Editor's Note: The following includes spoilers from Episode 1-10 of Andor. From the children taken away to become soldiers to the planets exterminated by the Death Star and the Starkiller Base, Star Wars has always made it pretty clear how terrifying it is to live under the Empire’s rule. However, the full extent of the Empire’s cruelty towards its people was always left to the fans’ imaginations. There were many gaps to be filled between the stories of Stormtroopers like Finn (John Boyega) and the grandiose massacres of planetary proportions. Little by little, however, the franchise has been closing these gaps with new movies and TV shows. Most recently, in Andor, fans got a good look at just how awful the Empire’s prison system is. However, the Narkina 5 story arc that spans from Episode 8 to 10 of the show doesn’t just paint a clear picture of what it’s like to be incarcerated as a common criminal in the Empire. The subplot also offers us a peek of the terrors to which the entire galaxy is subjected to and how this ruthlessness eventually leads to rebellion.
We are first introduced to Narkina 5 in Episode 8 of Andor. While pretending to be a tourist in the beachy planet of Niamos, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) is mistaken for a common criminal and arrested by imperial guards. Sentenced to six years in jail for allegedly speaking out against the empire during his trial, Cassian is taken to the prison moon of Narkina 5, where the inmates are forced to work building parts for some mysterious project (the Death Star, maybe?). But despite the forced labor, the electrified flooring, and the constant vigilance, being locked up in Narkina 5 isn’t as terrible as one might imagine.
Both science fiction and the real world are filled with prisons much, much more horrifying than Narkina-5. The prisoners of the Empire have access to comfortable beds, a constant supply of water, and all-they-can-eat food. Sure, the food might taste like nothing at all, but at least you won’t starve. Hey, if your team manages to beat all the others in the race for who builds those mysterious parts faster, you might even get a bit of flavor on your next meal. The losing team, on the other hand, gets punished with electrocution. Nevertheless, the men at Narkina 5 seem resigned to their fate, counting down the remaining days in their sentences and waiting patiently for the moment in which they will see the sun again.
Narkina 5 Represents the Galaxy's Complacency and Oppression
It’s when they find out that the sunlight may be forever out of their reach that things start to go awry. First, the prisoners have their sentences arbitrarily extended due to a change of policy and legislation in the aftermath of the Aldhani heist. Still, they remain obedient and docile apart from some isolated complaints. But this quiet acceptance of the status quo changes when the prisoners find out that they are never getting out of Narkina 5. Or, rather, that they might get out, but only to be locked up somewhere else.
In Episode 9, Ulaf (Christopher Fairbank), the oldest prisoner in Narkina 5, succumbs to a massive stroke. A doctor is called to help him when he feels ill, but it’s to no avail. This, however, gives Kino (Andy Serkis) and Cassian the opportunity to talk with someone that knows what’s going on around the massive prison. Doctor Rhasiv (Adrian Rawlins) reveals to them that a prisoner that was supposed to be released was actually just transferred to a different floor. This was a mistake, for the men on the second floor recognized their fellow inmate from the fifth. To keep their error a secret, the guards fried the entire floor. One hundred men were electrocuted to death. Upon hearing this story, Kino and Cassian deduce that no one in Narkina 5 is actually getting out: they are just being sent to different prisons. From then on, it's just a matter of time for the news to break, awakening a rebellious sentiment in the heart of every single prisoner in Narkina 5.
What happens to the men in Narkina 5 is paralleled by a decline in the quality of life of the people on the outside. Just like being a prisoner in Narkina 5, living “free” under the Empire doesn’t have to be that bad. Oppression might make your food taste bland and void your life of color, but, as long as you keep your head down, obey, and work hard, you can go about your daily business as if nothing serious is happening. However, after the raid on the Aldhani garrison, the Empire’s constant presence became harder and harder to ignore. Draconian laws are passed overnight, imperial guards become nearly omnipresent, and people are arrested for the littlest of things never to see the sun again. It becomes obvious to every citizen of the Empire that, even if they still have their so-called freedom, they are nothing but prisoners of the regime, completely at its mercy.
The Prison Escape Represents a Desire to Take Freedom For Yourself
Slowly, but surely, the people of the Empire realize that they are trapped beneath the emperor’s proverbial boot, and no one is coming to help them. They must, then, help themselves by rebelling against a power that seems to be getting more and more overbearing, but also more and more terrified of those who live under it. Since they already have so little and the little they've got can be taken away from them in the blink of an eye, the people of the Empire realize that, in fact, they have nothing left to lose - that is, nothing but their chains.
Likewise, the men in Narkina 5 realize that they are completely cut out from the rest of the galaxy. No one knows where they are or what is happening to them. Thus, the only people that can do something about their situation are themselves. The Empire has already taken their lives in the figurative sense, and it can just as easily kill them for real. They are, for all intents and purposes, already dead. Thus, they have nothing to lose in their struggle to come back to life. There is only one way out of Narkina 5, just like there is only one way out of the Empire’s rule, and that is by fighting those in power and running towards the exit door. In the end, to paraphrase Cassian Andor, it’s best to die trying to take them down than to give the Empire what it wants: your freedom and your life.
In this scenario, Kino’s tragic ending stands in for everyone that is left behind in the fight for a life free of oppression. His heartbroken “I can’t swim” represents those that will never manage to live their rebelliousness to the fullest out of fear of braving the uncertain waters ahead, but who won’t let it stop them from lending a helping hand to those in need. The fact that Kino will most certainly die whether he jumps into Narkina 5’s waters or is recaptured by the guards is a bleak reminder that not everyone will make it to the end. Many, like Cassian himself, will die fighting for a better galaxy, whether their fight takes place inside or outside of prisons.