Every time an episode of Star Wars: Andor lands, Fantha Tracks will be giving their responses, and here are our initial gut feelings, deep dives and thoughts on episode eleven of season one, ‘Daughter of Ferrix’. Beware of spoilerific elements in here.
Ross Hollebon
The Narkina 5 prison break occured in the last episode, but there is a wider array of characters that are some combination of trapped, desperate, and suffering during the penultimate episode of Andor’s season one, Daughter of Ferrix. There are literal and figurative nets, boxes, entombment in bricks, bad connections, and the best tractor-beam escape scene in Star Wars history thanks to a galactic Batmobile.
It starts in heartbreaking fashion with B2EMO, the Andors’ droid, not being able to process the loss of his owner and friend, Maarva. The emotional drain on the droid leads it to tell Brasso he needs to keep charging, even though everyone knows he has been in his charger all day. This is after seeing Maarva removed from the home on a lift for the final time.
Maarva, Cassian’s adopted mother and a significant figure to the Ferrix community, will be honored by having her ashes blended into a brick that will be placed as part of a wall in the city. And Dedra, from ISB headquarters, tells her Imperial operatives to allow a permit for a funeral procession—she wants them all together “in a box.” She says it is to sit back and watch, but like others, it may be in hopes that Cassian returns home for the honorary custom.
We’ve already witnessed Cassian and Melshi—on the mainland of Narkina 5— literally between a rock and a hard place, on a side of a cliff as Imperial search parties make their rounds. Now they’re caught in the slimy, multi-layered nets of local fisherman aliens, Dewi and Freedi. Luckily, the simple beings, emotionally and financially wounded by the Empire’s pollution of the water and squiggly supply, are compassionate and not only free them but deliver them to safety back on Niamos. Here Cassian is reunited with his case containing the credits, blaster, and, most importantly, Nemik’s manifesto. At the end of the episode he learns of Maarva’s passing and parts ways with Melshi—and I’d expect to see him on Ferrix shortly.
Vel would also expect to see him there soon. Cinta, now working a cafe on Ferrix with a straight line of sight to Maarva’s home, has passed along that Cassian’s mother has died, sending Vel into action–action that Coruscant shopkeeper, Kleya, does not appreciate. Her irritated tone and response to Vel tauting that she brought Luthen Aldhani brings about another masterful delivery of the toll of starting the Rebellion: “I don’t have lately. I have always. I have a constant blur of plates spinning and knives on the floor, and needy, panicked faces at the window, of which you are but one of many.” Vel wraps it up asking Kleya to pass along the news of Cassian’s mother to Luthen.
Meanwhile, a tortured, brutal-looking Bix is still in the clutches of the Empire on Ferrix. It remains to be seen if Luthen is fortunate enough to have her send his enemies off his scent. After the news of Spellhaus, the ISB shows the still catatonic Bix a holo of Anto Kreegyr—and asks her if this is the operative she introduced to Cassian. We do not yet know how she answered but know she remains in a dangerous spot, much like Mon Mothma.
Vel makes a stop at her cousin’s home, before likely heading to Ferrix, and is aghast that Leida is taking part in an old ritual, with her friends and a Chandrilan elder. Mon tells Vel that it’s not because of her or Perrin—it is something Leida and her friends are interested in. Mon explains the depth of her trouble given her financial irregularities. Afterward, Vel says to Mon about Leida, “Don’t tell me you’re taking proposals.” It appears Mon has no choice and may have to accept the offer from Davo.
Elsewhere on Coruscant, Syril does have a choice, but his infatuation with Cassian literally won’t let him sleep. Good ol’ Sergeant Mosk, now working the night shift at a smelting plant on Morlana One, has news for his former leader: Cassian’s mother has died and it may lead Syril’s enemy back to Ferrix. The possibility is real enough for Syril to steal money from his mother’s safe in order to find his way back to the planet of his demise.
