Is a System Image Part of the Android Common Kernel?

The kernel is what you need on the device to actually run everything else, right? The end result is a binary that exists in this dedicated partition from where the kernel is booted. That binary is part of the downstairs, part of the vendor image. Even though it contains sources that are from upstream,. From the public upstream version of the Linux kernel as well as what we call the Android common kernel. It currently does not include the kernel. So when... Sorry. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that.