If you haven’t seen Andor episode 6 yet, you had probably better stop reading, because we’re about to discuss a pretty major death from the latest instalment of the Star Wars series. There were many Star Wars characters who didn’t make it out of the episode alive, but one person who died during the Rebel heist went in tragic yet brilliant circumstances.
The new TV series on the streaming service Disney Plus follows Cassian Andor, who you may remember from the Star Wars movie Rogue One. The show acts as a prequel to that science fiction movie and tracks Cassian as he becomes more and more involved with the Rebel cause.
In episode 6, we see Andor and his newfound allies carry out a big heist to steal from the Empire, and things naturally don’t quite go to plan, leading to the death of heroes and villains alike. Here’s how one death in particular links back to Rogue One and offers some clever symbolism at the same time. Final warning for spoilers!
Okay, so here’s how Karis Nemik’s death is not only heartbreaking, but is also a very smart analogy for what’s going on in the Star Wars galaxy too.
Nemik’s death is a complete accident. He doesn’t go down in a blaze of glory like most do in this episode of the sci-fi series, instead he is simply crushed by the huge stacks of payroll data the Rebels have stolen while trying to escape. What’s fascinating here then is that Nemik, a young man who was so acutely aware of the oppression of the Empire, was ultimately killed under the weight of the evil regime’s vast resources.
It’s a brutally ironic death for arguably the nicest member of the Rebel group involved in the heist. Nemik’s death is not just clever for the way it occurs though, it also bears a sad connection to another of Cassian’s fallen allies.
In Rogue One, the robot K-2SO utters the word “climb” as his final interaction with Cassian before sacrificing himself for the Rebel cause. In Andor episode 6, Nemik’s final word… you guessed it, he tells Cassian to “climb” as he directs him out of the Aldhani meteor shower.
We’re not crying, you are! If you want to know more about Andor, check out our guide to what’s on Karis Nemik’s manifesto. Or, here’s all the Easter eggs in Luthen Rael’s collection.