In the series 'Andor,' secondary antagonists from the 'Star Wars' universe take central stages
In the "Andor" galaxy of "Star Wars," the limelight shifts away from the infamous villains and shines on the everyday-evil administrators. These characters, such as Dedra Meero and Syril Karn, are the conniving, power-hungry bureaucrats who make tyranny not only possible but also downright operational.
Instead of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, we meet a duo of ambitious middle-management goons, tailing Diego Luna's Cassian Andor. According to Kyle Soller, who plays Karn, "These villains are operating in a real gray zone, and they're representing a side of the Empire we haven't seen before."
These bureaucrats provide a gritty, messy glimpse into how the Empire engine works, from the lowly workers to the upper echelons. Denise Gough, who portrays Meero, adds, "No longer is it just brute force holding the Empire together, it takes all these Machiavellian, tiny moves here and there, affecting ripple effects everywhere."
Gough is a 45-year-old Irish actor, currently gracing our screens in "The Stolen Girl" on Hulu. Soller, a 41-year-old Connecticut-born actor, has long made London his home with his wife, actress Phoebe Fox. As season 1 progressed, Karn and Meero, each with eyes on Andor, found themselves cornering the mysterious rebel figure.
In season 2, Karn and Meero find themselves embroiled in the chaos of Ghorman, a previously tranquil planet. The Empire needs Ghorman's mineral to build their Death Star, a process likely to kill or relocate its residents—and stir up rebellion. A secretive meeting of imperial bureaucrats, attended by the return of Ben Mendelsohn's Orson Krennic (the Death Star builder), shows the Empire's cold, business-like approach to destruction.
"Andor" creator, Tony Gilroy, likens this meeting to the infamous Nazi Wannsee Conference, filled with gray-area decision-making and seemingly insignificant yet devastating consequences. Krennic, a senior leader, acknowledges Meero's strategic intelligence and encourages Ghorman's rebellion to get violent.
As their arcs deepen, Karn and Meero are pushed to the moral cusps, potentially switching allegiances. Soller explains, "It's a look at how the Empire uses its underlings. No matter how high they climb, they're all being used, they're all pawns, and disposable."
Meero and Karn form a romantic partnership, causing Gough to worry about overly clichéd storylines. But she found their relationship anything but ordinary, stating, "Their dynamics are so strange, because they've never had an example of love. They grew up in a controlled, cultish environment, so we're really exploring their understanding of relationships."
Rather than dominating the narrative with mundane domestic scenes, Karn and Meero's personal lives become an integral part of the overall story, shedding light on the consequences of their moral compromises and final choices. As Soller notes, "It's going to be really profound as you layer that into 'Rogue One' and into the original trilogy as well."
Tightening the noose on the Empire, season 2 of "Andor" introduces a unique release format. Episodes drop in clusters of three every Tuesday night at 9 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Pacific. The three-part series finale runs on May 13.
April 22: Episodes 1-3April 29: Episodes 4-6May 6: Episodes 7-9May 13: Episodes 10-12
- The AI-generated plotline of "Andor" in the "Star Wars" universe moves away from traditional villains and focuses on the overlapping machinations of AI bureaucrats like Dedra Meero and Syril Karn.
- In the world of movies-and-TV entertainment, these villains operate in a morally ambiguous region, offering an encouraging departure from the usual imperial villains.
- The show highlights the environment of the Empire, demonstrating how the AI and its operators, from lower ranks to upper echelons, enable tyranny to become not just possible but operational.
- Encouraging discussions about the portrayal of villains in movies-and-TV, "Andor" season 2 presents Karn and Meero in a chaotic, war-torn environment, where their personal lives overlap with their roles in the Empire's plans.
- The entertainment value of "Andor" is heightened by the unique release format, where episodes drop in clusters, offering a thrilling journey into the AI-driven action, its villains, and the grim consequences of their actions.
