Week after week, Andor set new bars and soared to unbeatable heights in a galaxy far, far away. Creator Tony Gilroy and everyone involved with the series continuously expanded upon the Star Wars lore through quiet, meticulously poignant episodes that strengthened and developed the titular character we know. At the same time, it introduced us to new faces we’d not only grow attached to but who’ll undoubtedly serve a colossal role in The Empire’s eventual downfall. Andor is unlike anything we’ve seen in this universe, and it’s entirely because the series sets itself beyond the parameters for the darkness that we’ve only ever scratched the surface of on TV.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Andy Serkis is no stranger to Star Wars, considering he’s the master in bringing Supreme Leader Snoke to life, but coming into Andor without any prosthetics, backstory, or expectations ultimately made his character a perfect addition. Serkis’ embodiment of Kino Loy, manager of Narkina 5 prison, allowed viewers to see one of the most terrifying locations in Star Wars while simultaneously reminding us that everyone’s time on this planet is numbered and under severe threats. Through single shots of his expression, screams, and harrowing glimpses into a character we barely know, Serkis brought some of the best performances a guest star has delivered throughout the franchise. He not only showcased his range as an actor, but the character moved the story forward with insurmountable depth.
His Performances Showcase the Terrors at Narkina 5
Lucasfilm
The Sith are known for having some startling lairs in Star Wars, but a place like Andor’s Narkina 5 emanates anxiety-inducing afflictions. From the moment audiences get a glimpse of Cassian Andor in Narkina 5, it’s apparent that he isn’t leaving anytime soon. As he meets people on the inside, like the seemingly emotionless floor manager Kino Loy (Serkis), viewers get a clear glimpse of what manifests internally when a person is confined within those walls for too long. The Imperial complex’s rigorous regimes are enough to make viewers feel uneasy, but one look into Kino Loy’s eyes, and it’s evident that Narkina 5 has sucked the life out of him.
As Cassian uncovers the secrets of the prison complex, the directing subtly shows how barricading the location is through specific choices in the cinematography that illustrate entrapment. The prisoners are left entirely overworked to the bone, exiting the floor only in the case of death. This fact proves to be confirmed directly through the writing later in Season 1, Episode 10, “One Way Out,” when the audience sees that, as the title suggests, the only escape is jumping out into the water. It’s the type of getaway that unfortunately results in the loss of Kino Loy, who admits he cannot swim at the last second.
There is much riding on each actor’s shoulders as their performances acutely reveal the severe hopelessness they’re living through on the inside. It takes meeting Cassian on the inside for Kino to remember bouts of humanity as opposed to focusing solely on his sentence. In an interview with Collider, Serkis stated: “And that’s sort of reigniting his humanity in a way. Then really, in episode 10, he goes on this journey, which is absolutely part of his core belief system, that the power of the individual can help others, and if you unite, you can change the shape of the future. That comes flooding back to him, and you actually see the process of that happening, which ends up with the kind of sacrifice, if you like, in that scene at the end.”
Ultimately, through every look, every change in his tenor, and the utter weariness in his physicality, especially in the end, Serkis showed the audience a plethora of emotions, inadvertently proving that this role wouldn’t be as memorable in the hands of a lesser-skilled actor.
Losing His Character Leaves an Impact
Though Serkis’ Kino Loy is only in three episodes of Andor, the character’s final few moments are as haunting as Cassian Andor and Jyn Erso embracing on the beach in Rogue One. The impact in this final scene ultimately comes from Kino’s, and thus, Serkis’ vocal range as he was trying to rally all the inmates on Narkina 5. Serkis knows how to command a scene with his voice alone, but because we also get glimpses of his face, it shows us clearly that this is among one of the most challenging things the character has ever done. Just as all the inmates at Narkina 5 are supposed to jump toward their freedom, Kino anxiously admits he can’t swim. Serkis repeats the words twice, eyes glued to the stampede, frozen still at the paralyzing thoughts undoubtedly engulfing the character. The audience, to this day, doesn’t know whether he survived in the end, but with everything that we’ve seen from the darker corners of the series, the chances are slim to none.
Still, in these haunting moments, Kino Loy reminds the audience that everyone’s time against The Empire is, in one way or another, numbered. While he did everything necessary to survive the soul-sucking workload as floor manager, in his final moments to escape, his only way to do so was through a method a person can’t just learn instantly. At this moment, the character’s fate blatantly exposed to the audience that before Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo defeat The Empire at its root, many souls paid the price the darkness demanded. Characters whose names the space trio will unfortunately never learn carved paths toward The Rebellion through their sacrifices that remind us that the fight to ignite the spark comes with losses everywhere. There’s plenty the writing tells us thoroughly, but without the character embodiment, it’d be lost in the pools of sacrifices that wouldn’t have had such a haunting impact. The three episodes featuring Serkis set the stage for the terrors to come, relying on Serkis as an actor to show the audience that the decision to fight was his small form of atonement.
