The Survivors Of 'Andor': Theorizing About Five Years Later
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In the aftermath of Andor Season 2, we were left with many surprising survivals for both protagonists and antagonists. CultureSlate wants to explore some hypothetical futures for these characters, speculating about their possible survival or manners of death during the Galactic Civil War, but also what they might be up to post-Battle of Jakku in a galaxy ruled by the New Republic. We won’t be including a discussion of Mon Mothma here, given her path in life is already known to Star Wars fans, but with the others, let’s dive into some theorizing.
The Survivors in the Rebellion
Three of Andor’s prominent survivors, Vel Sartha, Wilmon Paak, and Kleya Marki, all end up firmly with the Rebel Alliance in the days leading up to Rogue One. The events that befell the Alliance after the Battle of Yavin from A New Hope onward are largely told in the Marvel comic runs, telling the story up to The Empire Strikes Back, and then between that film and Return of the Jedi. Then we have events between that final theatrical film and the Battle of Jakku, well established in various comics, books and video games. We don’t think everyone could have all made it to the end, so we’ll theorize on possible deaths, but also discuss where they could have ended up had they made it through the Civil War.
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5. Kleya
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The most likely to pass away is unfortunately Kleya. Given her supreme intellect and intelligence-gathering ability, it would seem natural that she would take a dominant role in Rebel Intelligence as the Galactic Civil War begins. However, we have several breaches of security during this period, most notably the destruction wrought by the Battle of Mako-Ta. Queen Trios was vouched for by Leia Organa, and her people given access to all manner of Rebel technology, enough that they crippled the Rebellion’s fleet and made them easy targets for Darth Vader. It is thus possible Kleya died in some event between Rogue One and Trios’s association with the Rebellion, though if she hadn’t, we don’t think that her inability to stop these events shows a fault with her.
Princess Leia was the one assuring people that Trios could be trusted, and all information the Rebels had bore out her position on the fellow monarch. It is unfortunately likely that if Kleya was still alive for the battle that followed, she died at Mako-Ta, perhaps realizing too late what Trios had done. And if she survived over the next few years, and the hunt launched by Commander Zahra against the Rebels? If she could survive Mako-Ta, then she could live through anything.
After the Galactic Civil War, we picture her as someone who entered a false retirement, still fighting the remnants of the Empire even as others considered them fully defeated. She might have also begun to target surviving Imperials regardless of their contrition, perhaps striking against the Amnesty Program, given her severe views against the Empire fostered by the trauma she suffered so early in her life.
4. Wilmon
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Wilmon Paak is a young man with a great deal of technical experience, capable of constructing devices as simple as bombs or as complex as fuel siphoners. He would surely be an incredible asset to the Rebellion in the wake of Rogue One and A New Hope, but again, we have that pesky Mako-Ta to worry about. We could see him dying in the process of working desperately to uncover and undo Queen Trios’ lockouts on key Rebel ship systems, but he might also be one of the lucky few to survive such encounters, or be stationed on one of the few ships that escaped the battle. We think being friends with the mechanic Meorti would also have a good deal of symbolism, given that her name means “hope” and she plays a small but important role during and after the Battle of Mako-Ta. Wilmon’s technical expertise would have also been valued on Hoth, where the extreme cold was a problem Rebel technicians and engineers constantly battled. However, we think him dying in the ensuing hunt by Commander Zahra is likely, if he had survived as long as he had. A great deal of the Rebel Alliance was annihilated by her tactics, and not every Andor survivor can make it fully to the end.
But, if he did survive, we think there is a high chance he was involved in projects involving the development or refinement of new technology after the end of the war, and from within the New Republic. At the same time, he had a hard, deep loyalty to one of the formal Rebellion’s biggest critics, Luthen. He might also eventually hold views similar to that of Saw Gerrera, despite the hazardous time he spent with the extremist, as many fans believe Saw would have been unlikely to support the New Republic after its foundation. It is thus possible he leaves the New Republic and returns to Ferrix to help it rebuild. Hopefully he does this with his partner, Dreena, if she is still alive, though perhaps he does so alone for various possible reasons. We also expect that he would have health problems later in life, as even brief exposure to rhydonium would have lasting consequences.
