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Andor's ending and post-credits scene puts a cruel new twist on Cassian's fate

"There is a wound that won’t heal at the centre of the galaxy."

By David Opie

23 Nov 2022

Disney+

Andor spoilers follow.

It feels like there are more fantasy prequels than Jedi at this point, and yes, Andor can be counted among them, but more than any other prequel in 2022, Andor is telling a story that needs to be told.

Although we already know what lies in store for Cassian, Andor doesn't just exist to fill in some timeline gaps. This show is Star Wars distilled to its purest essence. Because when you strip away all the lightsabers and Jedi mind tricks, this story of a galaxy far, far away is a tale of hope. Of what it means to stand up for what's right, no matter what it might cost you.

And in Cassian's case, it's going to cost him everything.

Now, that's not a spoiler because Andor's fate was spelled out quite clearly a few years back in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but how we reach that point is a spoiler, so make sure you've watched season one's finale first before reading on for our breakdown.

Andor ending explained

Andor's first season goes full circle by bringing everyone back to Ferrix for Maarva's funeral and — we're not crying, YOU'RE crying.

And when we say "everyone", we really do mean everyone. That's no easy feat given the size of this mammoth cast, but here we are with the Imperial officers closing in as Andor and other key members of the Rebellion arrive for an explosive confrontation.

Meanwhile, Mon Mothma and her husband are sniping at each other in Coruscant while their driver listens in. Can't get the staff these days!

Back on Ferrix, Cassian arrives at his family home for the first time since Maarva's death to discover that Bix has been imprisoned by the Empire. And not just imprisoned: following all those disturbing torture sessions, Bix is now a shadow of her former self.

noof ousellam, nick moss, denise gough and wilf scolding, andor

Disney+

Both sides make preparations for Maarva's funeral – the Daughters of Ferrix plan the ceremony while Imperial forces lay their trap for Cassian, hoping he'll reveal himself on the day.

Andor himself, meanwhile, is getting inspired by the young intellectual Nemik's speech from earlier on in the season. You know, the one where he says things like, "Imperial need for control is so desperate because it’s so unnatural," and "tyranny requires constant effort" and most crucially of all, "One single thing will break the siege..."

Dedra, queen of the fascists, tells the snipers to hold back because she wants to take Cassian alive. Others also move into place, including Luthen – who reluctantly plans to murder Andor to protect his network – while Brasso shares Maarva's final message to Cassian. Yes, it's another speech, and yes, it's another incredibly moving monologue that makes everything else in Star Wars look like a five year old wrote it:

"Tell him none of this is his fault. It was already burning. He's just the first spark of the fire. Tell him he knows everything he needs to know and feels everything he needs to feel. When the day comes and those two pull together, he will be an unstoppable force for good. Tell him I love him more than anything he could ever do wrong."

See what we mean?

Andor fans think they’ve figured out Jedi twist

And with that, the funeral begins. Not with a bang, but a bloody great ringing from the bell tower. Everyone there to celebrate Maarva defiantly walks forward, despite the mounting Imperial presence that's waiting to push them back into their place. Even Bee the droid rolls up, looking too adorable for words.

While that's all distracting everyone up top, Cassian skips his own mother's funeral to rescue Bix. Then the biggest distraction of all arrives – Maarva herself in hologram form.

Towering over everyone, literally larger than life, Maarva speaks beyond the grave, encouraging her loved ones to stand up and resist oppression in her name:

Disney+

"There is a wound that won’t heal at the centre of the galaxy. There is a darkness reaching like rust into everything around us. We let it grow and now it’s here. It’s here, and it’s not visiting anymore. It wants to stay. The empire is a disease that thrives in darkness. It is never more alive than when we sleep."

Feeling inspired yet? Wait for the next bit.

"It's easy for the dead to tell you to fight, and maybe it’s true. Maybe fighting is useless. Perhaps it’s too late. But I’ll tell you this: if I could do it again I'd wake up early and be fighting these bastards, from the start. Fight the empire!"

