Ferrix

The planet Ferrix presented a desolate and sparsely populated environment, primarily composed of expansive, barren wastelands, jagged mountains and vast water expanses. The population adapted to and colonized these wastelands, establishing farmlands, industrial scrapyards, and sprawling urban centers constructed from brick and stone. The climate was harsh, with the ground often blanketed in snow during the winter months.

As early as 382 BBY during the High Republic Era, the smuggler known as Radicaz Dobbs was familiar with the chimes of Ferrix. Throughout the Clone Wars, which spanned from 22 BBY to 19 BBY, Ferrix was integrated into the Galactic Republic. Nevertheless, in the war's immediate aftermath, the Galactic Empire emerged to take its place.

The Empire began to establish a presence on Ferrix, although Clem Andor, a local resident, believed the Imperials would eventually withdraw after showcasing their strength. Despite the presence of clone stormtroopers on the planet, they were met with an anti-Imperial demonstration known as the "Rix Road protest." A substantial group of clone stormtroopers marching through the main square were bombarded with stones, leading their officer to order the troopers to aim their weapons at the crowd. Clem Andor, while attempting to pacify the crowd, was mistakenly identified as a participant in the protest and subsequently hanged in the town square. Later, Cassian, in retaliation for his father's execution, attempted to assault several stormtroopers with a baton, but he was apprehended and arrested.

At some point, the Empire delegated administrative control of Ferrix to the Consolidated Holdings of Preox-Morlana Corporation, with the understanding that the planet would not be regularly patrolled and would largely govern itself.

In 5 BBY, Cassian, Clem Andor's son, journeyed to the Preox-Morlana headquarters on Morlana-1 in an attempt to locate his missing Kenari sister, Kerri. During his journey, he encountered two corpos from the Preox-Morlana's corporate security branch, the Pre-Mor Enforcement, and in the ensuing conflict, he was compelled to kill them both. Syril Karn, a Deputy Inspector from Pre-Mor, identified and tracked the fleeing Cassian to his Ferrixian hometown. He soon arrived with a Pre-Mor Security Inspection team led by Sergeant Linus Mosk to apprehend him. However, Andor had arranged a meeting with rebel spymaster Luthen Rael, facilitated by Bix Caleen, the owner of a salvage yard, to sell him a stolen Imperial N-S9 Starpath Unit. This transaction occurred just as the Pre-Mor units' mobile Tac-Pods were landing in the city's scrapyards. Heavily armed, Rael assisted Andor in evading the trap set by the corpos, and with a distraction created by a remotely controlled explosive-laden speeder bike, the pair escaped the city aboard the spymaster's Fondor Haulcraft, leaving behind numerous injured or deceased corpos.

Following news of the incident, Lieutenant Supervisor Blevin, the Imperial Security Bureau officer in charge of the Morlani system, was sent to the Pre-Mor's Corporate Security Headquarters on Morlana One. There, he met with the three officers responsible for the disaster, leading to Ferrix being placed under direct Imperial control once again. An Imperial garrison was stationed on Ferrix the day after the incident, Preox-Morlana personnel were removed from the system and reassigned, and the city hotel was repurposed as the new Imperial headquarters on Ferrix. Blevin assigned Captain Vanis Tigo to oversee the establishment of daily Imperial operations on Ferrix and promoted him to Prefect for the region following his request. As tensions grew between Blevin and fellow ISB Supervisor Dedra Meero during regional supervisors' forums on Coruscant, ISB Major Partagaz granted Meero control of the sector, agreeing with her suspicion that a growing, organized rebel network was responsible for the events on Ferrix.

The Imperial occupation caused considerable distress to the rebellious populace of Ferrix. Stormtrooper units patrolled the once-peaceful streets, and armed speeders accompanied by Imperial security troopers guarded all government buildings. Maarva Andor, a prominent resident and former president of the citizen society Daughters of Ferrix, resolved to overthrow Imperial rule. She was inspired by the attack on the Imperial headquarters on the planet Aldhani, which was partly executed by her son Cassian, who had been recruited by Luthen Rael into his network, though she was unaware of this. Maarva made daily trips through secret tunnels and passages adjacent to the former hotel that housed the Prefecture headquarters, but she was severely injured and forced to stop. Her injury, combined with her age, led to illness, but she refused the medicine prescribed by doctor Mullmoy and eventually died.

During her funeral procession, a holographic message pre-recorded by her and broadcast by her droid B2EMO incited the people of Ferrix to rise up against the Empire and form a resistance movement, resulting in a spontaneous riot as residents charged the Imperial barrier. An improvised explosive device thrown at the barrier by a resident transformed the riot into a bloodbath, as Imperials and Ferrixians were killed by the explosion, leading to Imperial troops being ordered to fire indiscriminately into the crowd.

Ferrix primarily exported scrap and salvaged technology. Many humans on Ferrix salvaged materials from decommissioned ships, such as the Venator-class Star Destroyer. Each worker was assigned a unique set of gloves, which were hung on a wall before and after work. Ferrixians performed songs at funerals and public gatherings using impromptu bands and amateur musicians, with "Unto Stone We Are" being one such piece.

The daily routine on Ferrix involved commencing work when the Time Grappler struck the beskar anvil with its hammers and concluding work when the Time Grappler struck the anvil again. Following this, the people of Ferrix would frequent cantinas or return to their homes. The workers of Ferrix adhered to this structured schedule. In general, workers exhibited trust, cooperation, and respect towards one another, and they were generally friendly. They stored their equipment together in a communal space, with each worker's gloves displayed on a large wall.

