the questions remaining after Andor season 2.
There were also a host of Andor season 2 theories that weren't true, and I was glad to see that one of them was the idea that Cassian's sister was Kleya. Thankfully, Andor instead decided not to reveal what happened to her. Yet, Cassian's sister wasn't the only character who had an ambiguous or unknown ending in Andor season 2, and one of them is even more disturbing.
Leida's Andor Season 2 Story Was Horrifying
Although It Was Tied To Chandrilan Culture, Seeing A Child Bride Was Still Disturbing
In Andor season 2, Mon Mothma's daughter, Leida, got married when she was just a teenager. This storyline would have been disturbing on its own, as it made Leida a child bride, but it became even more so when this arc depicted how nervous and at times seemingly distressed Leida was about what she was really about to do. Yes, Andor made it clear that young marriages such as this one weren't uncommon in Chandrilan culture, but traditions alone couldn't make this plot point any more comfortable.
Mon Mothma actually becomes the stand-in for the audience throughout these scenes, as she is clearly horrified by this decision by her daughter, and she even tries to talk Leida out of it, much to Leida's annoyance. Ultimately, Leida does go through with the wedding, leaving her future uncertain and Mon and her on terrible . What makes this already unsettling story arc even more disturbing, though, is the fact that Andor never reveals what happened to Leida after this event.
Leida And Mon Mothma Don't See One Another Again After The Wedding
There's No Follow Up On This Story In Andor
Image via Disney+
ittedly, I'd expected some sort of follow-up on this story, especially after Leida was shown crying before her wedding because her husband-to-be was "a child" and because she and Mon had such an awful final interaction together on the day of Leida's wedding. Shockingly, though, Andor left Leida's story on this dour note, without revealing what became of her, her marriage, or her relationship with her mother. Sure, that wasn't really the focus of Andor, but this second and final season showed more about Mon's life for years after this, without any mention of Leida.
Andor left Leida's story on this dour note, without revealing what became of her, her marriage, or her relationship with her mother.
At a minimum, it seemed likely that Andor season 2 would show or make mention of some sort of strained relationship between Leida and her mother in the years that followed. In fact, since the finale showed a brief clip of Mon's husband (with another woman), it would have made sense and fit in for another shot of Leida, perhaps with her husband or conveying some sort of emotion that would have clarified where she stood, to provide some type of ending to her Andor story. Yet, there was no sign of Leida whatsoever following her wedding.
Mon Abandoning Her Daughter Is Difficult To Reckon With
This Issue Is Obviously Complicated, But It Still Changes Mon's Character Somewhat
This storyline complicates Mon Mothma's larger Star Wars story, and it's not necessarily for the better. To be clear, I love Mon, and it's indisputable that she was incredibly important to the Rebellion—especially given her speech about the Ghorman Massacre before the Senate—but it's difficult to accept that she effectively abandoned her daughter. That relationship had been strained from the beginning of Andor season 1, but it still feels different to know that, presumably, after her daughter's wedding, she remained cold and distant with her, as she had been at the wedding.
Star Wars Just Revealed Palpatine's First Failure (& It Was Glorious)
Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious just experienced a very public failure in Andor season 2, episode 9, and it was genuinely satisfying to see.
Obviously, this is complicated. Mon clearly had much bigger fish to fry with the Rebellion ramping up and the need for her to go into hiding following her speech. It makes sense that there would have been a separation between Mon and her daughter in light of those events, especially because, based on her commitment to traditional values evident in her teenage wedding, it's more likely than not that Leida was more aligned with the Empire than the Rebellion. What makes this particularly difficult to swallow, though, is the knowledge that Mon went on to mentor Leia.
This suggests that Leia essentially became Mon's surrogate daughter, even as she had left her own biological daughter behind. In fact, Ahsoka season 1 proved that an affection and bond remained between Mon and Leia in the New Republic Era. Meanwhile, there's been no mention of Leida later in the Star Wars timeline. That may mean that Mon and Leida never reconnect, even after the Empire has fallen, and that's truly sad to imagine.
This suggests that Leia essentially became Mon's surrogate daughter, even as she had left her own biological daughter behind.
Leida Is The Perfect Representation Of How Indoctrination Works
She Bought Into Traditionalism, Which Is A Function Of Fascist Regimes
Image via Disney+
In addition to the sad implications for Leida and Mon Mothma's relationship moving forward, Leida's fate also has implications for the larger Star Wars galaxy. Specifically, Leida's story is a perfect example of how indoctrination and oppression work, particularly under fascist regimes such as the Empire. Andor season 2 was dedicated to revealing exactly that—the real-life, brutal realities of the effects of oppression and fascism on everyday people—and Leida specifically showcases that through a gendered lens.
Namely, Leida's story reinforces the ways in which traditionalist values tend to go hand-in-hand with oppression and help to bolster its power. For Leida, that clearly means a traditional role as a wife (a jarringly young one), which is something that Mon doesn't want for her in part because she knows it will limit her. In the eyes of the Empire, this represents at least one less threat, and, as her own mother proves, one person alone can become quite the threat to the larger system.
Ultimately, this makes Leida's story and her ambiguous ending important to the larger message, but that doesn't necessarily make it any easier to accept. Not only was it difficult to watch a child get married, but it also changed Mon Mothma's character to a certain degree, and not for the better. In that sense, Andor somehow managed to make the ambiguous ending for Leida even more horrifying than not knowing what happened to Cassian's sister in the end.
Andor
- Release Date
- 2022 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- Disney+
- Showrunner
- Tony Gilroy
Cast
Cassian Andor
Luthen Rael
WHERE TO WATCH
Andor is a Star Wars prequel series set before the events of Rogue One, following Cassian Andor as he navigates a world of danger and deception. The series delves into his transformation into a pivotal figure in the struggle against the Galactic Empire.
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