Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Episode 1-3 of Andor.Andor is showing a different side of the Star Wars universe than what we’ve ever seen before. While Rogue One: A Star Wars Story initially seemed like it would be a darker war film in the vein of Saving Private Ryan, it ultimately became the same sort of epic conflict that we’ve come to expect from the series. However, Andor certainly does not feel like it's digging up the past for nostalgia’s sake; Tony Gilroy envisioned the series as an espionage thriller, similar to the Bourne franchise.
This means that we’re finally getting to see some new planets in the Star Wars universe. After spending so much time on Tatooine in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, it's definitely a nice change of pace. The first episode of Andor introduces a new villainous force within the galaxy: Preox-Morlana. The corporate conglomerate takes their orders from the Galactic Empire, and has political control over the planets in the Trade sector where Andor takes place.
Although we haven’t seen exactly how Preox-Morlana interacts with the Empire yet, it's clear that the Pre-Mor officers show the same brutality to the citizens under their jurisdiction as their Imperial counterparts. An investigation into Cassian (Diego Luna) causes the Pre-Mor officers to search for him on the planet Ferrix, where he lives with his adopted mother, Maarva (Fiona Shaw). While Ferrix is an impoverished, struggling planet, Preox-Morlana bases their headquarters in the urban world Morlana One.
Morlana One’s Structure
Similar to Coruscant in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Morlana One is a sprawling cityscape with no signs of wildlife or natural features. While Coruscant is dominated by politicians, Morlana One is overrun with corporations. In this sector of the galaxy, there is nothing more powerful than greed. Preox-Morlana has leveraged their alliance with the Empire to grant themselves with plentiful rewards. This allows the show to show its darker sci-fi influences; the visual design of Morlana One feels closer to sci-fi neo-noir films like Blade Runner and Dark City than a more colorful space opera.
The citizens on Morlana One serve primarily as miners and industrial workers, as Cassian passes by several construction sights in the first episode, “Kassa.” The planet is showered with rainfall, which adds to the eerie feel of the premiere episode. However, Morlana One also has a seedier side outside the government sectors. Cassian enters a local brothel in the “Leisure Zone,” where he searches for his sister. This section could be compared to the lower levels of Coruscant that we see in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
While Cassian is at the brothel, he attracts the attention of the Pre-Mor officers Verlo Skiff (Stephen Wight) and Kravas Drezzer (Lee Boardman). They follow him outside and confront him. Things get violent very quickly, and Cassian is forced to kill them. Murdering two security officers on a stronghold like Morlana One is probably a bad idea; the crime quickly attracts the attention of those at Preox-Morlana’s headquarters.
Morlana One’s Headquarters
The disappearance of Skiff and Drezzer attracts the attention of the Pre-Mor officer Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), who reports to his superior Chief Hyne (Rupert Vansittart) at the Corporate Security Headquarters. This section of the planet rests high above the rest of the city in spherical orbs. It’s organized like a business, and Hyne isn’t willing to pursue the matter any further. Admitting that two officers under his command were spotted at a brothel could cause issues, especially since he has to go off-world to attend an Imperial meeting.
This shows the complex relationship that Preox-Morlana has with the Empire; they’re able to rule over Morlana One under the terms of their agreement, but they don’t want to attract any attention from the Empire. However, Karn refuses to drop the matter. He utilizes the command section of the Corporate Headquarters to search for Cassian’s information. After receiving a report from the merchant Timm Karlo (James McArdle), Karn goes behind Hyne’s back to lead the Pre-Mor officers in a raid of Ferrix.
We see from the events of “That Would Be Me” that Morlana One has much more advanced technological resources than those on Ferrix. It’s mentioned that another world named “Morlana Four” exists in the same region, and it's likely that all the resources in the system have been seized by the capital.
Where Is Morlana One?
Although the “Free Trade sector” of the Star Wars galaxy is a new side of the universe created for Andor, it bears similarities to the Corporate Sector of the Outer Rim in the Legends timeline. In A.C. Crispin’s trilogy of novels centered around a young Han Solo, it’s explained that the “Corporate Sector Authority” is created by the Empire to serve as its security force in the region. Han’s homeworld of Corellia is in this region, so perhaps Andor will feature a visit to the planet we saw in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Since Morlana One is a mining world, it's possible that it may have some criminal ties as well. Although the Empire reigns supreme, criminal bodies like the Hutts and Crimson Dawn have a powerful influence on some of the outer regions of the galaxy.