Speaking of demise, the erosion of trust and sanity within Saw Gerrera takes another hit in this episode and helps set the stage for who he becomes in Rogue One. Luthen comes clean about Anto Kreegyr and the trap he and his 30 men now walk into, in order to keep Saw and the undercover ISB agent safe. Saw puts the pieces together and knows his “friend” is either ISB or has his own spies everywhere at this point. He accuses Luthen of having a spy amongst his own crew. Luthen plays into the ridiculousness of this by naming Benthic Two-Tubes as his internal spy, causing a fever-pitched exchange that eventually leads to Saw understanding Luthen, who, to this point, remains an ally in this “war.”
Luthen moves from one tough discussion on the ground to others over comms aboard his Fondor craft. First, in a delightful game of wordplay with Kleya, who remains back on Coruscant. Luthen fishes for news about Cassian and his lieutenant provides it—all while discussing “the other piece” they remain interested in. Kleya’s second brilliant line of the show is: “The negotiations are ongoing and our representatives [Vel and Cinta] are involved, but there’s a number of other buyers on the ground, and your presence would only complicate the bidding at this point.” The collector is spinning invaluable spoken art to advise the leader to steer clear of trouble—but then comms are scrambled and a different form of trouble has found Luthen.
Above Segra-Milo, Luthen and his Fondor have been approached by an aggressive Cantwell-class (named after Star Wars’ prototype artist, Colin Cantwell) Arrestor Cruiser. As Luthen navigates through a playful, high-stakes volley of vocabulary with Captain Elk of the Empire, he and his Fondor Artificial Intelligence prepare for the slickest escape. A decoy engine burn, reverse stabilizers, and countermeasures that look like millions of metal shards being unleashed on the satellite dish of the tractor beam made me hear Jack Nicholson’s incarnation of Joker ask, “where does he get those wonderful toys.” The Fondor isn’t done—it escapes the tractor beam and fires a direct kill shot on one engaged Tie-Fighter before using a Maul-esque, double-sided red laser to spin and slice the remaining two Imperial fighters. Then hyperspace.
The episode ends with Cassian getting the sad news and taking in the view of a gorgeous sunrise—a sunrise similar to the horizon line in Rogue One that would be the final inescapable trap of Cassian Andor and Jyn Erso.
Daniel Lo
Sometimes after seeing a movie for the first time, I like to immediately go back and watch the trailer again. It’s often interesting to see how they are pieced together, whether in a logical or deceptive manner, and how much is given away in hindsight. It’s a different way of watching a trailer for the first time, now that the full movie is already in your head.
I kind of forgot that I can’t do that with a TV show in the middle of its run. I don’t recall exactly when I did this, but I believe it was after the fourth or fifth episode when I absent-mindedly fired up the Andor trailer for a quick fix and was jolted out of my false sense of security when I began running into clips I still had not seen on the show. Being by then a mix of familiar scenes and new ones, it almost feels like getting hit by bursts of mini spoilers despite having already seen the entire trailer multiple times before the show ever started. I don’t know why, but after the latest episode I felt compelled to watch the trailer again. Yup, still a few clips we haven’t seen yet but thankfully they didn’t feel like spoilers this time.
We are in a brand new type of rhythm within the season. Not only because the finale is all that’s left, but this is also the first and only two-episode arc. The pace feels slightly faster at times, and we get quite a large number of scene changes: Narkina 5, Maarva’s house, ISB HQ, Ferrix garrison HQ, Luthen’s art gallery, Mon Mothma’s residence, Syril’s mom’s house, Niamos, Saw Gerrera’s base on Segra Milo, onboard the Fondor, and even a first look at the bridge of a Cantwell (!) class Arrestor Cruiser. We also get a couple of unexpected surprises too: Maarva’s passing and the return of Sergeant Mosk.
