Andor doesn’t just tell the story of how Cassian became a rebel; it also explores his childhood. The first three episodes each feature flashback scenes, telling of Cassian’s youth on Kenari in bits and pieces. In these scenes, Cassian and his yet-unnamed younger sister are shown living in a jungle with a group of other children. They seek out a crashed ship, likely to loot it for supplies, but the mission goes sideways. These flashbacks show the children speaking only in Kenari, with no subtitles to convey their meaning. Yet, the characters present in the scenes, and the relationships between them, are immediately clear to viewers. They are emotionally charged and effective from a storytelling standpoint, despite containing almost no understandable dialogue.
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There are no Kenari adults shown in Cassian’s flashbacks. It is unclear if this is a tribe of only children, or if the adults are simply elsewhere. Regardless, it’s clear that the children are used to fending for themselves. A young girl refers to a boy as “Kassa;” the name is close enough that viewers can infer that this boy is Cassian. In the show’s main timeline, Cassian has already stated that he’s looking for his sister; with this knowledge, audiences can quickly understand that the young girl who embraces him and holds his hand is this sister.
After watching a ship crash in the distance, the group grows excited and begins to prepare for…something. Without understanding the dialogue, audiences don’t know exactly what, but they can discern that it has something to do with the crashed ship that precipitated the excitement. Kassa joins the others, who are grabbing weapons and painting their faces. However, one older boy tries to stop him.
Although viewers don’t understand the words spoken between the children, they don’t need to. Body language and expressions tell them everything. The older boy’s defensive stance and Kassa’s step back indicate that the other boy is trying to dissuade him from joining. One girl, sitting cross-legged in the center, turns towards the older boy and speaks firmly, but not threateningly. He instantly defers to her, respecting her decision; clearly this girl holds a position of authority and leadership. The girl then paints Kassa’s face, showing trust in his ability to join them for whatever it is that they are about to do.
This tribe of Kenari children feels both foreign and familiar. The purposes of their rituals are unknown, and their unfamiliar language and lack of subtitling alienates them from viewers. There’s still much that the audience doesn’t know about the planet of Kenari and its people. They are meant to feel mysterious, and their portrayal in the flashbacks helps maintain that distance from the audience (at least for now). Yet, viewers’ understanding of the group’s dynamics, despite not sharing their language, builds empathy. Kassa’s sister tries to cling to his arm as the armed children leave the village behind; Kassa tries to reassure her as any older sibling would. Viewers may not understand these characters yet, but they care about them.
That empathy for these characters becomes even more essential in the third episode’s flashback scenes. When the children approach the crashed ship, most of them hide in the foliage, while the girl who stuck up for Kassa approaches. This further emphasizes her role as a leader, taking a risk for the rest of the group. Though she only gets a few minutes of screen time and remains without a name, her leadership and bravery makes it gutting when a member of the ship’s crew shoots her dead. Wailing with grief, the others leap into action, avenging her death and carrying her away. It is clear that with this tragedy, the mission has failed.
Kassa, though, stays behind to explore the ship as the other children retreat to mourn their fallen leader. As he explores the ship, he stumbles over disfigured bodies, which remind viewers of the planet’s current status as “toxic.” Eventually, Maarva Andor and her husband Clem find him there, and take him off the planet to safety.
These flashback scenes offer insight into Cassian’s character. They show how he was separated from his sister. They explore his background and what he was like as a child, perhaps foreshadowing the actions he will take as a rebel later in the series. They also show viewers glimpses of Kenari, but don’t fully explain how it reached its current status. It’s unclear why the children are alone on the planet, and why Maarva is so determined to conceal the fact that Cassian is from Kenari. Clearly there is more to be learned about this mysterious planet and its past, including what happened to Cassian’s sister. It is those unanswered questions that make these scenes so powerful. For now, the child tribe of Kenari will keep their secrets to themselves.
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