A Look at how the Banality of Evil Makes the Empire Worse than Ever in Andor
The Galactic Empire is evil; anyone who has seen Star Wars can attest to this fact. Its leaders embody the worst traits any sentient life can offer and are willing to commit atrocity after atrocity to get what they want. One would think that after seeing everything the Empire does, more people would have started turning on it before the Rebel Alliance came into being. Yet despite seeing how evil it is time after time, we see plenty of examples in Star Wars media of decent people not only serving it, but doing so willingly. It might seem baffling to us, the audience, but then you remember that most of the franchise tends to focus on things from the top-down. That’s what makes a show like Andor so unique, as it shows what is, perhaps, the most evil aspect of the Empire: its banality.
The Banality of Evil
The “banality of evil” is a phrase that was first coined by the philosopher Hannah Arendt back in 1963. It was the primary thesis for a book she wrote covering the trial of Adolf Eichmann by the Israeli Government. One of the principal organizers of the Holocaust, Eichmann had been on the run since the fall of the Nazis, only to finally be captured and extradited back to Israel to stand trial for his crimes against humanity. Instead of seeing some over-the-top, maniacal monster, though, what Arendt saw was this tiny, self-important little man who had never thought to question if what he did as a Nazi was wrong. He was, for all intents and purposes, an ordinary man who had become an unthinking part of a greater evil; a cog.
Thus, Arendt coined “the banality of evil” to describe a kind of evil that is so pervasive that ordinary people don’t even think to question it. Andor seems to have taken this idea to heart, as the banality of evil serves as one of its core themes.
As much as he wanted to rule with an iron fist right off the bat, Darth Sidious was smart. Rebel Spymaster Luthen Rael put it best when he told Mon Mothra that the Empire was choking the Galaxy so slowly, most no longer seemed to realize it. Under him, the Empire would gradually whittle away at what little freedom the Galaxy had left, and by the time enough people would recognize that, the Death Star would be hanging over the Galaxy’s heads. And the scariest part to this was that it was working.
When Andor was unfairly arrested halfway through the first season, the judge didn’t seem to listen to his pleas of innocence. All they cared about was getting their work done so they could go home. Not once did the judge stop and question whether or not Andor was genuinely guilty or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s that kind of apathy and lack of critical thinking that a regime like the Empire encourages, because that’s how it controls people.
And when that fails, it turns to another time-honored tactic of fascism: manipulation.
Syril Karn Was Nothing but a Pawn
The Ghorman Massacre serves as a significant watershed moment for the history of the Star Wars. In order to get the resources that it needs to power the Death Star, the Empire decides to remove the population of the wealthy planet Ghorman so it bleed it dry of the materials it needs. Since Ghorman is prosperous and influential, though, they can’t take it by force. Instead, they go a more subtle route. In a conference devoid of any empathy, the higher-ups of the Empire conspire to turn the Galaxy against the Ghorman while also manipulating the Ghor into striking out against the Empire. And their central pawn to see this through is an ordinary man by the name of Syril Karn.
Syril is perhaps Andor’s best example of the banality of the Empire’s evil. He’s not evil himself, possessing a strong sense of justice, best shown by his attempts to capture Andor, whom he sees as a dangerous murderer. Since the Empire doesn’t like people taking their own initiative, though, this cost Syril his job and forced him to move back in with his mother. Had Syril been more of a critical thinker, this moment should have been the start of him realizing that the Empire isn’t what he thought it was. Instead, he continues to believe in what it’s trying to do, with tragic results.
When the Ghorman Massacre ultimately takes place, Syril is rightfully horrified by what he sees. He realizes that he’s been manipulated into being an accomplice to something genuinely horrifying, something that he angrily calls his ISB girlfriend, Dedra Meero, out on. By that point in time, though, it’s already too late for him to do anything, with the Ghorman leader ultimately killing him for his unwitting role in the Massacre. Syril Karn wanted to do good and make a difference in the Galaxy, but he realized far too late that he was just another cog in this evil machine. That’s all everyone in the Galaxy ever was to the Empire.
Dedra Meero: The Results of a Corrupt System
By our nature, humans can be equally selfless and selfish. Our ability to empathize with other people’s plight can spur us to do truly incredible acts of goodwill. At the same time, though, our desire to look out for ourselves can lead us to make decisions that only benefit us at the expense of those around us. In an ideal society, people can be encouraged to be good and selfless, as that can ultimately benefit it us all.
Unfortunately for everyone, the Empire is not that kind of society, as it is built on the Sith’s tenets of survival-of-the-fittest. Everyone is encouraged to stab each other in the back and do whatever it takes to get ahead, and rewards them for doing so. What those same people fail to realize, though, is that when they no longer serve the Empire’s interests, it will abandon them without a second thought. And the most prominent example of that is Dedra Meero.
Dedra Meero is a woman with several admirable qualities: she’s smart, hard-working, and very good at her job. Had she born in a better time, she likely could’ve done a lot of good for the Galaxy. Instead, she lived under the Empire and worked for the ISB, which encouraged her worst character traits. Andor showed Dedra doing many horrible things, and while she did them for her own benefit, a part of her must have thought her actions served a greater good.
By the time the show comes to an end, though, she’s faced with the stone-cold truth: she had wasted her life. She had sacrificed her chance at love and whatever morals she might have had, and what does she have to show for it? Abandoned by the Empire she served and left to rot. And for extra irony, it’s thanks to her that the Rebellion ever learns about what’s coming, setting up the rest of the story. History may not end remembering who Luthen and Dedra are, but if it does, Luthen will be seen as an unsung founder of the Rebellion, while Dedra will be another mindless cog in the machine.
The Empire is Evil, Simple as That
In a review of a Season Two episode of The Bad Batch, it was said that the greatest evil of the Empire is how corrupting it is. As Maarva Andor posthumously puts in the Season One finale to Andor, the Empire is a darkness that has spread from the heart of the Galaxy. It slowly chokes the life and liberty out of everyone, making them numb to the fact that they are slowly being led to the slaughter. It turns people against each other, makes them think that if they do as they’re told, no matter how awful, then they can remain safe. But regimes like the Empire will never follow the rules they claim to uphold, only doing so whenever it suits them and killing anyone who speaks out. And by the time enough people realize that this monster is coming for all of them, they won’t be able to fight back.
That is what evil as an institution looks like, and it is something that people in the real world should be familiar with. That is what the banality of evil looks like in action, and for those who have seen governments that should serve the people turn into something like the Empire, it is like a nightmare that you can’t wake up from on your own. Andor serves as a potent reminder that evil doesn’t always come in the form of mystical Sith Lords or men like Grand Moff Tarkin.
Sometimes, the greatest evil comes in the form of everyday people who choose not to say anything against injustice until it is too late. Thankfully, as viewers already know, the events of Andor come to play a vital role in the ultimate collapse of the Empire and, eventually, the collapse of the Sith themselves. That is what makes Andor so brilliant, and why it’s one of the best things to ever happen to Star Wars.
This movie is awesome. I’ve watched it three times.