Andor shows that Saw Gererra's group of rebels, the Partisans, is even bigger than previously shown in Star Wars. Gererra has appeared in several Star Wars shows and movies, including Rogue One, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and now Andor. A more radical rebel than most, he frequently comes into conflict with other Star Wars heroes, while also fighting against the Empire.
In Andor, Luthen Rael visits Saw and the Partisans on Segra Milo. After an argument with Saw about the fate of fellow rebel Anto Kreegyr in episode 11, "Daughter of Ferrix," Luthen encounters an Imperial cruiser above the planet. The Imperial captain tries to reel in Luthen's haulcraft with the cruiser's tractor beam, remarking, "There's been Partisan activity in the area." This quote proves that not only is the Empire well aware of the Partisans at this point in time, but they also expect random citizens to know about them, too.
Why Saw Gerrera's Partisans Were So Well Known
Saw Gerrera formed the Partisans almost immediately after the rise of the Galactic Empire from what remained of his Onderon rebellion. Unlike the rest of the Rebel Alliance, the Partisans often took extreme tactics to get what they wanted, including killing civilians. One such incident is described in Rebel Rising by Beth Revis, which covers Jyn Erso's life with Saw and the Partisans. When the Partisans infiltrate a festival on Inusagi, they massacre the attendees, including Imperials, the Inusagi chieftess, and innocent Inusagi citizens.
Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray describes the Partisans' assassination of Moff Quarsh Panaka in a bombing that almost kills Princess Leia and Naboo Queen Dalné. The bombing causes a further rift between Gerrera and Bail Organa. These are just a couple of attacks by Saw and the Partisans that created their reputation across the galaxy, and led to their rejection by the Rebel Alliance.
Why The Empire Wanted The Galaxy To Fear The Partisans
Although Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and the rest of the Rebel Alliance distanced themselves from the Partisans, the Empire still used them as a reason for citizens to fear the rebellion. The Empire labeled the Partisans as a terrorist group and equated them to the less violent rebels, instilling fear of all rebellion into average people across the galaxy. In this way, the Empire was able to better control people and repress the rebellion that did happen.
In Andor, Saw Garerra and his Partisans being active nearby is the only excuse the Empire needs to search Luthen's ship. They have no reason to believe Luthen is connected to them or the Rebel Alliance at large. A regular person with no means to escape would have been subjected to a search, and maybe worse, all because Partisans are in the area. Saw Gerrera and the Partisans are a divisive group, but the Andor scene shows how powerful they are for both the Rebel Alliance and the Empire.
New episodes of Andor release on Wednesdays on Disney+.
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