Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Andor Season 2.
The Rebellion continues to take a heavy toll on its fight against the Empire inAndor. So far,Season 2has already taken away one of Cassian Andor’s (Diego Luna) best friends, Brasso (Joplin Sibtain), in its first three-episode arc, and,now, it has claimed another fan-favorite’s life, rebel agent Cinta Kaz (Varada Sethu). In Episode 6, “What a Festive Evening,” she is part of a mission to help the fledgling Ghorman Front organize its own resistance against the Empire, but ends up killed by a stray blaster shot when everything goes wrong. It’s an especially tragic moment, not just because she dies in her lover’s arms, Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay), but because of everything that plays out after.
Cinta’s Death Perfectly Illustrates the Irony and Tragedy of War
The Ghorman plot is one of the central storylines inAndorSeason 2, and each arc is building a little more in the wake of the now-infamousGhorman Massacre. For the Rebellion, the second arc is all about helping the Ghormans build their own resistance against the Empire, which is escalating the oppression and violence on the planet. First, Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård)sends Cassianto treat with the local rebels, but Cassian is unimpressed and tells him that the Ghormans aren’t ready for open insurgency. Nevertheless, Luthen presses on and sends Vel to help them strike against an Imperial weapons carrier.
Vel’s condition is that Cinta be there, too; together, they were most of the brains and brawn behind the Aldhani heist in Season 1, so the Ghormans couldn’t be in better hands. Still, the locals aresuch proud people, they contest most of Vel and Cinta’s guidance, arguing that “it’s a bit rough taking orders from strangers,” as Dreena (Ella Pellegrini) says. The problem with this approach is that, as right as they may be to fight for their planet,Vel and Cinta’s expertise is considerably more important, but the Ghormans fail to see that, inexperienced as they are. For example, Samm (Abraham Wapler) defies Vel’s “no blasters” directive and hides one on his jacket nonetheless, and that’s what culminates in a stray shot hitting Cinta.
The irony of Cinta’s death is clear: the Rebellion’s most fearless warrior falls victim to a stray shot that came from a gun that shouldn’t even have been there, becausean inexperienced insurgent on his first mission thought he knew betterthan tofollow her orders. Vel’s scolding of Samm later on is perfect, not only from her own personal point of view, but from the Rebellion’s, as well. Cinta was a vital asset, perhaps the most reliable that Luthen had. Samm didn’t need that gun at all, and pulled it out without being ready or having the intention of pulling the trigger when Lezine (Thierry Godard) showed up. Samm’s defiance is so bizarre that it’s Lezine, whom he threatens with the gun, that takes Cinta’s body to the getaway truck. Turns out that rebellions are not just about rebelling, but mostly about discipline and compliance, too.
Cinta Reconnecting With Vel Shows the Personal Cost of Revolution
More than a strategic loss for the Rebellion, though, Cinta’s death also carries a lot of emotional weight for the characters, Vel most of all. The two of them were a couple, and we first met them in the Aldhani arc; since then, they’ve proven to be two of Luthen’s most trusted operatives. They complete each other in many ways, but the Rebellion has taken a toll on their relationship and Cinta’s health. Her reunion with Vel on Ghorman is touching because,for the first time in the whole series, she is openly expressing her feelings towards Vel, as well as admitting that she also has limitations.
In a scene they share the night before the fateful mission on Ghorman, Cinta reveals that she was attacked a year prior, most likely after we see her onChandrilain Episode 3, “Harvest,” when she killsTay Kolma(Ben Miles). This attack has made her realize she is not the unstoppable machine she is depicted as in Season 1. Back then, not only did she perfectly carry out every mission she was given, but she also refused any tenderness from and towards Vel,with a near-fanatical focus on the cause to the detriment of their relationship. The attack she tells Vel about forced her to put not only their relationship into perspective, but also the whole Rebellion. After all, if she doesn’t allow herself to love people, then what is she fighting for, really?
‘Andor’ Just Dropped a Stealth Sequel Trilogy Easter Egg — and You Probably Missed It
Given Cinta’s radical change of heart, the writing was on the wall that something was going to happen to either her or Vel on Ghorman. Ultimately, though, it makes a lot more sense that it be to Cinta, than to Vel, given everything that she knowingly neglected in favor of the Rebellion — fighting for fighting’s sake is never worth it. On the other hand, Vel, who already had so much to fight for, being Mon Mothma’s (Genevieve O’Reilly) cousin, adds Cinta’s memory to that list.She experiences the same loss Cassian did in the first arc with Brassoand in Season 1 with Maarva (Fiona Shaw). No one fights for the sake of the cause, but for what it represents when it comes to the lives of those we love. Cinta understood that too late, unfortunately.
Is Cinta’s Death Foreshadowing Tragedy for Cassian and Bix in ‘Andor’?
In many ways, the second arc inAndorSeason 2 is about whether love and relationships can survive when fighting for a revolution. Cinta and Vel and Cassian and Bix (Adria Arjona) aretwo couples that overcome challenges to ultimately prove that they work better together, when their reason to fight is right beside them, rather than separate. In that sense, Cinta’s death feels rather ominous for Bix, who, like Cinta, isfinally overcomingher own personal issues — thetraumacaused by Dr. Gorst (Joshua James) — to set things right with Cassian and the Rebellion.
So far,Andorhas claimed the lives of Brasso and Cinta in Season 2, but it doesn’t look like it will stop there. We know that Cassian necessarily survives the events of the series and is alone inRogue One: A Star Wars Story, while, except for Mon Mothma, none of the other characters are in the movie.Bix, however, is by far thedearest sacrificeCassian could make for the Rebellion, seeing how he has already lost Maarva and Brasso. The two of them may work better as an item, but the personal cost of revolution is proving to be far too high for those involved. Is Bix on the line of fire going on? Hopefully not, but it’s hard to imagine a different fate for her, given what happened to Cinta.
Season 2 ofAndoris streaming on Disney+. New episodes air on Tuesdays.
Prequel series to Star Wars' ‘Rogue One’. In an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue, Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a Rebel hero.
