'Andor': What happened on Kenari?
'Andor' didn't waste time getting into Cassian's (Diego Luna) childhood. The 'Rogue One' prequel premiered with three episodes on Wednesday, September 21, and focused on the early days of the Rebel captain and intelligence officer. As expected, there was a storyline about Cassian's childhood and how it all went from normal to murky in a day.
It is revealed that Cassian is from Kenari, a small planet in the mid-Rim system. The planet comprised of the indigenous population — one that Cassian has his roots from, and a segment that Diego Luna wanted to consciously include. As one of the executive producers of the show, it was a creative call that he made, and that works perfectly for the series. The Kenari adds to the reason why Luna decided to retain his Mexican accent on the show and in the 2016 movie. However, Kenari's beauty, thanks to its dense forestry is short-lived after a Republic assault.
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What happened on Kenari?
The first episode sees the kids on Kenari spot a Republic ship going down and crashing. A group decides to investigate the wreckage where they see dead officers with their skin turned yellow with what looks like radioactive poisoning. For those who caught the series, this is in tune with what Xanwan says about Kenari — a lush green planet abandoned after the Imperial mining disaster. It was considered toxic and there was Imperial prohibition imposed.
Quite simply, the events on the planet can be labeled as what Xanwan says although what isn't explained is the death of the officers. Cassian, then called Kassa by his Kenari tribe is rescued by Maarva (Fiona Shaw) and Clem (Gary Beadle) who scavenge the vessel for parts. With Republic ships coming in to wipe out any traces of the mining, they grab Cassian and make a quick getaway. The bigger question is if the Republic caused genocide and framed it as a mining accident. Only time will tell.
'Andor' Episodes 1-3 are available for streaming on Disney+. Episode 4 premieres Wednesday, September 28.