Kassa (episode)

"Kassa" is the premiere episode of the first season of Andor. The episode is directed by Toby Haynes and written by Tony Gilroy. It premiered on September 21, 2022 alongside the second and third episodes.
==Official description==
Cassian Andor's reckless search for answers about his past makes him a wanted man.
==Expanded description==
Long before the mission to secure the Death Star plans made him a hero of the Rebellion, a reckless Cassian Andor searches for information about his past. This obsession takes him to the seedy quarters of a world where an encounter with authorities brands Cassian as a wanted criminal. His attempt to lay low on Ferrix brings his problems home.
==Plot summary==
===Trip to Morlana One===
Cassian Jeron Andor walks down a dreary causeway. Making his way into the Leisure Zone on Morlana One, he enters a brothel and orders a beverage at the bar. Andor is served by a humanoid female hostess with afro hair. Two Pre-Mor Security Inspection team sentry guards, Verlo Skiff and Kravas Drezzer, take umbrage at the slight of Andor being served first, despite their longer wait. The hostess tells the men to behave, but the older of the two guards, Drezzer, wants to pick a fight with Andor.
Andor inquires about a woman from Kenari in the Mid Rim, but is told that the only woman by that description left "several months ago." When Andor persists with his questions, the hostess asks about his relationship with the woman. Andor explains that he is looking for his sister. The hostess replies that she disappeared and advises Andor to leave. When Andor asks about his sister's name, the hostess replies that nobody gives their real name.
Andor leaves the brothel and walks through the street. He is followed by the two guards from the brothel, who demand that he produce identification. When Andor doesn't respond, Drezzer raises a blaster. Andor raises his hand while the guards quip about abusing their power. Andor allows the guards to search him before fighting back. During the struggle, he shoots one of the guards with a blaster and subdues the second one. He forces the second guard to tend to his comrade Verlo Skiff at gunpoint. They quickly discover that Skiff has died from his injuries. Drezzer pleads for mercy by offering to cover up Andor's role in Skiff's death. Andor is unmoved and shoots Drezzer, then flees offworld on a starship.
===Life on Ferrix===
Later on the planet Ferrix, a red B2 groundmech salvage assist unit named B2EMO travels through a town's dirt streets. The droid encounters a pack of Corellian hounds. One of the creatures urinates on the droid but it drives the hound away with its electro-shock prod. The groundmech heads back to Andor's transport and tells Andor that he has brought back what he told him to get.
Andor experiences a flashback of his sister Kerri and fellow Alpha children watching a starship crashing into the mountains. In the present, B2EMO asks Andor where he went but Andor refuses to share the information. B2EMO tells his master that Jezzi and Femmi brought supper and Maarva's medicine. B2EMO also tells him that his friend Brasso was looking for him and that Maarva is concerned that Andor is mixing with bad company and getting himself into trouble. Andor tells the droid to conceal his whereabouts before fixing one of the droid's wires.
Andor later travels into town and meets Brasso outside of his workplace. He tells Brasso to lie about meeting Andor for a drink the previous night. Brasso agrees, but embellishes the account with a story about Andor getting drunk and injuring himself, to cover for the scrape on his forehead.
===Hushing up a crime===
At the Corporate Security Headquarters on Morlana One, Pre-Mor Deputy Inspector Syril Karn informs his superior Chief Inspector Hyne about the death of two of his colleagues the previous night. Hyne makes a passing remark about the security officer's modified uniform before mentioning that one of the fallen guards was named Kravas Drezzer, a former commander who had been reduced to the rank of corporal. Hyne expresses his distaste for Drezzer before turning his attention to the suspect, who is described as a human with dark features asking about a Kenari girl. After learning that the two guards had not been robbed, Hyne opines that it will be a tough case to solve.
After turning off the recording system, Hyne tells Karn that the case bears the hallmarks of "regrettable misadventure." He tells Karn to cover up the deaths of the Pre-Mor security guards and to falsify key details including situating it outside the Leisure Zone. Karn points out that they were murdered but Hyne tells him to report that the men were killed in a brothel fight after drinking Revnog, an illegal beverage. Hyne tells him to write that the security guards died in the line of duty.
Hyne wants to cover up the deaths since he is heading to an Imperial Regional Command review and wants to present a favorable report about criminal activity within Preox-Morlana territory in order to prevent Imperial interference. Hyne's words unnerve the deputy inspector.
===Trying to make ends meet===
Meanwhile, Andor visits the mechanic Bix Caleen at her garage. Caleen notices Andor's injury, but he is evasive when asked about it. Andor says that he wants to sell an object immediately, but the mechanic explains that she does not sell single objects, preferring to bundle things. She tells Andor that a Tac Corvette will be visiting this week looking for scrap. Caleen suggests scavenging some Imperial technology but Andor is impatient. He explains that he has obtained an untraceable Imperial N-S9 Starpath Unit and will be meeting with a contact. Caleen is reluctant to get involved, but Andor is determined to go ahead with his plan.
Timm Karlo enters the garage with news about an upcoming Wobani run and asks Caleen if she is interested. Caleen says she will get back in touch. Sensing that Caleen has feelings for Karlo, Andor asks if Karlo knows anything about his clandestine work. Caleen reassures him that Karlo knows nothing. Later, Andor speaks with Karlo about finding a life partner. In a flashback scene, Andor and his tribe participate in an initiation ceremony which involves painting black paint stripes on their faces.
Elsewhere, Syril tasks a signals officer with tracking Andor's starship, which landed on Morlana One illegally. Later, Andor is confronted by Nurchi, who wants Andor to pay back his deposit. Andor says he is unable to at the moment. Andor is also cornered by Vetch, who is serving as Nurchi's "muscle." Andor accuses Vetch of selling him out to Nurchi. Andor promises to pay back his deposit before walking away.
Caleen tells Karlo she is leaving the garage to run some errands. Karlo follows her through the streets, bumping into a mechanic on the way. Caleen visits a dealer, telling him that she is looking for a Bendine Mesh-Tech filter. He tells her that it is in the yellow racks at the back. Caleen heads into the garage and climbs up a ladder where she taps into a circuit box.
In another flashback, the group of children prepare to investigate the fallen ship, putting black smears on their faces and preparing dart weapons. Kassa is originally left out, but a girl, the eldest of the group and the leader, lets him don his disguise, as well.
===Trouble approaching===
Karn asks his team of analysts if they have uncovered any leads on Kenari males on Ferrix. The analysts have little information about the planet Kenari with the most recent census dating back six years. Karn is determined to pursue the murder investigation and issues an order for Kenari human men on Ferrix to be questioned.
Back on Ferrix, a bearded man named Pegla meets with Andor aboard his transport. Pegla asks Andor what he is doing and tells him that he is in the office. Andor tells him that he has refueled the ship. Pegla notices that Andor has swapped the ship's chip logs. The boss, Zorby, speaks over the overhead projectors and asks Pegla to explain what is going on. Pegla claims that yard rats are back. Zorby tells him to deal with a customer and to set the hounds on the rats. Andor asks if he could borrow his ship but Pegla is unwilling to get involved in Andor's activities. He tells Andor to finish his work and not to return.
In a flashback scene, a young Kassa and his tribe gather to retrieve supplies from the fallen ship. Kassa's sister Kerri wants to follow but is too young. Kassa promises to return.
==Development==
For a short period of time after "Kassa" was released, Disney+ simply titled it "Episode 1."
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