What does the hammer man of Ferrix tell us about this town? Why is Timm Karlo so dangerous? Why would Bix even be with such a loser in the first place? What Happens when Cassian Andor tries to lie to Maarva? This and more discussed in the latest step of my five year mission to analyse every scene of Andor.

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In Andor Episode 2, “That Would Be Me,” young Kassa stops at the edge of Kenari’s vast abandoned quarry. It is a brief, nearly wordless moment, but one that may explain something fundamental about the man he becomes.

This episode of The Upstairs Lounge examines the visual storytelling, environmental destruction and political subtext of the Kenari flashbacks. What happened to the planet’s people? Why does Kassa appear so out of place among the other children? And what does the quarry teach him about power long before the Empire gives that power a uniform, a flag and a very punchable face?

Whatever destroyed Kenari happened under the Republic, or beyond the concern of a Republic willing to let it happen. From the ruins of the quarry, the distinction between Republic and Empire may matter far less than it does to those holding power.

I continue my scene-by-scene dramatic analysis of Star Wars: Andor, exploring Cassian Andor’s childhood, distrust of authority and eventual path towards rebellion, alongside the themes, character development, cinematography and hidden details that make Andor one of the richest stories in Star Wars.

Was the infamous Jack Black and Lizzo subplot really one of the worst parts of The Mandalorian, or was it hiding some of the best writing on the show and one of the darkest political ideas in modern Star Wars?

In this special edition of The Upstairs Lounge, I take a deep dive into The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 6, "Guns for Hire", and the strange, colourful world of Plazir-15. Beneath the celebrity cameos, malfunctioning battle droids, alien croquet, absurd costumes and Grogu being inexplicably knighted lies a much more serious story about authoritarianism, political denial and the failure of the New Republic.

Captain Bombardier is a rehabilitated former Imperial. The Duchess presides over a society that calls itself a direct democracy while remaining unmistakably royal. Former Separatist battle droids perform almost every civic function. The population has rejected weapons and military power, yet relies on armed outsiders when something goes wrong. Plazir-15 presents itself as a peaceful post-Imperial utopia, but almost every part of that utopia depends on contradictions nobody wants to examine.

Through a detailed analysis of Din Djarin, Bo-Katan Kryze, Grogu, Captain Bombardier, the Duchess and Commissioner Helgait, I explore how this apparently ridiculous Mandalorian subplot becomes a story about rehabilitation without accountability, pacifism without security, democracy as performance and a society convinced that good intentions can replace functioning institutions.

I also look at how Plazir-15 fits into the wider Star Wars timeline. This is the age of the New Republic, years after the fall of Emperor Palpatine but long before the rise of the First Order. The Empire appears defeated, yet its people, technologies and systems remain scattered across the galaxy. Nobody wants another authoritarian government, but in dismantling the machinery of oppression, the New Republic may also have created the political vacuum that allows something even worse to return.

That makes "Guns for Hire" unexpectedly close to the political ideas explored in Andor. The tone could hardly be more different, but both stories ask what happens when institutions become hollow, when political systems rely on performance rather than substance, and when societies become too comfortable to confront the forces growing beneath the surface.

The result is a deep analysis of one of the strangest episodes of The Mandalorian and an argument that its most mocked subplot may actually contain one of the richest warnings in Star Wars.

Because Plazir-15 is more than a silly detour. It is a soft, smiling dystopia, wrapped in silk, ceremony and good intentions.

And when a society like that finally falls, it might not fall with a bang.

The Upstairs Lounge is a long-form Star Wars analysis project exploring every scene of Andor and, ultimately, Rogue One, with special editions examining the wider themes, characters and politics of the Star Wars galaxy.

Andor begins without Jedi, destiny or heroic spectacle. In Season 1, Episode 1, “Kassa”, the audience is dropped into a galaxy of rain, debt, surveillance and institutional decay, then quietly taught how to survive there.

This episode examines how Tony Gilroy turns Andor’s pilot into an onboarding ritual for the entire series. Morlana One, Ferrix and Kenari each reveal a different survival system, while Cassian Andor and Syril Karn cross the lines that will define their opposing journeys. One is pushed towards rebellion by necessity. The other embraces authoritarian order because rules make him feel safe.

I explore Ferrix as a fragile ecology of favours, secrets and mutual protection; Pre-Mor security as a bureaucracy sustained by denial; and the episode’s recurring use of locked doors, missing information and things left just outside the frame. Withholding exposition does more than create mystery. It turns the viewer into an embedded operative, forced to read posture, silence and subtext.

“Kassa” is often described as slow. In reality, it is forensic. This is not simply the beginning of Cassian Andor’s story. It is a reconstruction of the conditions that make rebellion inevitable.

Andor makes it pretty clear that his sister doesn't get off Kenari, though we are not quite there yet. However, this is the last time he'll ever see her...and since he doesn't know that, he barely notices she's there as he heads off into the trees...

Join me as I break down every scene of Andor.

Even the really, really short ones.

I don't do the ones where nothing happens though.

Because there aren't any.

Pegla finds Cassian up to no good in Zorby's shipyard and it's pretty obvious it's not the first time in my analysis of scene 10 from S01E01 - Kassa.

I'm back, sorry for the delay, but let's get on with the show shall we? We return to Pre-Mor as Syril Karn attempts to take control in Hyne's absence. He soon discovers leadership is a little more nuanced than shouting and flinging his arms around...

I'd love to hear from you and read out some emails on the show, get in touch at [email protected]

Verifiably human-created. Analysis of the 8th scene of Andor Episode 1: Kassa, in which Bix Caleen sets off a series of events which changes the galaxy, while jealous Timm Karlo stumbles around trying to trail her with a subtlety that appears beyond.

I'm analysing every scene of this superb Star Wars show and you're welcome to join me on Youtube where I'm up to Episode 5: The Axe Forgets.

Thoughts, feedback and questions please to [email protected]

Verifiably human-created. Analysis of the 7th scene of Andor Episode 1: Kassa, in which Cassian effortlessly disrupts a potentially dangerous situation with social sabotage.

I'm analysing every scene of this superb Star Wars show and you're welcome to join me on Youtube where I'm up to Episode 5: The Axe Forgets.

Thoughts, feedback and questions please to [email protected]

Analysis of the 6th scene of Andor Episode 1: Kassa, in which Syril Karn takes matters into his own hands.

I'm analysing every scene of this superb Star Wars show and you're welcome to join me on Youtube where I'm finishing up on Episode 4: Aldhani.

Thoughts, feedback and questions please to [email protected]