An Analysis of Andor S01E08, “One Way Out”
“Oppression is the mask of fear”: Revolution, Legacy, and Sacrifice in Andor
In a media landscape that is being increasingly oversaturated with franchise slop that gets churned out to make as much money as humanly possible by capitalizing on nostalgia, Andor stands out as being a show that takes full advantage of the franchise it takes place in to explore critical issues and tell a story that everybody living in the 21st century needs to hear. Andor is set within the Star Wars universe, and creator/showrunner Tony Gilroy takes the Empire and the Rebellion and uses the Star Wars setting to explore in great depth the realities of fascism and revolution. The themes and messages within the show are dense and numerous, meriting entire essays for each episode. The Emmy Award-nominated tenth episode, “One Way Out,” written by Beau Willimon, is a microcosm of the ways Andor depicts collective action, the true sacrifices made for freedom, how the idea of legacy is integral to the building of a revolutionary movement, and ultimately conveys why this story of rebellion is relevant to a modern audience.
In the interest of brevity, the essential information required to explore “One Way Out” will not encompass the entirety of the nine episodes of space-drama perfection that precede it. The situation is as follows: Our protagonist, Cassian Andor, has been thrown into an Imperial prison-labor complex on a small, mostly water-covered moon called Narkina 5. This facility houses over 4,000 prisoners, who are divided into one of seven prison cylinders. Each level of these cylinders features a floor equipped with electric shock currents, which can be activated on command, electrocuting the barefoot prisoners to punitive or lethal degrees. The prison also operates as a factory, where each cylinder contains smaller groups of men who work together at their assembly stations. The day and night shift groups are prohibited from interacting, ensuring maximum isolation. Each work table is provided with positive and negative reinforcement, depending on their production levels. This division is intentional; by creating competition among the workers and keeping them in smaller groups, the prison management ensures they cannot band together to revolt.
Until this point in the show, Cassian has primarily looked out for himself. He has met and worked with the revolutionary leader Luthen Rael but has not yet fully embraced the cause. The Narkina 5 prison complex forces Cassian to take on Luthen’s previous role: inspiring the oppressed and encouraging them to take action. Cassian realizes he cannot escape the complex alone and must convince the other prisoners to join him to have any chance at freedom. He focuses on Kino Loy, the floor manager for his shift. Kino is also a prisoner but is nearing the end of his sentence and intends to serve it out. However, everything changes when one of Cassian’s fellow prisoners dies. A nurse reveals the grim truth about the facility to Cassian and Kino: No one is getting out. In response to a successful rebel attack, the Empire doubled all prisoners’ sentences, and those who finish their current term are transferred to another cylinder. Realizing that all of his hard work was for nothing, Kino agrees to help Cassian seize the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an escape. Together, they sabotage the electric floors, take advantage of the security lapse to overpower the Imperial Guards, confiscate their weapons, and storm the command center. The prisoners clamor and claw their way out as they ascend through each floor, liberating their fellow inmates along the way. As Kino takes hold of the microphone, preparing to broadcast his speech to everyone in the complex, he echoes the words Cassian once said to him: “I’d rather die trying to take them down than die giving them what they want.” The episode’s writer, Beau Willimon, notes that the prisoners’ chant of “one way out” can be interpreted literally, as the only way to escape is by climbing up the floors and jumping into the water below. Additionally, it symbolizes the idea that there is “one way out” of the Empire’s oppression, which is through collective action and the solidarity of the oppressed (Keane). The uprising in Narkina 5 illustrates how revolutions begin and how people become a more formidable force when they recognize their potential to unite.
Perhaps the most tragic moment amidst the triumph of their escape is the fate of Kino himself, who, looking over the water below with serene resignation, tells Cassian that he cannot swim. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kino’s actor, Andy Serkis, said about his character’s arc, “[Kino] finds that desire to act of behalf of others again, to serve others, to enable others to find their freedom, even though he knows ultimately it’s not going to happen for him” (Davids). Even though Kino will never experience it, he nonetheless leads thousands of men to their freedom. Sacrifice is a constant theme throughout Andor, and this throughline culminates in a masterfully written and delivered monologue from Luthen Rael, portrayed by Stellan Skarsgärd, at the end of the tenth episode.
“Calm. Kindness. Kinship. Love. I’ve given up all chance at inner peace. I’ve made my mind a sunless space. I share my dreams with ghosts. I wake up every day to an equation I wrote 15 years ago from which there’s only one conclusion—I’m damned for what I do. My anger, my ego, my unwillingness to yield, my eagerness to fight, they’ve set me on a path from which there is no escape. I yearned to be a savior against injustice without contemplating the cost, and by the time I looked down there was no longer any ground beneath my feet.
What is my sacrifice?
I’m condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else’s future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see! And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude.
So what do I sacrifice?
