Editor’s Note: The below contains spoilers for Andor Season 2 Episode 6.
A large part of what makes Andor a great addition to the Star Wars mythos and an overall great TV show is how it thrives on certain character dynamics. Whether it’s Cassian (Diego Luna) coming to ideological blows with Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård), or Deedra Meero (Denise Gough) navigating the hierarchy of the Galactic Empire and what cannot be a healthy relationship by any means, it’s compelling to watch these people interact with each other.
Andor‘s latest episode, “What a Festive Evening,” takes this aspect of the show to its ultimate extreme by bringing Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) and Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) face to face during a party for the Imperial Senate’s Investiture Week (which is essentially the Star Wars version of a politician’s fundraiser event.) What’s notable about the conversation is the separate paths Mon and Krennic are on, and how it hints at their ultimate destinies in the Star Wars universe.
Mon Mothma and Orson Krennic Debate the Nature of Rebellion in ‘Andor’
The bulk of Mon and Krennic’s conversation is dedicated to discussing the nature of rebellion, especially when it concerns a piece in Luthen’s gallery that belonged to a collection of people who opposed the Empire. What makes it such a compelling argument is O’Reilly and Mendelsohn’s performances. They both give off the air of people who can’t stand to be in the same room with each other, meaning that their words come off less like a civil conversation and more like carefully aimed barbs. Mon’s very first words to Krennic show she’s not holding anything back: “How pleasant to see you free of the witness stand.” Just that one sentence implies that the two have history together, and it resonates thanks to O’Reilly’s sharp delivery and the slight twitch of Mendelsohn’s facial muscles.
Their argument also underlines the very real struggles that Cassian, Luthen, and the other rebels are undergoing. When Mothma points out that the people who fought for their land were systematically executed by the Empire, Krennic counters: “Criminals love to lie. After all, who wants to die for lawless ineptitude?” At that very same time, rebels carry out a carefully planned heist on Ghorman, but Cinta (Varada Sethu) dies — not by “lawless ineptitude” but in her desire to try and do the right thing. Furthermore, while Mon and Krennic are trading verbal barbs, Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau) is attempting to remove a listening device from a piece of art to keep herself and Luthen out of danger. Andor is no stranger to crafting tense sequences, but this might be one of the most nerve-wracking scenes in the series’ run due to its layers.
Mon and Krennic Are Hurtling Toward Their Respective Destinies in Star Wars Canon
It’s rather fitting that Mon and Krennic’s argument in “What A Festive Evening” revolves around the merits of rebellion. After all, both of them will find themselves on opposing sides by the time Rogue One: A Star Wars Story begins: she will fully lead the Rebel Alliance, while he constructs the Death Star. Krennic also has no one but himself to blame, as his chilling plan to cause a massacre on Ghorman so that he can harvest materials for the Death Star is what leads to Mon speaking out against the Empire and fully uniting the separate Rebel cells into a single fighting force. Andor has slowly been building up to that point; Mothma’s maneuvering to fund the Rebels led to her daughter getting married (and a wild dance scene), but it’s also showcased her growing increasingly disillusioned with her life as a politician. Her speaking in favor of rebellion shows that in some way, she’s learning to relate to others struggling in the Empire’s grip.
Krennic is also different from how he’s portrayed in Rogue One. Instead of the preening, puffed-up air of self-importance he carried in that movie, he feels far more confident. Ben Mendelsohn told Variety that Krennic is at a high point in his career during Andor‘s timeline, which explains why he’s quick to confront Mon:
When we see him in Rogue One, we see him at the pinnacle of his achievement, but we also see him at the time when the other marshals of the Empire are going, “That looks pretty good. I think perhaps that’s actually my department now….” You see him in more of a halcyon period [in Andor]. This is him still very much ascendant.
With Andor Season 2 leaping forward a year for each block of episodes, it’s not surprising that it shows Krennic in his prime. It’s also ironic to see him discussing the failure of rebellions when the rebels he battles will ultimately win.
New episodes of Andor premiere Tuesdays on Disney+.
Andor
- Release Date
-
2022 – 2025-00-00
- Network
-
Disney+
- Showrunner
-
Tony Gilroy
