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Recruited to the Rebellion thanks to his experience as a thief, Cassian Andor returns to his roots for his first mission of Star Wars: Andor season 2, stealing an experimental TIE fighter from an Imperial base. But when this mission dissolves into chaos, that’s when his wider skillset really comes into play, employing his manipulative talents against an unexpected new group of opponents.

Spoilers ahead for April 22's Andor season 2 episodes 1 and 2.

A peculiar power dynamic in Star Wars: Andor season 2

Expecting to meet up with a rebel contact to hand over the stolen ship, Cassian instead finds himself held at blaster-point in the middle of a forest, kidnapped by a team of strangers who believe that he’s a real Imperial pilot. Squabbling over how to interrogate their new prisoner, they quickly reveal themselves to be comically disorganized, creating a peculiar power dynamic. Technically, Cassian is unarmed and outnumbered, but he has a deceptive amount of leverage. His captors are stranded here as well, and without Cassian’s help, they have no chance of piloting the TIE fighter to safety. They also have terrible operational security, constantly disclosing key information to Cassian while he judiciously keeps his mouth shut. 

In order to discuss their next steps in private, the group’s leaders send Cassian off with a lone escort - a plan that immediately backfires because it gives Cassian a captive audience to work with.

“Do they really trust you, or do they just think you’re stupid?” he inquires, needling his guard, a trigger-happy man named Crab. (We’re invited to infer that Crab’s friends do indeed have minimal respect for his intelligence.)

The farcical stalemate in Star Wars: Andor season 2

Within minutes, Cassian has maneuvered Crab into giving up the group’s true affiliation. They belong to a rebel collective led by someone called Maya Pei, meaning that they and Cassian are actually on the same side. Not that it matters, because Cassian’s captors are so busy arguing that they barely acknowledge his attempts to build solidarity. Soon enough, they split into two factions, leading to a farcical stalemate where one side has Cassian, the other has control of his ship, and neither has enough food to survive long term.

Still tied up in a corner, Cassian has to interrupt his jailers to give basic survival advice about gathering water and setting up perimeter guards. He’s essentially babysitting them through siege warfare 101, awaiting any opportunity to capitalize on their burgeoning paranoia.

Over the course of the two episodes Cassian spends in this forest, we’re reminded of why he’s such a valued asset to Luthen Rael’s web of spies. The contrast between him and the Maya Pei rebels couldn’t be more obvious. They’re all trapped in the same inhospitable location, but while Cassian’s captors are incompetent to the point of self-sabotage, he sees everything as a potential resource - including the people holding a gun to his head. He’s relentlessly goal-oriented, taking care of basic necessities (ie. drinking rainwater dripping from the ceiling) while gathering information about his jailers’ weak spots, alternating between riling them up and guiding them toward decisions that will help him stay alive.

Cassian Andor: the strategic improviser

Split between a pair of hot-tempered rivals named Gerdis and Bardi, the two factions lose interest in interrogating the stranger in their midst and focus all their energy on fighting each other. Thanks to Cassian’s advice about sending out a perimeter patrol, his team learns that their enemies are trying to physically drag the TIE fighter to a better location. In turn, this leads to a blaster fight that then inspires both sides to talk things out, leaving Cassian alone (again!) with a single guard, whom he overpowers while the others are distracted. Despite their superior firepower and force of numbers, Cassian escapes the Maya Pei rebels thanks to his ability to observe people and make strategic use of their weaknesses.

Throughout Andor, Cassian’s people skills are often his primary asset, either charming or tricking strangers into helping him out of tight situations. In the first episodes of season 2, he ironically has to aim those skills at his own supposed allies - a theme that kicks in during the introductory scene on the Imperial base, where he gives a pep talk to a young defector named Niya. She’s some kind of maintenance worker, and their cover story is that she and Cassian are flirting after hours; a dynamic that Cassian leans into a little, boosting Niya’s confidence at a time when she’s clearly very nervous. 

“If I die tonight, was it worth it?” she asks.  

“This makes it worth it,” Cassian replies. “This, right now. Being with you. Being here with you, at the moment you step into the circle." 

The cynicism and optimism of Cassian Andor

It’s an intense moment, and given what we know of Cassian’s rather cynical personality, you may question how much he truly believes what he’s saying. This speech is for Niya’s benefit, projecting confidence toward a shaky new recruit. Maintaining eye contact, Cassian emphasizes the importance of fighting the Empire - and how Niya, on an individual level, is making the right choice. “You’re coming home to yourself,” he says urgently. “You’ve become more than your fear.” His phrasing plays into her idealism, but he doesn’t do her the disservice of promising that she’ll survive.

Is Cassian being manipulative? Well, maybe, in the sense that any inspiring speech plays with people’s emotions. He’s saying the right things to get her motivated, both politically against the Empire, and personally as a near-stranger he’s relying upon to complete a dangerous mission. It makes pragmatic sense to forge an emotional connection, but he really does understand that this is a transformative moment for Niya, acknowledging the sacrifice she’s willing to make.

Star Wars' Andor is full of scenes like this, where Cassian’s powers of persuasion tread an ambiguous line between sincerity and calculated influence. Always on the lookout for vulnerabilities and hidden motives, he homes in on the point of overlap between his own goals and other people’s desires.

Cassian understands that Niya needs to feel like she’s part of something bigger - which indeed she is. However once he arrives on Yavin, he quickly pivots to a different strategy for the Maya Pei Collective. They can’t be trusted with sensitive information, and they’re motivated more by petty rivalries than by appeals to the greater good. This ability to roll with the punches and make snap psychological judgments is why Cassian ultimately comes out on top, leaving his former kidnappers stranded on Yavin thanks to their own lack of strategic acumen.

Andor season 2 airs new episodes Tuesdays through May 13.

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