With just two episodes left after fighting and falling his way to freedom, Cassian’s escape off Narkina 5 always needed to be a quick affair. Maybe a little too quick, as if the story was mildly written into a corner and our heroes needed a fast exit to keep the narrative moving. Scoping out the quadjumper, getting captured, listening to the Narkinians discuss their potential bounties, the abrupt change of heart, and taking off in the same ship they initially try to steal all seem to happen within a matter of minutes. Impossible? Of course not, but also feels a little rushed and maybe my least favorite bit of pacing within the episode. On the other hand, it’s cool to see some more aliens. They are surely two different species, right? Despite being of a similar size and build, one has humanoid facial features while the other clearly doesn’t.
If Vel’s first on-screen meeting with Kleya was an uneasy one, it’s nothing compared to her gallery visit. Vel makes no effort whatsoever to stay in character, completely breaking protocol and making Kleya understandably irrate and uneasy. The reason for the visit, as it turns out, is to deliver information about Maarva’s passing, presumably in an effort to find Cassian. This is not the first (nor will it be the last) time this piece of information is discussed in the episode, with Dedra having earlier greenlit Maarva’s funeral for the purposes of finding Cassian as well.
In light of Maarva’s passing, perhaps it isn’t fair to point this out but it feels odd that nobody seems to miss Bix. Perhaps she has been gone for so long by this point that her friends have stopped talking about her, either due to her absence being the new normal or knowing they are helpless to do much about it. She is around of course and still in one piece, if only just. Corv asks Bix, still seemingly feeling the effects of Dr. Gorst’s visit, to confirm whether Anto Kreegyr is the man she introduced to Cassian. In doing so, we get a first look at the rogue rebel leader who Saw aptly describes as an “ox” in an earlier episode.
Mon Mothma’s situation still hasn’t changed, which we learn in her conversation with Vel. Contrary to her claim that she isn’t thinking about Davo Sculdun’s request, she confides in Vel that she has a solution just moments before Leida enters the room. With just one episode left in the season, this will likely spill over into season two.
Syril’s arc continues to be an interesting one. After getting brutally rejected by Dedra, I thought maybe he would begin to lose his taste for pursuing Cassian or even possibly be intercepted by the rebels somehow, so to speak. After sitting out for an episode, however, Syril is yet again back in the mix and as motivated as ever thanks to a late night call from Sergeant Mosk. I did not expect to see Mosk again since I thought he was fired in the wake of the Ferrix incident, but he continues to work on Morlana One and his enthusiasm for helping Syril is still fully intact. Syril wastes no time springing into action, retrieving something from the family safe while his mom is out. Will we see him back on Ferrix by next week?
Luthen’s massive game of connect-the-dots continues with another visit to Saw Gerrera. Saw attempts to take up Luthen’s previous offer to meet with Kreegyr in exchange for some stolen parts, but proves to be too late. Now, they are stuck with the terrible burden of discussing their ally’s fate, weighing the lives of Kreegyr and his team against the hope for an ultimate victory over the Empire. It is not a decision made lightly by either of the men, but one made nonetheless.
And of course we finally get the show’s first proper dog fight, even if it’s a relatively short one. The escape from Aldhani involves TIE Fighters and laser blasts too, but this time fire is actually exchanged. We learn earlier on in the show that the Fondor has an unexpected upgrade in the form of a hyperdrive, but now we really see the extra bells and whistles in action: a transponder ID generator, decoy thruster burn, tractor beam countermeasures in the form of offensive flares, an auto turret, and side-firing lasers, all allowing Luthen to make quick work of the Imperials. It’s hard to tell whether it’s more down to Luthen being a skilled combat pilot, or if the Fondor is a freakishly capable ship in battle. Either way, this is clearly not their first rodeo.
