#aldhani

[hegodamask]

ANDOR APPRECIATION WEEK 2023 | @andorappreciation

↳ Day Four - Favourite Planets/Settings

[legionofpotatoes]

Remember this: the Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.

Remember that. [x]

[fallenrocket]

Normally, I don’t like it when a protagonist is dropped into a new situation and immediately starts taking over. You know the type--they know better, do better, and don't listen to the naysayers who've been banging their heads against the wall all this time. It really annoys me.

But with Cassian Andor, he's somehow able to come in and shake things up in a way that genuinely works. On both Aldhani and Narkina 5, he arrives and quickly becomes indispensable.

On the Aldhani mission, Cassian really does know better in some respects--that's part of the point. He's thrown into a group of rebels with a lot of dedication and certain skills but not a wealth of experience, and his practical knowledge is crucial. Whether it's small details, like how to arrange themselves when posing as Imperial troops, or critical skills, like piloting the freighter to make their escape, he becomes a vital member of the team. However, he doesn't steamroll over everything the others do, and he acknowledges when their ideas/plans are strong, like timing the mission so they can use the Eye as cover.

(It also helps that, at this point, Cassian is more invested in his own survival than in the mission itself. When he puts his foot down and insists on piloting the freighter himself, it's not because he automatically thinks he's the best; it's because he's the only one with experience flying a craft like that, and he feels most comfortable putting his life in his hands rather than someone else's.)

Then there's Narkina 5. Again, Cassian doesn't charge in with a “shut up and listen to me” attitude, instantly superior to people who’ve been there much longer. Instead, he collaborates. It's not "Cassian Andor's prison escape plan"--it's an effort by a number of people, and he just does everything he can to help flesh it out and refine it.

So much of Narkina 5's structure is designed to divide the inmates, ensuring that they won't band together by instead pitting them against each other. The least productive table gets fried every single shift--someone's success is always someone else's loss. But Cassian forms relationships. At his work table, he’s a natural leader, doing extra work to help Ulaf and giving Taga the credit for a good idea. He shares observations and plans with inmates from other tables, and he never gives up on getting Kino to join their side--no matter how many times Kino tells him to get his mind off escape, he repeats, "How many guards on each level?" He rejects the Empire’s divisions and is working hard to help everyone, not just himself.

The strongest example of this comes in "One Way Out," when Cassian urges Kino to be the one to address the prisoners. He doesn't have to be the one in charge, out front. He doesn't have to be The Leader in order to lead. When something matters to him, he'll gladly work to make it happen, largely behind the scenes and without much credit, giving others the inspiration they need to step up.

If the balance had tipped just a little too far to the other side, Cassian could've been caught up in a trope that irritates me. But as it's written and performed, this quality is one of my favorite things about him. The Rebellion is going to be so lucky to have him.

[chipthekeeper]

Andor Season 1 – Behind The Scenes | Exclusive Clip

*insert unfollow me now meme*

[jeronandor]

The Aldhani cast behind the scenes of 'Andor'

x

[circadianaa]

eyre if they never got picked up by the jedi order and stayed with their clan on aldhani

[betyoudidntcatchthat]

the night before they steal the pay roll on Aldhani, Nemik can’t sleep and wonders why his strong conviction doesn’t calm him, commenting that Cassian sleeps like a stone

but then later, the night before the prison break, the scene opens with Cassian lying wide awake in his cell, showing that his beliefs are growing and he is starting to stand for something

[syrilism]

today's hike to Cruachan Dam

[coulson-is-an-avenger]

godddd something fucking Excellent about Andor was how much it showed the diversity of experiences and customs among Humans!!! Star Wars is usually so allergic to showing us any meaningful cultural context, to the point where all humans feel very monolithic (with exceptions to the rule like Mandalorians), and Andor said fuck that!!!!

The people of Andor are individuals, yes, but they come from communities with customs and cultures and distinct ways of living that grant them full inner lives, and diverse, wonderful viewpoints that affect their choices at every turn.

Chandrillans have marriage ceremonies that are very culture specific and are not understood or practiced by people outside of the planet! Ferrix has intricate percussive rites and funerary rituals that mix ashes with brick to build the foundations of the city on those who lived in it and loved it!!!! Kenari has its own language, its own colorful clothing and weapons!!! The Aldhani people have a plot-relevant ceremony of celebrating the celestial marvel of Mak-ani bray Dhani!!!!

There's nuances to every group of people! Every heritage has MEANING, it has weight and it colors the lives of the people who it belongs to, and that's so, so beautiful and important to the language of the story!!! It stands apart from the Empire, which forces unnatural order and conformity upon the land and people at every turn.

