u/Icy-Disk-2763

Currently hyperfixated on Andor again so I decided to write some thoughts on some underrated characters, starting with Mon Mothma's fat little chud husband, Perrin Fertha. Note that what I say may be a stretch, unintended by the writers, or open to different interpretations, but that's the fun of film analysis

>"My hope is that you learn to reach past this constant cloud of sadness. Pleasure. Gaiety. Amusement. These are the hidden things. The music buried beneath all that noise... Joy. Joy! Joy... But joy has no wind at its back. Joy will not announce its arrival. You need to listen for it, and be mindful of how fleeting and delicate it can be. But search out these treasures. A moment of... pleasing sensation, the memory of laughter and good company, the comfort of a fine meal."

Perrin is, at first, a useless hedonist who gets Mon in trouble with his addictions. And that's absolutely true! But even deeper, he is a lonely man looking for joy and pleasure to make the best of his dull life. His apolitical philosophy is also one extreme in a major dilemma of the series, how much you're willing to give up for the Rebellion. He is the exact opposite of Luthen "sacrificing EVERYTHING".

It's stated that Perrin was once a firebrand in school, a passionate troublemaker for a cause. He used to be like Mon Mothma. Perhaps if he applied himself, he could have been a rebel. But he was married off to Mon in a Chandrilan child marriage, much like Leida. It's stated in other canon sources that, while they tried to make it work, and they have cycles of affection, their marriage is ultimately a sham. Furthermore, Leida, an intelligent young girl, states that her fiance is an immature child. I believe this is a parallel to Mon and Perrin's marriage. She is the more serious and mature of the pair, an accomplished senator and rebel leader, while some of the first we see of Perrin is him asking for a present and drinking. Perrin stays out of politics, calling even the Ghor genocide boring. He wishes to spend his days gambling. The dull realities of a loveless marriage, being a husband and father, and his disposition to seeking temporary pleasure have prevented him from the greater purposes he dreamed about as a youth.

Frankly, he's a perfect mirror to people like most of us: those inactive in the face of imperialism and authoritarianism. He's how most people act when we're "dwarfed by the scale of the enemy", coping with bread and circuses and giving up on his fiery youth. Most of us would be a Perrin, not a Luthen!

His philosophy is the perfect contrast to Luthen's. He did not choose to give up "kindness, kinship, love". While Luthen sacrificed everything for the Galaxy, Perrin tries to make the best of the world he has, reaching through the "constant cloud of sadness" to look for pleasure. He is the embodiment of hedonism in this series.

And there is some validity in his view. Luthen's rejection of all love and happiness does not work for everyone, and if anything, Kleya's love for him in the end saves the rebellion, with her then finding a life on Yavin. Separating Bix and Cassian + Vel and Cinta shows him to be a terrible human resources manager, and these characters grow by choosing both each other and the Rebellion; they choose to use their love to motivate their fight. Not everyone can be Luthen Rael! You have to dedicate yourself to the Rebellion, but Perrin's speech shows you should be able to "reach past this constant cloud of sadness, to find the music buried beneath all that noise". Vel tells the same to Cassian, to "not wait too long," to treasure the time he has with Bix the way she couldn't. Where Perrin goes wrong is completely drowning out any responsibilities or seriousness, doing nothing but booze and gambling. Inaction just means there is nothing in the way of the Empire, of the Dark Side.

This paragraph is a scene that never left the writer's room, it isn't canon. Feel free to disregard, but I like it. Perrin reveals to Mon that "I knew what you were up to. This whole time. They talked to me, every week they'd interrogate me, I never said a word. You didn't trust me. You could've trusted me." This adds some real complexity to his character. Though they were not a happy couple, Perrin cared for and admired Mon Mothma, and managed to find the strength to do one good thing in his life. Idk, debate in the comments if you think this should have been put in the series

Regardless of whether he knew of the Rebellion, he did help Mon's activities. He maintains her schedule, and runs cover for her by having those she hates over for dinner, and sparing her by seating them with him instead of her. He knows Mon's actions are important and secret, supporting her and running interference. He was an important part of keeping her disguise up for so long. He was suspicious, and didn't know what she was up to, but chose to protect her anyway. In spite of his cowardly hedonism, deep down, he is not so far gone as to betray his wife to the Empire.

The fact a smug and resentful man is this complicated just speaks to the writing. And his conclusion? Due to his inaction, he loses Mon's intelligent companionship for good and ends up drowning his sorrows in booze with a woman who is, presumably, a shallow traditional noblewoman like the rest of them.

To sum up, Perrin is a sad man who demonstrates one extreme in a major moral dilemma of Andor: sacrificing your happiness for justice. To cope with his life circumstances, he chooses joy over duty, selfishness over selflessness, and pleasure over the Rebellion.

If anyone liked reading this, who should I write about next?