I haven’t done this in a while, but I will end with a few questions: How is clinging onto a wide open cliffside wearing bright prison uniforms an effective way of hiding from a TIE reaper? Does Cinta know who Corv is and that he’s also watching Maarva’s residence? Does Kleya glance down at something specific after Vel leaves the gallery? Why does Bix start crying after being asked about Kreegyr? What is Leida and the other kids reciting? How does Mosk know about Maarva’s passing? Why is a TIE Boarding Craft sent after Luthen in a combat situation? Melshi insists that they must tell people what is going on in the prison, but who would they tell? The rebels are already fighting the Empire anyway. Who else would be compelled and/or able to do anything of consequence with that information? Last but not least, multiple sets of characters now look set to converge on Cassian during the finale. Who will find him first?
Eric Onkenhout
The penultimate episode of Star Wars: Andor, Daughter of Ferrix, touched on all the plotlines within the show. What’s happening with Andor is that 11 of the 12 episodes have aired, fans know what to expect from the series now, and most viewers agree that Andor is some of the best Star Wars ever created. And the superlatives are running out. Andor is a heavy (there’s one I haven’t used) show that will affect other Star Wars more than anything previously created.
Daughter of Ferrix begins with Cassian and Melshi hanging on by their fingertips on a cliff face, waiting for a TIE Reaper to fly by so they can climb to the cliff. Then it cuts to Ferrix in the immediate aftermath of Maarva’s death. Even though Maarva’s death was inevitable and expected, Fiona Shaw’s performance warranted a better send-off. Maarva went from being sick to death; she deserved a proper goodbye. But, like Leia in The Rise of Skywalker, it happened a little too fast.
B2EMO’s reaction to her death was really well done. Droids in Star Wars have been given much more personality in the newer Star Wars projects, which is nice. R2 and 3PO were the only ones with a personality for so long, recalling Luke’s line, “I’ve never seen so much devotion in a droid before.” Since then, there’s been Chopper, K2, AP-5, BB-8, and L3-37. Goes to show droids really do deserve equal treatment. Although, not everyone would agree (Han Solo, Din Djarin).
On a side note: Daughter of Ferrix brings to mind Daughters of the American Revolution, an organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States’ efforts towards independence.
Melshi and Cassian have reached the top of the cliff and, overlooking the other side, see a quadjumper. A Quadjumper was also seen in The Force Awakens when Rey and Finn got chased by the First Order and looked for a way to escape. Ultimately they escaped on the Millennium Falcon. As they streak across the beach toward the craft, they’re captured in a net used by two Keredians who claim the Empire’s prison has negatively affected their fishing. How the Keredians were portrayed was clever with their broken Basic. Most aliens either speak fluent Basic or not at all. Not long, Melsho and Cassian are let go, and they escape on the Quadjumper to Niamos. Keredians first appeared in Rogue One.
Kleya is perturbed that Vel has broken protocol and refuses to divulge Luthen’s whereabouts. Vel informs her that she will leave Coruscant tomorrow and tells Kleya that she has come to bring news about Maarva’s death and funeral preparations. Kleya agrees to let Luthen know. On Ferrix, Cinta and ISB Attendant Corv observe Brasso walking with B2EMO. Corv tells his contacts over the comlink that he wants information on the “big target” ’s whereabouts.
Andor needs to improve on the space battles, but not in this episode. Luthen’s hauler is tracked down by a sizeable Imperial ship called a Cantwell-class Arrestor cruiser. Named after Colin Cantwell, one of the first modelers to build ships for Star Wars in the 1970s. The Arrestor cruiser first appeared in a cut scene for Solo: A Star Wars Story. It works similarly to an Interdictor cruiser as it uses giant tractor-beam dishes to prevent escaping craft from escaping.
Meanwhile, Bix Caleen reflects on her interrogation and torture at the hands of Dr. Gorst. Corv asks her if Anto Kreegyr is the man who introduced her to Cassian Andor. He warns that he will bring Dr. Gorst again if she doesn’t cooperate. Bix remains silent, but her emotions are right on the surface. It’s hard to determine if Bix will crack. She looks like she is about to, but Bix continues to hold out, which could mean her death if she does.
