There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already. Alone, unsure, dwarfed by the scale of the enemy. Remember this. Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction. Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly throughout the galaxy. There are whole armies, battalions that have no idea that they've already enlisted in the cause. Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward. And then remember this. The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that. And know this, the day will come when all these skirmishes and battles, these moments of defiance will have flooded the banks of the Empire's authority and then there will be one too many. One single thing will break the siege. Remember this: TRY.Karis Nemik, in his manifesto.
Surprise from above is never as shocking as one from below.Karis Nemik to Cassian Andor in "The Axe Forgets".
Karis Nemik is a major character in the 2022 Disney+ Star Wars series Andor, serving as the deuteragonist of the Aldhani arc.
He was a human freedom fighter, writer, and navigator who partook in a heist led by rebel leader Vel Sartha to steal a large quarterly payroll from an Imperial garrison on the alpine planet Aldhani, during which he would write a manifesto detailing the oppressive and tyrannical nature of the Empire, inspiring newcomer Cassian Andor to dedicate himself to the nascent rebellion.
He was portrayed by Alex Lawther.
History
Joining the rebellion
During 5 BBY, Karis Nemik was part of a small team of rebels on Aldhani led by Vel Sartha under orders from rebel spymaster Luthen Rael to steal a quarterly payroll of credits from an Imperial base in order to fund a fledgling rebellion to fight the despotic Galactic Empire. Prior to the heist, Nemik began writing a manifesto, in which he expressed his dissenting thoughts on the Empire's constant need to maintain authority by ruling through fear and oppression, and proclaimed that the concept of freedom and the ability to fight for it was morally righteous.
Recruiting "Clem"
Good to have you, Clem. We'll take all the help we can get.Karis Nemik welcoming Cassian Andor into his team.
When Cassian Andor, using the alias "Clem," took part in the heist per Luthen's request, Nemik was quick to welcome him to the team and befriended him, despite his crew's displeasure, with only a few days before the heist. He would brief Cassian on his opinions regarding the Empire, compiling his philosophy into his manifesto, and noting how he would be his ideal reader.
Although the group later discovered that "Clem" only joined their team solely for the money—due to fellow rebel Arvel Skeen discovering an expensive Kyber crystal necklace given to him by Luthen in his possession—Nemik remained cordial with the rogue rebel and found inspiration from the incident to write an entry regarding the role of mercenaries being integral to the rebellion, later sharing his newfound idea with him the next morning.
Aldhani Heist and Death
Following a training exercise from teammate and former stormtrooper Taramyn Barcona, Nemik and his team carried out the heist. Under the guise of Imperial Army troopers escorting the native Dhani people to a sacred site just outside of the Imperial base to witness a traditional, triennial meteor shower known as "The Eye of Aldhani," the team infiltrated the base and began loading the credits into a freighter soon to be used as their getaway vehicle.
Upon their cover being blown, Nemik and the team engaged in a shootout with the Imperials, in which Gorn and Barcona were killed in the process. With the load completed, Nemik tells Cassian to launch the freighter, which resulted in Nemik being suddenly thrown back due to the ship's rapid takeoff and sending a loose cart with heavy stashes of credits to crush him. Despite being crippled, Nemik helped Cassian navigate safely through the meteor shower, narrowly avoiding a pursuing squadron of TIE fighters.
Following their escape from Aldhani, the team took the injured Nemik to the hidden moon of Frezno to meet with the alien surgeon Dr. Quadpaw in order to treat his wounds. Despite the doctor's best efforts to save his life, the young rebel soon passed away during the operation, not before requesting Vel to give Cassian his manifesto, which he reluctantly took after killing Skeen for conspiring to betray the group for the credits.
Legacy
Following the Aldhani heist, Cassian secretly stored his belongings and Nemik's manifesto in a hotel room when he went into hiding on the paradise world of Niamos, after failing to convince his adopted mother Maarva—inspired by the Aldhani heist that her son was involved in—to flee from Ferrix with him.
