Spoilers for Andor season 1 episode 10, “One Way Out” below!Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy explains Kino Loy’s big prison break decision in episode 10, “One Way Out.” The latest series in the long-running Star Wars franchise features Andy Serkis as Kino, a no-nonsense floor manager at the Narkina 5 Imperial prison factory. Although he initially performed his tasks dutifully to the Empire’s standard, counting down the days until his release, Kino found his conviction shattered after learning an entire floor was killed due to a personnel transfer mistake. Loy learned that he would never be freed, and joined Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) to lead the rest of the inmates in a prison-wide revolt against his Imperial captors.
In a recent interview with GQ, Gilroy breaks down Kino’s change from loyal prisoner to rebellion leader in Andor episode 10, resulting in his decision to escape from prison. The showrunner framed Kino’s transformation in a spiritual nature, comparing it to lost faith. Gilroy explains that over the course of the three episodes set at Narkina 5, Kino’s belief that he would attain his freedom was eroded, and then subsequently broken after learning that prisoners were simply moved to a different facility instead of being released. Read what Gilory says below:
Yeah. For me, Kino’s story is one about faith. It’s a religious story in a way: his afterlife is getting out, right? ‘When this is over, I’m getting out. There’s going to be an end to this. I’m going to get out of this.’ And that’s the church that he’s praying at. And my God, he’s a zealot for that church. And you get to watch that faith be crushed. What do you do when faith disappears and has to subplanted by something else? And that’s what you’re seeing there. I don’t wanna put people in a frame of mind when they watch it, but to me, Kino’s non-political, it’s much more philosophical and religious.
How Kino Loy’s Arc Parallels Cassian’s
Gilroy used the Narkina 5 labor prison setting as a way to test Cassian and show his promise for the future, as well as to parallel his journey with Kino’s as he continues on the path to becoming the battle-hardened Rebel leader in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Although the prison seemed completely impenetrable, Cassian remained vigilant and took note of his surroundings. He set in motion a plan to escape, as he understood the Imperials are not what they seem and would likely never keep their word.
The dire situation put Cassian to the test, allowing the smuggler to prove his worth and show what he is capable of prior to his time in the Rebellion. At the prison, he not only inspired the inmates around him, but also the charismatic leader of the entire floor. His escape will likely grab the attention of Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård), convincing the Rebel organizer to rescind the kill-order against him, as Luthen will truly see his value as an asset going forward.
Kino’s journey also served as a template for Cassian’s arc over the course of the series. In the prison, Kino simply wanted to continue on with his sentence without disruption, lying low until release. This mirrors Cassian, who also wanted to fly under the radar and avoid the larger political issues at hand. However, when Kino is faced with a difficult realization that all is not what it seems on Narkina 5, he makes a difficult decision to rise up against the Imperials. This is similar to Cassian’s path forward, as he is coming to realize that the Empire needs to be stopped, eventually convincing himself that he must take action. Although it is unclear if Kino leapt to his death or was killed by Imperials at the end of episode 10, his sacrifice would ultimately mirror Cassian’s in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, in which he led the Rebels to their first major victory against the Empire. With only two more episodes left in Andor season 1, Cassian will be faced with a decision that will decide the fate of the galaxy.
