Why Doesn't The Emperor Show Up In ‘Andor’?

Star Wars

Sep 24

In 2022, Disney gifted Star Wars (SW) fans with one of the best products they have probably put out during the last few years. Andor, a series about Rogue One protagonist Cassian Andor, was not, at the time of its release, on the top of people’s lists. This did not stop it from being a great addition to the universe, expanding on previously seen characters such as Saw Guerrera and Mon Mothma. Andor took a different approach than other SW projects have taken before it.

The series was more grounded, even with the events that would never happen in our reality. The spotlight was not put at lightsabers or the force but at the base of the pyramid. The Jedi are not the focus here, but the day-to-day struggle to build a rebellion. One could ask themselves, why do no major characters from the timeline such as Emperor Palpatine show up? This is what our article aims to clarify.

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The individuality of Andor is a highlight

First of all, Andor succeeds in doing the very basic, but it does so with such perfection that it does not require huge cameos or dozens of easter eggs per episode to accomplish this. They were there of course, but it was not a show aimed at doing purely fan service. By showing the rebellion being built from the ground up from a few different points of view, the show creates an incredible narrative. The arc-styled season became crystal clear after episode four. It was structured in a way that showed Cassian’s gradual involvement with his patron, Luthen Rael, the mastermind behind the imperial credits raid in Aldhani. And more importantly, his family matters. The show starts by showing his search for his missing sister (which consequently puts the Empire on his trail), the wrongful and unfair execution of his adoptive father, and lastly the final moments of his adoptive mother.

If shows like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka rely heavily on the continuity of the so-called “Filoniverse” (even though this term could be seen as problematic by some), Andor does the exact opposite. It is not afraid of innovating, bringing real-life, polemic topics to its episodes, and most of all, putting the Skywalker saga a bit to the side. Instead of having people jump huge heights, lift rocks, or CGI rejuvenations (not that they are bad, just pointing it out!), never-seen-before characters are brought in, and we, in a short span of time, are able to side with their respective emotions, goals, and personalities. This is one of the big reasons Andor stands out so much. The absence of extremely well-known, central-to-the-plot people allows others to shine. Kino Loy, Nemik, and Cassian’s mother Maarva are prime examples of this. As Andor stepped out of the fan-favorite stuff, it had time and opportunity to deliver a well-deserved change.

Let’s put the Obi-Wan Kenobi show in perspective here. Who are the main characters? Kenobi (of course), Reva, a few other Inquisitors, and let’s not forget the one and only, Darth Vader. The emphasis is on the conflict between Kenobi and Vader, and even in the episodes where they are not in the same location, it seems that fans only have that encounter in mind. Andor, in comparison, does not do that, treating the season as part of crucial, character-defining moments for its protagonists. It is not Kenobi’s quest to protect Luke and Leia, but Cassian’s troubled life as a petty criminal and his eagerness to join a cause bigger than himself. The floor is lowered content-wise, but at the same time, Andor elevates it in an astonishing fashion. The basic, reality-driven events such as guerrillas, bank heists, ideological speeches, and personal financial woes are the elements that move the chains. Flair is a consequence, not the main attraction.

Palpatine is not required here

So, where are we getting with this? The attention is put on those who are crucial to the construction of what we see in Episodes IV through VI. If there is no base for a tower of cards, they will fall down. Well, they would not even set. This is how Andor should be seen. Even though a Palpatine cameo could have been a good call, there was no need for it. Here the main villain is still the Empire. We can not escape from the boogeyman of the post-Republic era. But instead of being a force wielder, it is the Imperial Security Bureau, the famous and feared ISB that takes this position. Much like similar authoritarian organizations in our reality, the ISB does its job of causing fear, promoting practices like torture, and investigating possible threats. Thus, the absence of Palpatine is compensated by his “eyes”, the ISB agents.

Inside the ISB, one figure stands out. Dedra Meero is the perfect antagonist for our protagonists: Cassian, Mon Mothma, and Luthen. Palpatine is not in the show because his presence would be no more than a nice detail. Cassian’s rep sheet got a big bump during the season, especially after the raid in Aldhani. The prison escape in Narkina 5 was crucial and he managed to pull that out with the other inmates. Mon Mothma, while trying to help the rebellion by funding it, has encountered financial trouble, and the ISB could pick up on that and check what she has been doing with her fortune. Luthen, like Cassian, has a more hands-on approach to life. Called by the ISB of “Axis”, Luthen managed to be the glue that put together a few major parts of the rebellion. He can do that by kick-starting it with his own spies and agents, mere tools that compensate for the fact that he “burned his life to see a sunset he will never see”.

So, as the antagonist, Meero represents an organization that aims to control the rise of resistance in the galaxy. The ISB transforms itself from just being a part of the Empire to a shadow that chases people when they are awake and sleeping as well. The big bad villain is dissolved amongst several smaller ones, but their virtues and ambitions are not as well-defined as Palpatine’s. Luthen’s eyes inside the ISB - an agent who goes by Lonni Jung - represent this perfectly. Lonni does not think what is happening is fair, and he tries to help by leaking crucial information to Luthen. But when confronted by Rael, Lonni argues that he has a family to protect and has to guarantee a good future for them. Andor’s most marvelous characteristic is that it does not rely purely on a black-and-white view of the world, but on several shades of grey that may or may not have a bit of red on them too.

The Emperor is probably doing something else

A good reminder is that Andor sits at an interesting spot on the SW timeline. It is set right before Rogue One, which also preludes Episode IV: A New Hope (ANH). So, considering all the events that happen during ANH. Also, the final scene from season 1 of Andor shows that the pieces Cassian and his friends from Unit 5-2-D and the rest of the whole prison in Narkina 5 were building was Project Stardust, better known as the Death Star. Considering the construction of the battle station was vital for Palpatine’s plans of controlling the galaxy, he may have been overseeing some of it.

Also, the bureaucratic apparatus that was already in place since the Galactic Republic allowed Palpatine to centralize his efforts into other areas. We see in Rebels that Ezra, while in the world between worlds, was chased by the Emperor’s Sith magic. He wanted to not only control the physical world, but also what exists in the metaphysical world, the one where everything is happening at the same time, and nothing is happening. His efforts to try to live forever were considerable, something he was able to (sort of) do when he cloned himself. It is worth remembering that Moff Gideon tried this approach as well, and almost had success. The possibilities are endless when it comes to SW.

Let’s face the facts

So, we can come up with a good answer to Palps’ whereabouts. He is not on this show because the threats are not on a level of importance that is relevant to him - for now. It is not the offspring of Anakin wreaking havoc throughout the galaxy, but some spots of resistance that are relevant to the Imperial machine to take care of it. Even if Cassian ultimately becomes one of the most important agents the rebel alliance has ever had, he is not that guy yet. Mon Mothma and Luthen Rael are - at this point - still public faces who do not want to raise suspicion about themselves. While the show restricts itself - in a very skillful way - to what we could call “secondary” plot lines, it demonstrates an amazing capacity to fulfill expectations. Of course, Andor season 2 can change everything, but the feeling is that it probably will follow the same style. As our protagonists become personae non-gratae with the passing of time, the targets on their backs will also increase in size. This could, ultimately, lead to serious changes.

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