It's a breath of fresh air that the characters of Andor are given the space to have these rites, these ties of belonging, these beautiful, organic things about them. It creates a backdrop of realistic, diverse experiences across planets, and it emphasizes the cruelty and horror of the Empire's fascism, its spite towards people's homes and clothes and beliefs. It makes a point of rounding out the Star Wars universe in ways that we rarely get to see this much of, and it interweaves that lore into the wider narrative gorgeously!!! I am so so grateful that this show exists

[oatshow]

@regret-breathing God bless.

[emilysaysitsdiqi]

I’m back

[ireallyamabear]

Aldhani heist modern AU for Andor Appreciation Week 2023 - Day 3: Favourite Arcs ##

(Coruscant/Aldhani Valley) Vel Sartha, society girl, implicated in last year’s Aldhani Bank heist

Leaked documents from the Security Bureau allege collaboration of political and criminal elements on a not yet seen scale.

An investigation into the claims of Security Bureau agent Lt. Dedra Meero, who assembled the leaked file using confidential security documents, has been started. Experts doubt the validity of her claim that a yet unnamed leader, code name “Axis”, orchestrated the attack - in which eight bank employees and security officers lost their lives - with the goal to raise funds to establish a broad revolutionary alliance.

The investigation into the heist, in which over 12 tons of gold and an unknown amount of legal tender was stolen, has notoriously been kept under wraps, with no official suspect being named by Aldhani Valley Police as of yet. A political dimension had not been part of the conversation about the motive for the heist up until the leak. Some of the file was assembled from confidential sources, including a politically highly incendiary illegal missive by the SB about Sarthas’s cousin, Senator Mon Mothma. Parts of the document seem to come from redacted files and sources, with no explanation how Meero has obtained these. According to inside sources, intra- and interorganizational security leaks in the Bureau are already being investigated. The document claiming to identify the perpetrators and their motive was leaked online by a yet unnamed person, going by “A friend of Lt. Meero”, who claims to “not longer be able to sit idly by while a good officer who knows the truth gets no recognition for her work”. Meero’s lawyers maintain that she herself has not broken confidentiality and did not leak the document herself. Whoever leaked the documents faces charges for disseminating confidential SB information. The file also names Karis Nemik, founding member of the Alliance of Socialist Students (ASS) and a former officer of the Imperial Army, identified only as Lt. Gorn as co-conspirateurs. Also named are Cinta Kaz and Taramyn Barcona, two veterans of private security outfits that have served in multiple military tours overseas, as well as two more men, Cassian Andor and Arvel Skeen, who have minor criminal records. There are no current criminal investigations into any of the seven suspects. Besides Sartha, none of the accused have been present in the public or on social media in the last year. Unsourced rumors that at least the accused Lt. Gorn was actually one of the bodies found at the scene have yet to be confirmed.

Meero draws alleged connections between the suspects foremost through photographic evidence. Most of this evidence is already under scrutiny by officials and a vocal crowd online, with claims of image manipulation already going viral.

Various civil rights attorneys and organizations have already spoken up about the political dimension in the accusations against Sartha - especially because of her connections to the current senate - and Nemik, who has been an outspoken political activist in recent years. 

Members of the Mothma Senatorial office and Vel Sartha’s PR team have yet to comment.

Meanwhile, Sartha shared a cryptic post with the caption “Throwback to last year - I had been camping all spring!” on her various social medias.

## @andorappreciation

[fallenrocket]

I've been rewatching Andor, and I just loooooove watching Cassian interact with the rebels throughout the Aldhani arc. He spends much of this time incredibly guarded, which makes sense. He just had to flee the law, and then he got dropped into this dangerous rebel mission a few days before it kicks off--most of them don't think he should be there, and he doesn't exactly disagree.

He doesn't trust the rebels, because trust in general can be hard for him. He's constantly on the alert, observing everything, not missing a trick--my man clocks everyone's hand dominance within a day or two of knowing them. You can practically feel the tension coming off the screen as he waits for the perpetual other shoe to drop. Touch his things, and he immediately has his back up.

And yet, even though he doesn't really want to be there and is hella distrustful, Cassian chooses to be remarkably open in surprising moments. Telling Skeen about his time in juvenile detention, admitting that he's being paid for the mission. These are major reveals for someone who's so guarded, and they're admissions that risk blowing up whatever fragile confidence the rebels have in him. But he navigates these situations so instinctively, seeming to recognize when to pull back vs. when to let someone in. I love it so much.

[chipthekeeper]

mentally, i am here

[gayvillains]

Karis Nemik and Arvel Skeen in ANDOR (2022)

[spockvarietyhour]