3. Vel
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Vel has perhaps the most drive out of anyone to survive, but also has the most connections to make it happen. Even though we are sure she and Mon would have both insisted on no special treatment, very rarely do such family connections lead to no positive momentum or movement for people involved in the military or large organizations. While we last see her training new recruits in Andor, it is possible she climbed the ranks in the following years, and pulled through many tough situations due to devotion to the memory of her now dead partner Cinta Kaz. Her position away from the battlefield might have also continued, helping to keep her safe due to the limited deployment of Rebel ground troops over most of the Galactic Civil War. It would only be in the leadup to the Battle of Jakku that such a role would play a major part in the Rebellion, when proper planetary invasions and territorial conquest would require thousands of recruits to be trained. Vel rising to a rank in charge of such efforts would make sense, but we could also see her go in the opposite direction. She might have been drawn back to the front lines, fighting alongside commando units like the Pathfinders in the wake of Rogue One, ultimately falling in a huge fight like the Battle of Hoth or a consequential territorial battle in the months before Jakku.
If she survived the entirety of the war, it seems almost certain she would have remained with the New Republic and kept close to her cousin, Mon. Their bond, as the only family who accepted each other as part of the Rebellion during the conflict, surely strengthened to an incredible degree. We would imagine she would take a significant position as part of the New Republic government, as a veteran of the war, but her position on Mon Mothma’s policy of demilitarization is a complete mystery to us. She could easily be against it or for it, given her experiences, but we think she’d overall disagree with the idea. Her role, whatever it might be, may also lead her to support Bix in her own missions or goals after the conflict.
2. Dedra
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We don’t know how long Dedra would remain in the Imperial prison system, but we estimate it was likely the entire course of the Galactic Civil War. In one sense, that kept her safe, and means she isn’t in immediate danger, but it is also possible that she could have ended up dead in a completely random event outside of her control when Imperial prison leadership chose to perform the sort of brutal execution we saw in Andor Season 1. We do think it is likely that Dedra would survive the war intact, but what happens after that has a few possibilities.
One to discount immediately would be her turning against the Empire. It is highly likely that, given her mindset, she would blame other members of the ISB and figures like Krennic for getting her sent to prison for her “crimes” without realizing that almost everyone she blamed is now dead. But an important question to ask would be if she would ever be released from prison, especially once the New Republic emerges. We don’t know how they handled the existing prisoner population at facilities like the Narkina compounds, though the dangerous criminals like gangsters were largely kept locked up. Dedra would still likely be listed as ex-ISB, and if anyone from the main cast of Andor survived into the post-Jakku period, it is likely they would be able to recall and ensure the woman who killed Luthen stays locked up.
But let us assume that she escapes, or is released because she tells a convincing story about her oppression under the Empire. She could easily plot such an act while at Narkina and likely surrounded by those who dissented against the regime, thrown into a pit to never return. We think it is extremely likely she would covertly seek out the remnants of the Empire and try to contact any remains of the ISB in particular to go right back to work. A crazier idea would be her putting her skills to work for the New Republic, not because she likes them, but because she believes they are the only option at this time. Later, if she is contacted by a remnant, perhaps she would flee to join them, or serve as a double agent. Regardless of what her exact fate might be, she would surely be incredibly dangerous post-Galactic Civil War.
1. Bix And Her Son
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Perhaps the most exciting, yet most depressing, character to discuss post-Andor is Bix. She is last seen on Mina-Rau raising her and Cassian’s son alongside B2EMO. Vel (and perhaps Cassian) know where she is, but he does not reach out to her, leaving it likely that in the wake of Rogue One, it was Vel who had to contact Bix and tell her about her beloved’s fate. It is equally possible that in the chaos that followed the destruction of the first Death Star, she isn’t able to tell Bix until later. If Vel dies in a conflict soon after A New Hope, it may be possible Bix doesn’t learn about Cassian’s death for a very long time.
She does not seem to be the type of woman to simply wait for Cassian to contact her, especially not when the Galactic Civil War would only continue to heat up over the following years. When she initially left Cassian, maybe she believed it would be over quickly, but even if not, the passage of 5 years and no news at all would surely cause her to seek it out. There’s also the chance that even if Vel dies, someone like Wilmon or Kleya would be able to tell her about Cassian’s fate well before Jakku.
After Jakku, though, what might Bix do? It seems likely that she would return to Ferrix to raise her son in the place where she and Cassian lived. She would likely play a major role in the community, perhaps filling the vacant shoes of Maarva; Bix’s actress, Adria Arjona, stated that her character looked up to her. It is also possible that Bix becomes involved with the New Republic in some political capacity, and we could see a fun friendship between Cassian’s son and Hera’s son Jacen, given their similar ages.
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Sources: Andor (Disney+)
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