Leida appears to be chanting some mantra at a table with other young girls. This scene is a bit disturbing like she is getting brainwashed by an old tradition. Mon, watching this, is visibly shaken when Vel arrives to discuss the situation. Mon tells Vel that 400 000 credits are missing, which need to be replaced before the Empire finds out. Mon’s friend Tay Kolma tried to help, but he wasn’t aware how much was missing. It’s interesting to compare this Mon to the one in Rebels, knowing how much turmoil she’s been through.
Wrapping this up, Syril gets a video call from one of his former colleagues who tells Syril that Cassian’s mother passed and he will likely go to Ferrix. Luthen visits Saw again and tells him not to join Kreegyr because if he does, the Empire will catch him. Saw learns the lengths Luthen will go to and what he’ll sacrifice, which shocks Saw and causes suspicion. If even Saw Gerrera is shaken, that’s major because Saw is considered extreme. Luthen sacrifice will likely mean he won’t see the fruits of his labor.
Cassian and Melshi split up after Cassian learned of Maarva’s death. Cassian stares off at the ocean, eerily similar to his ending on Scarif with Jyn. Kleya seems like she’s the only one who has their stuff together, but she also feels suspicious; her intentions are unclear, and she gives off strange vibes. Kleya could be a spy.
Anyway, next week’s episode is the season finale, and rumors have it that it will be the second to the longest season finale on Disney Plus. Andor’s episodes have been some of the longest of any Star Wars series, with the most episodes and multiple seasons. There are a lot of stories to tell, and it’s not getting rushed, which is highly important. There’s nothing worse than a drawn-out story. There’s no reason to think this season will end on a happy note, so prepare to be emotionally torn apart come Wednesday. Good times!
Jen Sopchokchai Bankard
This episode is an amazing installment on its own, no doubt, but I think it also does a perfect job of ramping up to what HAS to be an astounding finish to this groundbreaking series. In any show, I love that moment of realization that I’ve been in safe hands this entire time and that I’m about to see the payoff of sustained, precision storytelling.
That’s exactly how I felt during this episode. The convergence on Ferrix for nearly all our characters very importantly works on not one but two levels: plot and character development. So yes, the Empire’s attempt to monitor and ferret out Rebel activity does make it so that everyone has a practical reason to go to Ferrix, the planet Cassian Andor calls home. This may actually be why the show is called Andor: he’s the one named, identifiable target (aside from Anto Kreegyr — more on him later) that everyone is after, and the only known connections he has are to Ferrix. Dedra and the ISB want Andor to get to “Axis” or Luthen. Syril wants to capture Andor to clear his own name (and exact revenge). Vel and Cinta are after Andor so that he can’t identify Luthen and expose the Rebellion. And now Cassian may return to Ferrix to say goodbye to his mother.
The emotional stakes for each character’s development, which the series has been slowly building brick by Ferrix brick all season, will elevate this final showdown. Why they need to go to Ferrix isn’t the only thing that matters — it’s also what they will have to confront about themselves and their relationships with each other when they do.
My first thought would be that Cassian would be headed straight to Ferrix too, unwittingly walking into this wasp’s nest of conflict. I pictured him trying to say goodbye to Maarva from the shadows. But when I joined Greg @rebelbasecard and Bryan @servingpinkmilk from the Pink Milk podcast on the Rebel Base Card Podcast this week, I was surprised (and compelled) by Bryan’s idea that Cassian might not actually go back to Ferrix in the finale. That would be unexpected and fresh in a way that fits the track record of this series. And I agree that it would be delightful to see everyone else running around trying to find him and in the process fighting each other when he’s not even there.
