"The Eye" represents the sixth installment within the inaugural season of the television show Andor. Susanna White took on the role of director for this episode, while Dan Gilroy is credited as the writer. Its original broadcast date was October 12, 2022.
On the planet Aldhani, Cassian Jeron Andor engages in conversation with Karis Nemik, who expresses his apprehension about the impending mission targeting the imperial base. Nemik shares his feelings of unease, despite his strong belief in the Rebellion, and suggests that individuals like "Clem," who operate as mercenaries, can be valuable assets in the fight against the Galactic Empire. Andor concurs, noting that the Empire disregards any sense of fairness or compassion. Nemik expresses his eagerness to put his principles into practice on the following day, but Andor cautions him to carefully consider the potential consequences of his desires. While Andor may not fully embrace Nemik's idealistic perspective, Nemik expresses his gratitude for Andor's presence.
In the meantime, the Imperial Commandant Jayhold Beehaz briefs his subordinate officers on the Empire's methods of manipulating the native Dhani population by presenting them with deceptive choices. He also discusses how they exploit the Dhani's cultural pride and stubbornness. To discourage Dhani pilgrims from undertaking their traditional religious journey, Beehaz implemented the construction of shelters and taverns, intending to divert them from their pilgrimage. Lieutenant Gorn reports that the Empire's strategies have significantly reduced the number of pilgrims over the years, from an initial count of 15,000 to a mere 60.
When Colonel Soden Petigar inquires whether the Dhani have been informed that this year will be the final time they are permitted to traverse the sacred valley, the Commandant replies that there is no advantage to doing so. His intention is to entice the pilgrims to attend an Imperial-sponsored viewing festival located in the Enterprise Zone. When Petigar emphasizes the valley's sacred significance to the Dhani, Beehaz sarcastically suggests recruiting the Dhani as soldiers for the Imperial Army. Petigar then asks Gorn if the local population will consent to allowing the military to utilize their valley. Gorn admits that they will have no choice in the matter. Beehaz describes the Eye of Aldhani as a spectacular sight and invites Petigar to join him for a drink. Gorn observes with a sense of foreboding.
Later, Beehaz seeks Gorn's opinion of Petigar. Gorn responds that winning over the engineer will be challenging and informs the Commandant that he has brought in 30 sentries from the Alkenzi Air Base and will be overseeing their actions. Beehaz cautions Gorn that everything must proceed flawlessly on this particular night.
Meanwhile, Taramyn Barcona makes an attempt to establish communication with Vel Sartha (who is using the alias "Echo-One") by utilizing a battle radio. Following some adjustments made by Nemik, Barcona successfully connects with Sartha. While descending the hill, Arvel Skeen informs Andor that Barcona previously served as a stormtrooper and that Cinta Kaz suffered the loss of her family due to stormtroopers. As pilgrims make their way along the route, comets begin to streak across the sky, marking the commencement of The Eye of Aldhani. Lieutenant Gorn instructs the garrison to extend a welcome to the pilgrims. Upon arriving at the Aldhani Base, Andor and his fellow rebels shed their Aldhani robes and assume the guise of Imperial Army troopers, greeting the arriving pilgrims.
Elsewhere, the overweight Beehaz struggles to secure his belt. He seeks assistance from his wife, Roboda Beehaz, who is in the process of dressing their son, Leonart Beehaz. Although Beehaz attributes the damage to his clothing to the compressors, Roboda points out that he has gained weight. Leonart resists wearing his Imperial tunic, but Beehaz insists that his son comply.
The leader of the pilgrims greets Gorn, hoping that there is still some good within him. Andor and his rebel companions arrive at the base, where Gorn assigns them the task of serving as bodyguards for the Commandant and his family. Concurrently, Sartha and Kaz equip themselves with diving gear and navigate through the river beneath the base's dam. Meanwhile, Commandant Beehaz and his family receive a goat skin hide from the leader of the pilgrims. Beehaz expresses his dislike for the odor of the goat hide but complies with the gesture.
While Sartha and Kaz infiltrate the Imperial base, the Commandant and his family participate in a ceremony with the leaders of the pilgrims. Barcona, Andor, and the remaining members of the rebel team stand at attention as the leader of the pilgrims commences the ceremony. He presents the goat hide to Beehaz, who then passes it on to his son, Leonart. During the ceremony, Barcona establishes communication with Sartha and Kaz via comlink. Sartha instructs them to proceed with the mission.
As comets blaze across the sky, Sartha and Kaz descend the dam using ropes. Following the ceremony, Beehaz announces his intention to pass the goat hide before departing. The leader of the pilgrims sets the goat hide ablaze. After Gorn establishes contact with Barcona and his team, they enter the base alongside Beehaz and his family. Once inside, Andor secures the entrance, and the rebels ambush Beehaz and his family, forcing them to the ground at gunpoint. Colonel Petigar aims a weapon at Nemik and demands that the rebels release Leonart. Andor attempts to de-escalate the situation, but Kaz shoots Petigar in the chest while descending from a vent in the ceiling, neutralizing him. Outside, Gorn informs a soldier that he and his men can rest for the night. The pilgrims ignite a fire using the goat hide to commemorate the celebration.
Sartha demands that Commandant Beehaz unlock the vault, but Beehaz claims that he lacks the knowledge to do so. Kaz and Sartha place hoods over the heads of his wife, Roboda, and son, Leonart. Roboda pleads with Beehaz to cooperate, and he reluctantly allows the rebels to enter the base. Andor and his comrades disarm the guards and Imperial technicians at gunpoint. The rebels disable all communication systems except for the one connected to Alkenzi Air Base. The Imperials have their mouths and hands secured with duct tape. In the command room, Vel instructs Beehaz to cooperate or face the consequences of his family's demise. She promises to spare them if he complies.
