#dr gorst

I've seen some people thinking that Bix and Cassian went rogue at the end of episode 6, and killed that man without Luthen sanctioning the mission, so I just want to clear up what exactly happened.

In episode 4, the same night Cassian and Bix semi-argued over dinner, Cassian wakes up and finds Bix by the window. He asks if she couldn't sleep because of Dr. Gorst again, but she replies, "Not tonight," and hands him some binoculars, saying, "Have a look. It's flashing."

When he looks out the window, he zooms in on a distant tower where the blue light at its tip is flashing:

Cassian sighs, laments, "We just got back," and then it cuts to Luthen talking to him about Ghorman.

This establishes that the tower light is a signal, a way for Luthen to discreetly alert them when he has a new mission for them, without the danger of using comms.

Luthen tells Cassian that Ghorman will be a solo mission - to Cassian's displeasure - and Bix has to stay behind when Cassian leaves at the end of the episode.

A lot happens in episode 5, but what's relevant is that while Cassian is en route to Ghorman, Luthen checks up on Bix and evaluates how she's handling things, which is not well, understandably, but that's not ideal for him. Cassian only finds out this happened when he gets home in episode 6, where he then recklessly confronts Luthen directly, pissed off that Luthen specifically waited till Bix was alone.

They argue. Luthen thinks Cassian is holding himself back because of Bix, and says, "I want her as strong as you do" but that she "has to pull it together," and Cassian is bitter that Luthen would've preferred if Cassian didn't have any attatchments and Bix wasn't in the picture to have to work around, accusing that, "It would just be easier if I was alone," which is a point that Vel and Cinta will also later talk about between themselves.

Cassian leaves after telling Luthen, "I came with you to be part of something. You want my blood? You help me work this out."

The scene directly following is with the ISB, where Major Partagaz tells Supervisors Lonni and Heert that the people in Military Intelligence have "convinced the Emperor that Dr. Gorst is too valuable to be a one-man, ISB asset. He's to be expanded into a program." Partagaz goes on to say that "the Navy's donated a facility here in Coruscant," and assigns the both of them to represent the ISB and keep watch on the program.

Lonni, being Luthen's spy, presumably informs him off-screen that same night.

A little later, between the scenes of Vel and Cinta planning with the Ghorman Front, it cuts to Cassian once again waking up to find Bix watching the window. She says the tower light's flashing again, and after he uses the binoculars to confirm, she tells him, "Whatever the mission is, I'm coming. Do you hear me?"

Cassian agrees - since he hadn't been happy with leaving her behind last time anyway - and the scene cuts back to Vel and Cinta.

What's not shown, is what Bix and Cassian's mission briefing actually entails. The episode doesn't show us when they meet with Luthen before he has to leave for Sculdon's party the next night, so we don't know what mission they were given.

Not until the end of the episode, when Bix and Cassian assassinate Dr. Gorst.

Reading between the lines, Luthen likely gave them this mission to kill three birds with one stone.

1) Gorst is clearly becoming more of a threat. It was bad enough when he was alone and just with the ISB, but a whole program being dedicated to him means that his device might be produced in a wider capacity and spread around. Better to stop it before it even begins. Now that they have the man's confirmed location, he has become a prime target.

2) Giving this to Bix puts her back in the game. Perhaps if Gorst was any other Imperial torturer, Luthen wouldn't have thought the risk worth it - blowing up a Navy facility right in the middle of Coruscant - but he did this with the intention that it would give Bix both revenge and closure, and thus help her heal and move on, at least a little. Taking out a dangerous military tool is a win, yes, but gaining back a skilled operative at the same time is an even bigger win.

3) Helping Bix will bring Cassian back in line. His weak spot has consistently been his family. But Maarva and Brasso are dead. Kerri and Bee and Wilmon are out of reach. Bix is all he has left. And that's both good and bad for Luthen, because Cassian will fight harder and fiercer to return to her, to keep her safe, but he will also fight more cautiously so that he can return to her, and might not take missions at all to stay and keep her safe. So getting Bix back out there - strong and determined and fighting - will put Cassian back out there with her, less protective and defensive, knowing that she can take care of herself, while at the same time proving to Cassian that Luthen does care about his agents and will take action in their favour, thus smoothing over the rift that was beginning to form between them.

Not super relevant to Bix, but in regards to Luthen's portrayal these episodes, in the scene where Mon asks him about Vel, he completely misses why she's asking, assuming instead that something happened and she has important information she needs to convey. When he asks, "Something urgent she needs knowing?" her stony reply is, "Yes. I care about her."

One big part in his character is how because he's lost and burned away everything about himself until all that's left is the Cause, he's forgotten that the people around him don't just think according to what's the most pragmatic and utilitarian thing to do.

I agree with the commenter pointing out that murdering someone isn't calming or healing. It might be justified, and I think Gorst's demise is a win in some respects; but does the show frame this as the way Bix resolves her trauma?

I might be proven wrong in later episodes, but I really don't think it does. The show is too smart for that. (Just like I don't think Crosshair losing his hand in Bad Batch was meant to be a cure for his PTSD - at least I sure hope it wasn't. I'm still a little put out that we don't really get any time afterwards to explore this.)