Welcome to the Ending Explained for Episode 5 of Andor, the latest Star Wars TV Show on Disney Plus. The episode is titled “The Axe Forgets” which is a reference to how sometimes those in power forget how it feels to be oppressed. It is a metaphor that adapts very well to Star Wars, as more often than not, the villains lose because they feel too overconfident in their abilities and underestimate the will and the pursuit of freedom of their enemies. Even the last battle during Return of the Jedi was an example of this.
Andor, doesn’t go for a big space battle, but it does go for a big heist on an imperial facility. This episode deals a lot with the feelings of fear that some characters are facing. Andor is the only one that admits being fearful and yet, he is the only one capable of not losing his never before the moment of truth. The episode, like it seems to be a classic for Andor, doesn’t move the plot by a lot, the next episode will be the one for that. The creators are really committing to establishing small arcs within the season.
The following paragraphs contain spoilers for Episode 5 of Andor. Read at your own risk.
Is The Team Ready For The Heist?
Episode 5 focuses mainly on Cassian trying to bond with the heist team. In the previous episode, it was established that the team has been preparing for months, and the arrival of Cassian, as a new unknown element, threw the entire team off their groove. Cassian, who has taken the fake name of Clem, goes around the camp talking with other members of the team and trying to learn everything they had the chance to learn for months in just a couple of days.
When Cassian wakes up from sleeping, he sees that his things are not there. Skeem, one of the other members, has them. He says that Vel ordered him to do it. Skeem sees that Cassian has a better understanding of the world than the others. It seems they share a common past of being soldiers in some war and also prisoners. Yet, Skeem doesn’t trust him one bit. As Cassian explores the camp and talks to others, it seems all of them believe that the mission is something more than a heist. They believe it could really be the start of a rebellion against the empire.
Cassian also seems to be attracted to one of the members of the team, Cinta. Vel pushes them apart and reminds Cassian that he should be focused. She does this a couple of times during the episode, to Cassian’s annoyance. Vel also reveals that they don’t know how to take the escape ship out of the hangar. Cassian cannot believe that the escape plan is in such hands, and so he appoints himself as the pilot of the ship. He will not let anyone else play with his life.
Later in the episode, Cassian and the rest of the team get ready to abandon their camp and go to execute the heist. It seems like everybody understands that this might be a one-way ticket, and some of them will not come back. Skeem intercepts Cassian during the journey and takes away the Kyber crystal Luthen gave to him as a deposit for his final payment. Skeem seems to think Cassian is there to sabotage the plan. Cassian then reveals he is there because he was paid to do so. He doesn’t believe in the rebellion.
Cassian feels that all of them are scared, and they might want to find an excuse to call the plan out and return to their lives, so he says the truth. He admits he is scared, but unlike them, he is not ready to lose his nerve. Thanks to Cassian’s speech, all the members seem more confident about the mission. Vel says goodbye and says that if everything goes well, they will see each other at the end of the day.
Could Lieutenant Gorn Be A Traitor?
In the same way that everyone is suspicious of Cassian, he is suspicious of Lieutenant Gorn. Cassian finds it difficult to understand why an imperial officer could be on their side. Vel explains that Gorn fell in love with a local woman, and soon after conflict arrivedon the planet, the empire killed the woman. Then Gorn became sour about his position in it, and so he has chosen to enact his revenge by helping them. Everyone seems to have revenge as their main motivation for fitting in. All of them except Nemik, who has more philosophical reasons to do what he does.
We also see glimpses of Gorn being an officer at the base, and we see how he is readying for the arrival of the team the next day. Gorn could still turn on the team at the end of the next episode, but so far it seems that he really wants to take revenge on the empire. His dislike seems genuine. We also see a small glimpse of Syril who is unemployed and now lives with his mother. His mother calls one of his uncles to ask for a favor. Syril needs a new job, and it seems this mysterious uncle can deliver on that. Syril’s path feels like a complete mystery. Who is this mysterious uncle, and what job has he in store?
The episode also reminds us that Mon Mothman is on the show. We see a part of her home life, and it sucks pretty badly. Her husband seems like a douchebag, and her daughter takes a lot from him. Mon feels alone in her own house. Meanwhile, Luthen is seen in his store, and he is very worried about the mission’s success. He thinks that he might have been unwise when taking Cassian to work there, but now, just like us, he can only wait and hope for the results.
