The Messiness of Rebellion
Andor is one of the best Star Wars series and excellent television transcending Star Wars. The story of the two seasons of Andor is about the birth of the Rebellion against Galactic Empire. The character of Cassian Andor culminates in the movie Rogue One which is itself one of the best Star Wars movies. Andor’s core strength is storytelling. I cannot emphasize how important stories can be. Story engages us in ways that other ideas cannot. Story stirs our souls and inspires us. Andor tells a story that is Star Wars, but also simply human in the broad sense of interrelated relationships.
Andor dares to take us away from the famous prime characters and the glitz of galactic power opposed to idealistic rebellion. Instead of the grandeur, we follow mid-level bureaucrats, smugglers, and thieves. We encounter those who welcome the constraints of fascism and its order, as well as those who chafe under that level of control. We follow characters simply going about their jobs sprinkled with decisions and crossroads that challenge each person within the story. The question I ask most is “at what point does a character break from the tension of desiring order but seeing the bringers of order cause chaos?” For Imperial Efficiency worker Syril Karn, it happens when he falls in love with a Ghorman and realizes the horror of the Empire’s plans for the planet Ghorm. But, it does not matter because he has no power to change anything.
But there are those whose influence can get the message out. In contrast to the normal and hidden characters working in Empire and Rebellion, there are the characters who have power of voice, resources, and position. One more dare that Andor takes is changing a moment of “canon.” In the animated series Rebels, senator Mon Mothma transmits a speech from a rebel ship across the galaxy. Andor move this speech to the Galactic Senate. Bail Organa uses a rule that Emperor Palpatine instituted to give Mon Mothma the floor. Conspirators in the Rebellion have already moved to block control of the Senate feed to the rest of the galaxy and Mon Mothma delivers one of the greatest speeches in Star Wars. It is a speech designed to lay bare the lies and atrocities of the Empire and rally hope for the Rebels. It is incredibly dangerous and the senator’s safety will ultimately depend upon Andor. But first, the speech.
The climactic moment is Mothma talking about the death of truth. This speech echoes into our own reality as well.
I stand this morning with a difficult message. I believe we are in crisis. The distance between what is said and what is known to be true has become an abyss. Of all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous. The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil. When truth leaves us, when we let it slip away, when it is ripped from our hands, we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest. (Andor S02E09 link below)
When we allow truth to be determined by whoever shouts the loudest, then there is no truth. This cuts across all aspects of our culture. Social Media is designed to amplify loud shouting so that we get inundated with the same messages over and over and eventually make purchasing decisions based on that shouting. It is the point of why algorithms exist. The loud voices know how to manipulate and use the fear they manufacture. Are we the normal people going about our days without realizing our power to change? Christians especially should not be bound by the fear and loud voices, but too often we succumb because we are encultured to listen to the fear mongers. It has been a feature of evangelicalisms outreach style for decades. But maybe we can find ways to tell stories like Andor rather than lean into the fear of the loudmouths.