Maarva’s death was devastating, even if a doctor visiting her in a previous episode foreshadowed it. And that’s because we experience her loss through B2’s eyes. I’ve never felt so sad for a droid before, which is saying a lot because I often become attached to droid characters in Star Wars stories. We see him shaking, bereft, confused, maybe even in denial, since Brasso has to remind him that she’s “in the stone” and “on her way.” The way the other Daughters of Ferrix try to keep him busy so he’s not just sitting idly with his friend really made me feel like he was a person. Brasso’s acquiescing, agreeing stay with him “just one night” was incredibly touching.
Having just seen B experience Maarva’s death with her, in their home, I can feel the agony of Cassian not being there — not knowing Maarva has died — that much more. I was devastated to hear him say, “Tell Maarva I’m okay. Tell her I’m thinking about her. She’d be proud of me,” but he’s too late. Even if Cassian never physically goes back to Ferrix next week, his heart is there at the end of this episode.
Would Maarva be proud of Luthen, though? Where Luthen sits on the spectrum of villain, anti-hero, and hero has been puzzling me since Episode 10. He’s on the right side, as he seems to be leading the proto-Rebel Alliance, and yet his willingness to sacrifice his own humanity and make the cold-hearted decisions that can help them win make me not want to support him. As a viewer, I’m very uncomfortable contemplating whether the ends justify the means (and perhaps that’s the point). I was so enthralled by Luthen’s monologue last week that I was willing to say that the series points to him for its thesis. Yet so many podcasters responding to the Episode 10 scene observed that his cape lightly flapping in the breeze evoked Star Wars’ most iconic villain — Darth Vader. This week, Luthen’s escape from a Cantwell Class Arrestor Cruiser was the coolest I’ve seen in a long time, and definitely presents him as more of a classic Star Wars hero (we’ve seen the Millennium Falcon get out of similar scrapes over the years).
Looking at the Luthen/Saw scene, I picked up on two things: the risk that Luthen was taking, and, more importantly, how much he is actually manipulating Saw. Just as he seems to be three steps ahead of the Empire in preparing his haulcraft for a miraculous escape, he knows how to get Saw in a place mentally and emotionally such that he will be more receptive of his proposal. The dance of trust and suspicion is intricate and on a razor’s edge the entire time. He first makes himself vulnerable by saying that Saw could absolutely go warn Kreegyr if he wanted. This earns him some amount of trust. Then makes Saw extremely paranoid, wondering if he has spies everywhere. In response, Luthen doubles down by saying that Two-Tubes (Two-Tubes!) is his man on the inside, to throw enough chaos into the situation to pull a blaster on Saw. Finally, in a spectacular finishing move, he uses Saw’s own paranoia as evidence to support his argument for sacrificing Kreegyr. If the Empire gets Kreegyr, they won’t become suspicious and will think themselves invincible (there’s that “fat and satisfied” hubris vulnerability again – it will get the Empire every time). If they do wave Kreegyr off, the Empire will know something’s up and will come after them harder. Power moves left and right! It was a sight to see. It impressed me, but did it make me like Luthen more? I like smart, cunning characters, so I think, if I’m honest with myself, the answer is yes.
Luthen entering the fray on Ferrix would bookend the season beautifully. I am never one to complain about narrative symmetry. It implies forethought, planning, and an ability to keep the entire season’s story and all its intricate parts in a writer’s head. We started all this with an arc that ended with Luthen trying to recruit Andor: “Don’t you want to fight these bastards for real?” he asks. Seeing him ask that same question again, after all Cassian has been through this season, would be thrilling, showing us just how much his character has evolved. I would wait with bated breath for the answer.
(This is condensed and edited – with permission – from Jen’s The Long Take review, which you can subscribe to here)
Mark Newbold and Mark Mulcaster discuss episodes 11 and 12 on Making Tracks Reaction Chats.
Brian Cameron and Matt Booker discuss episode 11 on Good Morning Tatooine.
- Hardcover Book
- Scott, Cavan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 56 Pages - 01/03/2023 (Publication Date) - Dark Horse Books (Publisher)