During his stay, he would be harassed and unfairly arrested following an unwanted encounter with an Imperial shoretrooper, falsely believing him to be part of an anti-Imperial riot, and was subsequently sentenced to 6 years on the prison moon of Narkina 5. A month into his sentence, Cassian staged a prison riot and escaped with hundreds of prisoners upon learning the Empire had no intention of releasing them. He then recovered the manifesto on Niamos before heading back to his home on Ferrix after receiving news that Maarva had died and his ex-girlfriend Bix Caleen was incarcerated by the Empire, who had occupied the planet.
Honoring his friend's dying wish, Cassian listened to Nemik's recorded message in the manifesto the night before Maarva's funeral, gaining the confidence he needed to stand against the Empire and rescue Bix from custody. With Bix and several of his friends rescued and evacuated someplace safe, Cassian went to confront Luthen, where he offered him a choice to either kill him for being a loose end or to accept him as a member of his network. Impressed by his selflessness and dedication, the spymaster recruited Cassian into the rebellion.
Personality
Right here. Fresh inspiration. Two seemingly random objects, and yet this charts an astral path, this maps the trail of political consciousness. Both systems based on truth, both navigating toward clear and achievable outcomes.Karis Nemik to Cassian Andor, regarding his manifesto.
Nemik was an insightful, philosophical, and kind young man who dearly believed in the idea of freedom as a natural order, eager to express his discontent towards the tyranny of the Empire as well as inspire regular individuals to rise up against their oppressors. While he was easily distracted and occasionally eccentric, such as accidentally falling asleep while on guard duty and staying up late to write his ideas in his manifesto, this does not undermine Nemik's competency and resourcefulness within his team.
Unlike most of his teammates, Nemik was very sociable to strangers by quickly welcoming Cassian into the fold, firmly believing his contribution to the team was all the help they would need to eventually succeed in their operation. Despite Cassian being hired purely for the money, Nemik instead held no grudge against his new friend and quickly found inspiration regarding hired guns being a necessary benefactor in the fight for freedom, demonstrating his open-mindfulness and tolerance for new and progressive ideas, especially when they challenge Empire's suppressive and authoritarian viewpoint.
Seeing the potential good in Cassian, Nemik—on his deathbed—insisted Vel to entrust the rogue rebel with his manifesto, opening the door for Cassian, in honor of his friend's memory, to discover truth and righteousness within the young rebel's journal to finally gain confidence to stand against the evil Empire, especially after witnessing their cruel treatment towards him and several citizens during his time imprisoned on Narkina 5.
Trivia
- Nemik's idea for Cassian and the rebels to "try" standing up to the Empire against all odds is a converse to Yoda's lesson of "Do or do not, there is no try" when training Luke Skywalker to become a Jedi to defeat the Empire, Darth Vader, and Emperor Palpatine.
- In Nemik's case, "trying" emphasizes on quantity and minimal effort by requiring one to demonstrate whatever resistance they have against the Empire, no matter how big or small because they would consequently prevail.
- In Yoda's case, "doing" leans closely towards quality and complete effort because it requires one to improve themselves and fully commit to their actions, agenda, and confidence in order to achieve a more satisfactory outcome (e.g. the defeat of the Empire).
- Moreover, Nemik referring to the Empire's lust for power as "unnatural" could be a reference to Palpatine's line "The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural."
- Nemik navigating Cassian through the Eye of Aldhani by telling him to "climb" is a call-forward to K-2SO's line when he tells Cassian and Jyn Erso to climb the Citadel tower on Scarif in order to transmit the Death Star plans to the rebellion in Rogue One.
- Cassian would also tell his friends to "climb" when helping them evacuate from Ferrix in the Season 1 finale episode, "Rix Road".
- Coincidentally, his surname sounds similar to the clone trooper Nemec from Star Wars: The Bad Batch, who also opposes the Empire.
- According to the Topps Star Wars card collection, Nemik's homeworld is listed as Aldhani. This was later debunked by lore advisor Pablo Hidalgo, leaving Nemik's actual homeworld a mystery.
External Links
- Karis Nemik on the Star Wars Wiki
