I Am High on Saw Gerrera’s Supply

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Warning: Plot details from episodes 1 to 6 of the second season of ‘Andor’ and the 2016 film ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ are revealed ahead.

In this revised sentence, I have used a more natural and conversational style while maintaining the same meaning. The warning is clearer and easier to comprehend, making it suitable for a wider audience.

It’s quite likely that the character of Saw Gerrera, portrayed by Forest Whitaker in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (which serves as inspiration for the series “Andor” and sets the narrative direction), wasn’t designed for us to admire. This rebel leader is depicted as more machine-like than human, with metallic legs, an oxygen mask, and a haunting gaze that hints at paranoia and danger. The name Saw Gerrera bears a striking resemblance to Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, but the way he was portrayed in “Rogue One” seemed more like a critique than a tribute.

In the Star Wars universe, both the Rebel Alliance and Imperial officer Krennic label Saw Gerrera as an “extremist” or “fanatic.” This is due to his propensity for torture and guerrilla warfare tactics. His final words, “Save the Rebellion. Save the dream!,” seem almost remorseful, suggesting he may be coming to terms with the futility of his years of fighting. While Saw doesn’t surrender, his death during Jedha City’s destruction lacks the heroic grandeur of Cassian and Jyn’s sacrifices in obtaining the Death Star plans. The portrayal of Saw as less noble due to his departure from the Rebellion’s mainstream is consistent with Star Wars’ traditional black-and-white view of right and wrong. However, Andor stands out by delving into the gray areas and complexities of war, often overlooked in the larger Star Wars saga. (Keep in mind, this was originally a tale for children!) In the world of Andor, Saw Gerrera emerges as the series’ most intriguing creation, embodying anti-colonial thought, and a character to whom I, like Wilmon Paak, am ready to swear allegiance. Give me that rhydo, Saw, let’s get to work!

In the first season of “Andor”, Cassian’s character evolved from a rebellious smuggler to a dedicated spy under Luthen Rael’s guidance. However, the second season seems to be adopting a different tone, focusing more on the question of “What happens next?” as the series delves into the challenges of forming a unified coalition with common goals.

In this pre-“Rogue One” timeline, Saw, who was initially an outsider, has been given more screen time in these first two episodes. Through his appearances, he’s becoming more developed, more relatable as a character shaped by his circumstances, and a symbol of the difficulties in achieving consensus.

In the debut of Saw’s character in the series, during the inaugural episode of “Narkina 5” in season one, we get a glimpse of the deeply distrustful man he would become five years later, as depicted in Rogue One. He is both logical and acerbic, displaying suspicion towards Luthen’s proposition for collaboration and showing contempt towards various factions across the galaxy. He labels “Maya Pei” as a neo-Republican and derides the “Ghorman Front.” As season two unfolds a year later in BBY 4, Saw’s warnings about these groups prove to be prophetic, validating his assessment that forging alliances or launching uprisings is not as straightforward as it seems. The Maya Pei brigade, characterized by their lack of discipline and pettiness, end up imprisoning Cassian and engage in mutual conflict until they are all eliminated. The Ghorman Front, inexperienced and unprofessional, are easily influenced by the Empire and prone to panic, potentially leading to the accidental death of Cinta. A more seasoned group might have avoided such a fate.

In the fourth episode of season two, titled “Ever Been to Ghorman?”, Saw’s inexperience with their cause is striking. On D’Qar, his followers have been trained and are ready for a new mission, this time involving the theft of the highly volatile fuel, rhydonium. Saw, who speaks about rhydonium with an almost affectionate tone, explains that mastering its handling opens up a wealth of opportunities. However, handling rhydonium is dangerous, as it can cause death by melting one’s skin or burning from within. This task serves as a test to determine how much these rebels are willing to sacrifice for the cause. Saw anticipates this challenge and his relationship with young Wilmon, who became a rebel after the Imperial Security Bureau tortured, killed, and publicly executed his father Salman on Ferrix, mirrors Luthen’s mentorship of Cassian in many ways.

In a different scenario, Luthen persuades Cassian to participate in the war by manipulating him into becoming a mercenary on Aldhani, whereas Saw coerces a young recruit, now known as “Wilmon the Boy,” into traveling with his team to another planet to steal rhydo. Similarly, Cassian discovers that Luthen’s daring actions and unpredictable targets are essential for the Rebellion, and Saw’s harshness and recklessness are a consequence of his prolonged struggle against oppression – tools used to counteract the Empire’s obsession with compliance. In the fifth episode titled “I Have Friends Everywhere,” we observe Saw boasting to Wilmon about how the fighters of the Rebellion are like the rhydo, the energy source for their cause. The series Andor portrays Saw as someone who could not have been any different due to his experiences rather than someone peculiar because of his brutality and instability.

If Luthen embodies a revolutionary take on Darth Vader within the series Andor, then Saw functions as its armed representative of Frantz Fanon, serving as a lens for critical theory shaped by a kyber crystal. Many aspects of Saw are influenced by Fanon’s anti-colonialist ideas in his 1961 book “The Wretched of the Earth,” where he discussed the psychological impact of living under imperialism and asserted that “decolonization is truly the creation of new men.” In Rogue One, we learn that Saw was once forced into slave labor at an Imperial work camp on Onderon. Given such oppressive circumstances, it’s understandable for one to become mentally unstable before finding solace in resistance.

In contrast to Jyn Erso, who avoids acknowledging the Imperial flag dominating the galaxy by refusing to look up, Saw is dismayed by her apathy. He urges his fellow rebels to find their purpose in the fight against the Empire, encouraging them to confront the Imperial emblem and recognize their unwavering resolve to destroy it.

It seems unrealistic to anticipate victory in such an unequal battle. Additionally, inhaling rhydo likely doesn’t aid Saw in maintaining composure. The oxygen mask in the movie “Rogue One” now carries a deeper meaning. Despite Whitaker’s spectacular portrayal of Saw in this scene, filled with grandeur and bravado, he also conveys a sense of desperate determination, hinting at his limited time in such a high-stakes conflict. His speech to Wilmon as the latter taps into a rhydo pipe – “Revolution is not for the sane. Look at us. Neglected. Pursued. Used as cannon fodder. We’ll all be dead before the Republic recovers, but here we are” – doesn’t come across as Saw boasting, but rather a religious leader addressing his followers, affirming their worth. His “Remember this, remember this moment” echoes Nemik’s “Remember this: try” from season one, while his “Let it in, boy. That’s freedom calling!” serves as a rallying cry.

In the fictional series, Andor, no rebel leader has delivered a speech as stirring or impactful as the ones we’ve seen so far. The show seems heavily inspired by the ideas of Frantz Fanon, who argued that passive resistance against oppression can lead to psychological distress. While some might view Saw as brutal, the series challenges this perception by suggesting that it is indeed irrational not to resist the Empire in a radical way. By humanizing Saw, Andor challenges the image of a peaceful Rebellion being morally superior and invites us to consider the controversial idea that extremism could potentially be a necessary aspect of revolution.

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2025-04-30 21:56