Ferrix was initially showcased in the sizzle reel for the Andor television series, released on December 10, 2020. Its identity was first revealed in a LEGO set announcement during Celebration Anaheim. The planet made its debut in "Kassa," the series' first episode, which aired on September 21, 2022. From the outset, Tony Gilroy, the executive producer and writer, emphasized the importance of Ferrix possessing a deeply ingrained culture and a strong cultural core.

Gilroy stated that the "mental build" of Ferrix took two years to develop, and he wanted the audience to perceive the Ferrixians as a community that supported and cared for one another. Luke Hull, the production designer, and Gilroy sought to create an environment distinct from familiar Star Wars locations. They aimed to avoid making it a town in a desert, and Hull was adamant that it should not resemble a frontier town. To depict the planet's culture, Gilroy and the crew dedicated considerable time to crafting its social structure, hierarchies, rules, and allegiances. Scott McInnes, a concept artist, created concept art of Venator-class Star Destroyers being dismantled on Ferrix, while Vincent Jenkins created concept art of Cassian Andor preparing to shoot stormtroopers. Chester Carr and Hull created a sketch of Rael and Cassian Andor escaping on a speeder bike. Hull also produced sketches of the North Steps, the Ferrix hotel, the interior of the Andor household, and Rael on Ferrix.

To ground the show's storytelling in relatable human complexity and resonate with viewers, Hull's team extensively referenced Amsterdam in the 1920s, a period when the city featured simple geometric and abstract shapes. Everything evolved from the understanding that Ferrix needed a prominent main street. After deciding that Ferrix would be built, Hull's team had to find an overall look that stayed true to the franchise in a way that was not too dystopian. Because the planet's economy revolved around salvaging ship parts and metal, Hull envisioned it as a place with a ruggedness. Ferrix reminded him of longshoremen in Belfast, Northern Ireland building ships. Hull's team's origin for Ferrix was it began as a small outpost that gradually grew and expanded out of the hillside as the population grew. Hull ensured that the set felt like a working town with a close-knit community.

During planning, Hull's team considered the computer graphics and VFX that would be added later, and this was integrated into the design. Hull's team decided to construct the town out of bricks, a material not previously used in Star Wars. Hull maintained the brick's original color because he believed that the clay and earthiness reflected the Ferrixians' identity. His team retrofitted the idea of dead Ferrixians' ashes getting baked into a brick and being put into the town. During the construction of Ferrix, the crew noticed that Martian-like reds kept coming in, so Lanzarote in the Canary Islands became a good starting place to create the wider environment of Ferrix. Scenes on Ferrix were also filmed in Lanzarote's Green Lagoon; Salinas de Janubio, the Islands' largest salt flat; and other nearby locations.

The backlot set was a functional shape full of usable buildings that were accessible through doors and windows. The sets included palatial homes, high-class brothels, and housing projects. Maarva Andor's house was crafted to explain her character. The interior and exterior of the house were the same set, making it fully three-dimensional. The set designers and costume shop collaborated to create the wall of gloves. Hull tried to make the Easter eggs subtle and fit into the show. The Ferrix set managed to impress executive producer Kathleen Kennedy and director Toby Haynes.

Michael Wilkinson, the costume designer, and his team devoted a significant amount of time to establishing carefully curated palettes of textures and colors for Ferrix to ensure clarity for viewers. They infused each costume with individuality to reflect the character wearing it. At the outset, Wilkinson instructed his team to consider numerous unique details to inform the design, including each character's job, source of clothing, and how their attire reflected their actions, identities, and values. Some of the costumes' silhouettes drew inspiration from Japanese workwear, which were then abstracted and modernized. Wilkinson stated that incorporating costumes from an authentic and culturally resonant place would provide the audience with a point of connection.

The costume department also created logos and symbols for Ferrix's different brands, repair shops, and individual businesses, which deepened the planet's lore and tangibility. When the team created the Ferrixian clothing, they chose what they deemed the coolest and most interesting workwear elements between quilting, safety gear, and protective materials. Some of the stand-out characters, such as Bix Caleen, were given distinguishable silhouettes to help them stand out from a crowd. For the finale episode "Rix Road," the red was amped up to make it a very strong symbol of the spirit of Ferrix.

Hull estimated that around 80-85% of the scenes on Ferrix were shot on the backlot set. According to Gilroy, everything on Ferrix was filmed first. Haynes and the actors spent about a month shooting his six episodes' Ferrix scenes. After Christmas, it was the coldest part of the shoot. When it snowed, the crew used heaters to burn the snow and keep the continuity. When Denise Gough, the actor who plays Dedra Meero, first shot on the Ferrix set, she was amazed by the high level of detail.

Visual effects for Ferrix was split between Hybride and Industrial Light & Magic. Hybride worked on the town, based on the set, which was extended out to the larger city. Green screens were used for certain Ferrix locations. ILM worked on what they called the north side big yard and the surrounding areas. They also built up the planet's architecture and made a design language for Ferrix. ILM was responsible for extending the Ferrix set to make it a busy hustling place with many workers and sparks everywhere. They made sure there was always something moving in the background to make it look like there was stuff going on all the time. For the ships on Ferrix, ILM started by referencing ships in the archives.

Composer Nicholas Britell inserted several metal sounds throughout Ferrix because of the masonry and metallurgy present in the planet's culture. Britell and Gilroy made some of those sounds together using the pipes in the latter's basement.