Andor finally addresses season 1's biggest fan complaint

Andor episode 11 spoilers follow.

It only took eleven episodes, but we've finally got some aliens in Stars Wars' answer to the Bourne movies. Even though we were warned that this wouldn't be your typical Star Wars series, where would we be without outlandishly named aliens like Therm Scissorpunch, Sy Snootles, or Paodok'Draba'Takat Sap'De'Rekti Nik'Linke'Ti' Ki'Vef'Nik'NeSevef'Li'Kek (look him up)?

November 16's 'Daughter of Ferrix' was more of your 'classic' Star Wars, with daring space battles against the Empire and some colourful creatures. Although Diego Luna's Cassian Andor was largely in the background of episode 11, it was a continuation of his escape from the Narkina 5 prison camp that introduced a new species of alien to the galaxy far, far away.

As the Empire tried to track down the escapees on Narkina 5 (sadly not Kino Loy), Cassian and Melshi (Duncan Pow) came across a pair of riddle-talking Narkinians. We're reminded of Simon Pegg's Unkar Plutt from The Force Awakens, but with Narkina 5 being brand-new to Star Wars lore, this is the first known appearance of the lumbering Narkinians.

Capturing Cassian and Melshi in their traps, Dewi and Freedi Pamular ranted about how the Empire has poisoned their water supply. In an unexpected turn, they freed the prisoners and gave Cassian a lift to Niamos.

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There could be an interesting bit of lore here that messes with the usually solid continuity of Star Wars. Fans noted that Dewi looks a lot like Cycyed Ock, who belonged to a species called the Keredian and actually appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Raising even more questions, Cycyed is one of Saw Gerrera's Partisans. It's possible that Dewi and Cycyed are two completely different characters, but given Forest Whitaker's role as Saw in Andor, it would give us more connective tissue between the shows and movies.

Andor has finally embraced aliens after fans questioned why this corner of the galaxy seems sparse. Andor has always pitched itself as a more grounded story that shows us the inner workings of the Rebellion, and according to Gilroy himself, there's a reason aliens have been MIA here.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the Andor overlord explained why your usual cantina scenes have been sidelined.

"There's already so much politics in the show to begin with, and we're trying to tell an adventure story really. So adding strong alien characters means that all of a sudden, there's a whole bunch of new issues that we have to deal with that I don't really understand that well or I just couldn't think of a way to bake them into what we're doing."

It's not technically true that Andor has been alien-free. Earlier in the season, Luthen Rael's (Stellan Skarsgård) meeting with Saw had a fleeting glimpse of Rogue One's Benthic "Two Tubes".

The short-tempered Tognath returned for 'Daughter of Ferrix'. Episode seven's debut of Niamos had a Miami Beach vibe but still included the usual cast of out-there creature designs. Even in the premiere, there was Vetch, the towering Urodel used to intimidate Cassian.

There have also been Easter eggs to alien races, with Luthen's collection of artefacts containing nods to the Rakata, while episode eleven also showed off new items that included a Gungan shield. Don't worry, we don't think there will be a Jar Jar Binks cameo.

Aliens might have been there throughout Andor, but they've been subtle background players for the most part, more like the show's many Easter eggs. It still seems odd that the only ones affected by the Emperor's Public Order Resentencing Directive and sent to the Narkina 5 prison were humans, though.

It'll be interesting to see where we go next, and by the sounds of it, the Empire is really living up to its xenophobic credentials because Gilroy confirmed: "There's certainly no aliens working for the Empire, so that kind of tips it one way, automatically".

Then again, there's always been a different attitude between humans and aliens regarding the Empire – remember the Wookiees of Kashyyk being put in labour camps? Even if there's been a distinct lack of alien diversity in Andor's debut season, Gilroy said: "It's a legit question and one we'll be answering as we go along."

We've come a long way from Mon Mothma talking to a packed Senate of aliens and ET cameoing in The Phantom Menace. However, as we head into Andor season two and the familiar locale of the Yavin IV rebel base, there's definitely scope for Admiral Ackbar to return.

Andor streams on Disney+, with new episodes every Wednesday.

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Tom Chapman

Tom Chapman is a pop culture-loving writer and NCTJ-accredited Broadcast Journalist with over seven years of experience covering the small and silver screen. 

Starting his career with a post at Movie Pilot in Berlin, Tom took on freelancing full-time with regular stints at Digital Spy, Screen Rant and Comic Book Resources.

These days, you can still find him covering all things Marvel and Star Wars at Digital Spy, while dipping his toe in bylines at Yahoo! and IGN. 

Tom likes to think his spirit animal is a cross between Gale Weathers and Olenna Tyrell.

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