Andorseason 1’s best arc smartly - but narrowly - avoided a major continuity problem withRogue One: A Star Wars Story. Nobody can deny the incredible genius of Tony Gilroy’s writing onAndorseason 1, easily one of thebestStar WarsTV showsto date. Few noticed, though, that he took dramatic liberties with Cassian Andor’s backstory, deviating from established canon in many different ways.
To be fair, that decision was easy to understand.Cassian is a spy first and foremost, meaning there’s no reason we should assume he’s being particularly honest inRogue One- or, indeed, that he hasn’t carefully concealed his history, hiding the truth behind falsehoods and lies. But one ofAndor’s best arcs narrowly avoided a problem; a single line that would have become an inexplicable lie.
Cassian Said Saw Gerrera’s “Cage” Was His First
One striking scene inRogue Onesees Cassian and his colleagues captured by Saw Gerrera and his Partisans. Imprisoned in what K-2SO called a cage, Cassian was comforted by his droid - but dropped a memorable line. Looking around the prison cell,Cassian noted this was a first for him. It was a memorable moment, clearly implying that Cassian was a good enough spy to have avoided prison cells thus far.
But that did cause a problem withAndorseason 1, which features an extended arc on Narkina 5. The prison onNarkina 5 was inspired by George Lucas’THX 1138, as director Toby Haynes explained:
We were all big fans of 1970s cinema and 1970s sci-fi and fantasy. We never wanted to wear our Easter eggs on our sleeve. We wanted to be more subtle about what we were doing, calling back. One of our touchstone images was from THX 1138, and we wanted to evoke that antiseptic, claustrophobic atmosphere. That’s exactly where the white starkness of the prison comes out, with the black uniforms of the Empire really striking out, like shadows cutting into the scenery.
Buthow could this prison arc be reconciled with Cassian’s throwaway line?
Narkina 5 Couldn’t Have Any Caged Prison Cells
The answer, of course, came withthe decision to make Narkina 5 a very different kind of prison. This was one without the traditional cages and cell doors, characterized instead by stark whiteness. The guards didn’t need to worry too much about the traditional aspects of the prison, because the entire floor was electrified, meaning anyone who even fell out of bed in the night would be fried.
All this means Cassian’s experience inRogue Onereally was a first for him - in so many different ways. It was his first traditional prison cell, and the first time he’d been imprisoned by another rebel group, signifying bigger problems.Andor’s best arc really did smartly avoid major continuity problems.