Everything!”
The monologue comes on the heels of Luthen’s decision not to inform fellow rebel leader Anto Kreegyr of the Empire’s awareness of his planned assault, dooming Kreegyr and his men to certain death, to preserve the life of his agent Lonni, who has infiltrated the Empire and works as a spy and informant for the rebellion. The speech Luthen delivers about how he has sacrificed his happiness, his life, and his decency to ensure a future he will never get to see or be acknowledged for helping to create is perhaps the most affecting sci-fi soliloquy since Rutger Hauer spoke of tears in rain, in the Ridley Scott-directed genre classic Blade Runner. What makes these speeches so compelling is their ability to transform galactic conflicts into reflections of real-world tragedies, drawing the audience’s attention to the raw, human suffering at the core of the issue. The Empire represents more than just a fictional force of evil; it embodies fascism and the numerous ways in which totalitarian regimes devastate the lives of those suffering under them. The Rebels are not fate-ordained heroes; they are seasoned strategists and leaders who sacrifice everything and die unrecognized and unappreciated long before their efforts come to fruition. There is no glory for Luthen, a reality that resonates within real-world movements, where the success often belongs to many but is ultimately attributed to a single figurehead, frequently the one who arrives after the foundational work has already been done.
Luthen Rael is among the many individuals who sacrifice themselves for the rebellion. The list includes Galactic Senators, guerrilla leaders, pilots, and ordinary civilians. The collective sacrifices of countless people are essential in the fight to ultimately bring down the Empire. At the end of the final episode of Season One, it is revealed that the materials produced at the Narkina 5 Prison Complex would one day form the Death Star. The Death Star, which Cassian Andor was forced to help build, ultimately becomes the instrument of his demise in Rogue One. This cruel truth serves as a poignant metaphor for the inherently self-destructive nature of capitalism, where those involved in production are often the same individuals who suffer under it. Unknowingly, Cassian Andor played a part in the creation of the Death Star, which Luke Skywalker would later destroy, ultimately defeating the Empire once and for all. Cassian risks his life to escape Narkina 5 and later gives his life to help stop the Death Star: As George Lucas himself once infamously said, “It’s like poetry…it rhymes.” The Narkina 5/Death Star connection is just one way Andor provides greater context for the iconic events of the original trilogy of Star Wars movies. Andor shows us all the forgotten people who came before Luke, Han, and Leia, who laid the groundwork for their ultimate victory. Through the stories of Luthen, Cassian, and various unsung heroes of the rebellion, Andor also calls us to action and encourages us to appreciate the lesser-known figures in our history. While many are familiar with Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, how many people know about Bayard Rustin or Claudette Colvin? Cassian Andor’s journey represents how the average person, who feels they suffer enough and do not owe anybody their effort, even to fight active oppression, can be galvanized to participate and even lead the charge in the fight against tyranny. The defeat of the Empire is built on the combined legacies of thousands; in this way, Andor is the quintessential story of the proletariat.
The most powerful aspect of storytelling lies in its ability to inspire people to interact with and perceive the world in new ways. Creator Tony Gilroy expressed his desire to create something timeless, which he achieved by drawing upon history. Audiences continue to be surprised by how relevant and poignant the show is, but Gilroy emphasizes that he doesn’t pull from current headlines; instead, he draws from history books (Ryan). The relevance of the issues presented reflects the fact that humanity continues to confront the same challenges we always have. The team behind Andor delves into themes of revolution, racism, police brutality, and the allure of fascism, all through the lens of complex and captivating characters in a familiar setting. By doing so, they encourage millions of viewers to reevaluate how they perceive their freedom, the genuine uncertainty of it, and what it takes to achieve liberation from oppression. With the ever-increasing and pervasive influence of fascism in countries all over the world, it becomes even more pertinent to tell revolutionary stories like Andor, to inspire people to take action through the power of stories, and to ensure that this disease which thrives in darkness is not something we will close our eyes and turn away from.
Works Cited
Davids, Brian. “Andor Star Andy Serkis Talks Episode 10’s Emotional Moment And Dreading Snoke-Kino Fan Theories.” The Hollywood Reporter, 9 November 2022, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/andor-andy-serkis-on-episode-10-1235257860/. Accessed 23 April 2025.
Keane, Sean. “Andor Writer Reveals Origin of Episode 10’s Heartbreaking Sacrifice.” CNET, 15 November 2022, https://www.cnet.com/culture/entertainment/andor-writer-reveals-origin-of-episode-10s-heartbreaking-sacrifice/. Accessed 23 April 2025.
Ryan, Chris, Greenwald, Andy. “Tony Gilroy Got Braver and Bolder for Andor Season 2.” The Watch from The Ringer, 23 April 2025, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-watch/id1111739567?i=1000704557811. Accessed 25 April 2025.