Andor shock twist is most painful Star Wars scene

Anarchy reigns from that point on as a riot kicks off in full force. There's no Jedi or lightsabers around to help even the odds, but the people fight on regardless. And with all that fighting comes a whole lot of chaos, so let us break down some of the riot's key events below:

• Cassian rescues Bix, who struggles to figure out if he's even real thanks to all the endless torture the Imperial scum put her through.
• Wilmon Paak — the 16-year-old boy seen building a bomb earlier in the episode — throws the explosive to avenge his father's death at the hands of the Imperials. The junk dealer who betrayed Cassian earlier on in this episode takes the brunt of the blast.
• Dedra is almost crushed by rioters who knock her to the ground, but her stalker, Syril Karn, shows up just in time to save her. That's no coincidence, because he's her stalker, so, of course he's there. Dedra sort of thanks him while the two are pressed up close together. The exchange they share is all kinds of creepy and wrong and speaks volumes about the unbalanced, quasi-sexual power dynamic between them.
• More deaths happen, because this is that rare Star Wars shows with actual stakes. Cassian’s friend Xanwan is killed, and the Imperial spy Corv is pleasingly stabbed to death by Cinta Kaz, who's been working alongside Luthen.
• Cinta and Vel, our favourite queer Rebel couple, escape the dangers of Ferrix only for Vel to realise that their relationship is now in danger. It turns out that they're growing apart, because one wants to murder people more than the other. You know, that age-old problem.

stellan skarsgard, kyle soller, ale ferns, andor

Disney+

As the riot starts to wind down, we catch up with faves like B2EMO, Brasso, Bix, Jezzi and Wilmon, who are all heading off planet in a ship. Cassian decides not to join them though, as much as he might want to. And that's because he has a new mission in life, one that's far bigger and more important than his own wants and needs.

Bix, unable to tell what's real anymore, says, "Cassian will find us." To which Andor replies, "I will. I'll find you."

Just when we thought we had no more tears left to cry...

And we're not the only ones crying. At the end, Mon Mothma is forced to cover up her dodgy deals by marrying off Leida, her daughter, to the scummy son of Davo Sculdun. As a key member of the Rebels, Mothma's end goal here is a noble one, but that doesn't make this decision any easier for her, especially as she herself is already trapped in a loveless marriage. He husband, it emerges, seems to have returned to his secret gambling habit. To our minds, that could be a useful fig leaf to cover up her syphoning money into the Rebellion, but she doesn't appear to have spotted that yet.

Still with us? At last, the final scene of Andor's first, perfect season is upon us as Luthen prepares to leave Ferrix on his ship. Except, he's not alone, because Cassian is waiting for him.

How to watch all Star Wars in chronological order

"You came here to kill me, didn’t you?" says Andor. To which Luthen replies, "You don’t make it easy." Cassian is no longer afraid of death though, not after everything he suffered in that hellscape prison.

Luthen, ever the thinker, suspects Cassian is playing some kind of game with him, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

"No game," says Andor. "Kill me. Or take me in."

And then the credits roll as Luthen ponders this bizarre proposition. Of course, we already know that Luthen won't be killing Cassian anytime soon. His fate is already sealed, and it's a dark portent of that which ends up becoming the focus of Andor's one and only post-credits scene this season.

Andor post-credits scene explained

Disney+

In a departure for the show, Andor's final episode includes a post-credits scene that shows us the Death Star is now near completion, with only one more giant super-laser left to attach.

As short as it is, this scene still says so much. On the one hand, it reminds us that Cassian died helping the Rebels get hold of the Death Star plans. It's because of him and his allies that Luke Skywalker was able to win the Battle of Yavin in A New Hope.

We've always known that Andor is destined to die at the end, but this chilling reminder brings that into sharp focus here at a critical junction. Expect season two to feature the Death Star even more as this show begins to form more tangible connections to Rogue One.

But that's not all. Remember when Cassian and his fellow prisoners were building some kind of Imperial doodads in the Narkina 5 prison? Forward-thinking fans suspected that they might have actually been building parts for the Death Star, and this scene confirms it.

Andor season 2: Everything you need to know

Yep, that means Cassian was forced to help build the very same weapon he's going to end up dying to stop.

You could argue that this twist is a cruel one, but knowing Andor's journey, we still choose to see the hope in it, the promise that even with all this working against him, Cassian is still going to bring hope to others with his sacrifice. And nothing is more Star Wars than this.

Andor streams on Disney+, with new episodes every Wednesday.