When the Imperial officer Kimzi notices the communication outage, another Imperial soldier suggests that the Eye of Aldhani is interfering with the communication systems. Barcona and the rebels advance deeper into the base with the captive Beehaz. Beehaz persuades several personnel to surrender their weapons and cooperate with the rebels to prevent further bloodshed. Skeen directs several Imperial soldiers to assist in loading the payroll register while Beehaz unlocks the vault. As Beehaz lacks full access to the vault, explosives are employed to complete the unlocking process.
The rebels compel the Imperials at gunpoint to load large cylinders containing the sector payroll onto a parked freighter. Back in the command center, Kaz dons an Imperial officer's uniform while the intercom receives a transmission regarding a breach in the vault. Kaz deactivates the transmitter and the lights as the hostages observe her from their seated positions. Outside, the pilgrims engage in singing and worship in the Dhani language. The worshippers raise a dome over a pyre while observing comets traversing the sky. Suspecting something amiss due to the base's lights and transmitter being shut down, Corporal Kimzi leads a group of Imperial Army soldiers down a flight of stairs into the vault.
Beehaz realizes that Lieutenant Gorn is collaborating with the rebels and accuses him of treason, proclaiming that he will be hanged. Gorn retorts that he deserves a far worse fate for serving Beehaz for seven years. At the Alkenzi Air Base, several TIE pilots enter their TIE fighters. Corporal Kimzi and his men discover Gorn and his associates loading payroll cylinders into their freighter. Gorn asserts that he and his men are engaged in a classified operation. Kimzi requests clarification from Commandant Beehaz, but the Commandant collapses due to exhaustion resulting from hard labor.
A firefight erupts between Kimzi's men and the rebel infiltrators. Kimzi fatally wounds Gorn, and is subsequently killed by Andor. Andor enters the cockpit but is attacked by an Imperial soldier, who places him in a headlock. During the struggle, the soldier is shot by Nemik. Barcona and Skeen seek cover behind the walls of the vault, and Barcona asks Skeen to provide cover as he attempts to reach Sartha. Barcona is killed by a blaster bolt after Skeen ducked back behind the wall and stopped providing cover. Once Sartha and Skeen board the freighter, Andor launches it through the launch tunnel into the comet-filled night sky.
During the ascent, Nemik is crushed by several cylinders. Skeen and Sartha manage to free Nemik, but his back is severely injured, and he loses sensation in his legs. Sartha sedates Nemik with a med-spike. Andor requests hyperspace coordinates as they navigate through the comet-strewn night sky. They are pursued by three TIE fighters. Nemik guides Andor as he pilots the freighter, providing him with the coordinates "Vector six-five-five-five-one." The TIEs attempt to maintain pace with the fleeing freighter, but two of them are struck by meteor debris.
On the ground, a disguised Kaz exits the base, passing by pilgrims and Imperial soldiers who are captivated and awestruck by the comet display. In space, Andor inquires about their destination from Skeen and Sartha. Sartha asks about Nemik's condition, prompting Skeen to question whether she is disappointed. Andor repeats his question. Sartha believes that Nemik is dying, but Skeen disagrees, stating that they have a doctor included in their contingency plan. Skeen emphasizes that Nemik is the reason they are undertaking this mission. Andor asks how to reach the doctor.
Later, on the moon of Frezno, Nemik receives medical attention from Quadpaw, a four-armed humanoid doctor who wears goggles. The doctor performs surgery on his back. Outside the hut, Skeen and Andor wait. Skeen informs Andor that their loot is valued at 80 million credits and proposes splitting the profit and concealing it. Skeen declares that he is a rebel, but that he operates solely for his own benefit. Andor realizes that Skeen is not a genuine rebel but a mercenary. When Andor questions Skeen about his brother, Skeen admits that he fabricated the story. Skeen suggests hiding the stolen payroll on a moon located eight parsecs away and pocketing the loot. Disgusted, Andor fatally shoots him with a blaster.
Despite the alien doctor's efforts, Nemik succumbs to his injuries and passes away. Sartha expresses her gratitude to him. Andor enters the hut wielding a blaster and offers to purchase the doctor's ship for 30,000 credits, "twice its actual worth." Andor reveals that Skeen is dead and that he intended to steal the money and abandon them. Vel refuses to believe him and denounces Andor as a "disgusting bastard." Andor demands his share of the money but offers to relinquish the freighter and the stolen payroll. He declares that he is finished and returns the Kuati Signet. Before Andor departs, Sartha persuades him to take Nemik's manifesto.
At the ISB Central Office on Coruscant, Major Lio Partagaz convenes all Imperial Security Bureau personnel, including Lieutenant Dedra Meero, for an urgent meeting. He directs them to have every Star Sector and Planetary Emergency Retaliation plan within the building prepared for presentation by midnight. At the Imperial Senate, Senator Mon Mothma implores the formation of a fact-finding committee to investigate the blockade of Ghorman, but the Senate chamber is largely empty, and her plea is ignored by the few senators present, who are preoccupied with news of the heist. Elsewhere, Luthen Rael attends to a customer at Galactic Antiquities and Objects of Interest when he receives news of a significant rebel assault on Aldhani. In private, Rael expresses his delight at the rebel victory with a joyful laugh.