly under the Empire's radar as much as possible, which could be a very successful strategy
considering the hundreds of thousands of more pressing issues the Empire could be dealing with at any given time. The Empire would not devote its time
and resources to interfering in corporate affairs unless problems were brought to the attention of those concerned with Imperial security. As such, actual
problems were often not reported to the Empire out of rightful concern by corporate leaders that instability would damage their standing with the Empire.
This is not an issue unique to the Imperial system, as it is often the case in any system that those concerned with how bad performance will affect their jobs
will mislead their superiors, cover up mistakes, or otherwise impede the purpose and function of the system out of concern for their place in it. This tendency
is magnified by the insistence by those in leadership positions that their managers deliver results. This is a form of corruption which is inherent in Human
created organizations, since they are run by Humans who sometime have selfish motivations which override their sense of duty and their concern for what
is best for others. Imperious systems, like corporate systems, magnify this issue by encouraging selfish motivations and punishing failure with removal.

The Empire's greatest weaknesses are its size and its arrogance, which are preyed upon by revolutionaries and criminals alike. The average Imperial believes
that the strength and size of the Empire make it unchallengeable, and that the terror they inspire is enough to prevent would be opponents from attempting
to do so. They are emboldened by the fact that this is largely true, and even the disgruntled masses which can be found in most corners of the galaxy at this
stage of Imperial rule are kept subdued by the Empire's mere presence. All the while, they are enjoying the benefits of being on the top levels of society,
while the many toil in an increasingly dismal system. The Empire teaches that this divide in society is proper and desirable, and Imperials come to believe that
they belong on top, and that the lowly people who belong on bottom wouldn't dare to even steal from them, let alone undermine them. As in every empire,
the leadership begins to believe its own propaganda, and eventually basis policies and actions on their unfounded assumptions. The advantage that they do
have over their opponents is that they are organized. Luthen and those like him are trying to change that, and are reaching out to talented individuals like
Cassian who share their sentiments and could share their goals. Many, like Cassian, also suffer from the results of years of Imperial messaging, which Luthen
suggests "rings in the ear." Although Cassian saw his father executed by the Empire or its allies, was once imprisoned by the Empire, and still actively steals
from them, he has no intentions of organizing to oppose the empire, and probably considers the idea to be absurd. The rebel organizations which are
coming together in this era offer the possibility of working with talented individuals who at least have decent equipment, and who have tactics and strategies
which might conceivably set the groundwork for eventually taking the Empire on. This presents an option many had wished for but didn't know how to find.
At the same time, in this early stage where the battle is steeply uphill, only those few with the necessary skills and drive for intelligence work stand any chance.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
Andor: A Spaceship Story