we all know star wars is about family, and i really like how andor has taken that and wove all these different family units into the various storylines so that they act as anchors. the show starts off with cassian looking for his sister, and the loss of his relationship with her more broadly represents the loss of his connection to his people and his culture. cassian's hatred of the imperials is heavily tied into the murder of clem, the man who became his father. even after he leaves the planet, what ties cassian back to ferrix the most is maarva, who won't leave the planet. bix and brasso step in to look after their friend's mom when he's not there, and bix makes the fateful attempt to contact cassian because she's hoping maarva's son might be able to convince her to accept some help for her condition. when dedra arrives she orders her soldiers to keep maarva alive so she can act as bait. cassian will never truly be able to leave ferrix behind while his family's there. (and while it hasn't really been touched on yet, i do hope the series will explore more about the complicated nature of cassian considering maarva family after she - whatever her intentions - essentially kidnapped him. what does it mean for someone to become your family if they took you away from the main you were born into?)

on the other side, there's syril, who benefits from nepotism and gets to have a fresh start due to his connections while also becoming more unstable because in order to draw on these connections he's had to place himself in a very toxic situation by living with his estranged mother. even as syril gets ahead, getting a promotion, he's still caught up in this feud with his mother that gives him an eternal sense of grievance that will undoubtedly fuel his villainous actions. even the imperials of aldhani are shown to have dysfunctional family lives, where spouses and children become props to help gain favor.

but then you also have mon mothma who dives into the rebellion almost as an escape from her seriously tortured home life. her husband snipes and undercuts her, but she that's okay because she can fake a smile through another terrible dinner and smuggle family money to the rebels right under his nose. she's frustrated with her daughter's moody attitude, but makes no real effort to make time for her or understand leida's feelings because she's too busy putting in appearances and having covert meetings. the only person who truly feels like family is her cousin vel, her link to the front lines of the rebellion she's distanced from and the only real confidant she has. vel, meanwhile, can only spend so much time in the figurative trenches, even when it separates her from the woman she loves, or her cover will be blown because she's not living up to the vapid rich girl spending her wealthy family's money.

the familial connections have their fingerprints all over every plot and it just ties so well into the core star wars idea that family will shape your identity and choices in ways you may not even understand.