Why does Andor have to take his shoes off on Narkina 5? In Andor episode 8, we see our leading Star Wars character Cassian Andor transported to an Imperial factory facility, which is a nice way of describing a prison full of slaves to the Empire. But why do we also see his feet?
In the Star Wars series, Cassian had so far evaded the law and the grip of the Empire, but in Andor episode 7 he was finally reprimanded. The reason why Andor was arrested may have been trivial, but his punishment is certainly not.
But what exactly is going on in the new planet Andor is set on? And why does Andor have to take his shoes off on Narkina 5? Warning, spoilers ahead as we explore these questions.
Why does Andor have to take his shoes off on Narkina 5?
The Imperial forces on board the Narkina 5 prison facility insist that all inmates take their shoes off for one very simple reason – they can send very painful electric shocks through the bodies of the prisoners using the floors, directly through their feet.
You may have noticed that all the prison guards on Narkina 5 are wearing special boots on their feet. That’s because the floors of the facility are made from a steel-like metal called tunqstoid, which basically allows the guards to transmit dangerous levels of electricity at will, whenever they need to keep a prisoner in check.
So you see, by making all the prisoners go bare foot on Narkina 5, the guards have the inmates at their mercy at all times. And that, dear reader, is why we had to see so much foot action in the latest episode of the TV series.
What is happening on Narkina 5?
Narkina 5 is essentially a huge base where the Empire is using slaves to manufacture what looks like heavy duty weapons for the Imperial cause. The floating facility has numerous levels and different rooms with various production lines in process.
Each production line is rigorously supervised by people like Kino Loy and production levels are monitored to ensure no one is slacking off. Those workers who perform the best are treated with the reward of food which actually tastes like something, while anyone underperforming will get the shock treatment.
It’s not entirely clear what it is Cassian and Melshi and the rest of the group are building, but it doesn’t look like they’re building toys for underprivileged children, that’s for sure. Our guess would be they are creating some kind of weapon, maybe even the kind of military grade weapon we see used throughout the original trilogy of Star Wars movies.
That’s all we know about Narkina 5 for now, but we’ve a feeling we’ll be back there very soon. Until then, check out our guide on the Andor filming locations. Or, learn more about who Axis is in Andor. Alternatively, check out our guide to the Andor season 2 release date.