“Andor” dives headfirst into the ins and outs of aristocratic and bureaucratic settings with the respective storylines of Mon Mothma and Syril Karn. As the show exposes the inner workings of the imperialist machine, we are alerted to the corruptive rot at the heart of the Empire’s bureaucratic branch, which seeps into the Senate and those who are a part of aristocratic society.
While Mothma’s allegiances lie with the Rebellion, and she needs to put on a mask at all times, those around her either indulge in ignorance or a sheer lack of spine, as their wealth and social status shield them from the evils of the Empire. As long as they are compliant and do nothing about it, they are safe — a sentiment echoed in the aristocrats who speak with Pershing, who blatantly state that they would rather not get involved, no matter who is in control.
On the bureaucratic front, we follow Karn extensively in “Andor,” and we see his living conditions, along with his workspace after he botches the mission on Ferrix. The show fleshes out the workings of cold, corporate bureaucracy, where officials like Dedra Meero are not above corporate sabotage and social climbing, as long as they emerge at the top. While the bureaucratic office spaces in “The Mandalorian” do not uphold fascist ideals, they aesthetically mimic the same layouts that the Imperial office spaces did.
Even Pershing’s living quarters are exactly like Karn’s, hinting that the new regime has heavily repurposed Imperial ways of operation, although they seem to reject every Empire-sanctioned technology/idea on paper. The similarities do not end here: all rehabilitated Amnesty officials are given codenames, with frequent counseling meant to closely monitor their thought process, with the threat of being sent back to a re-education center looming ominously.
