The following contains spoilers for Andor Season 2, Episode 9, «Welcome to the Rebellion,» now streaming on Disney+.
The third story arc of Andor’s second season finally delivered on the Ghorman Massacre, a moment that Star Wars lore aficionados have been anticipating and dreading ever since the season began. The forces of the Galactic Empire opened fire on peaceful Ghorman protesters, leading to a bloody and chaotic scramble that was used to justify an increased Imperial presence on the planet. This was all so that the Empire could mine for a rare Ghorman mineral called kalkite, which was necessary for the construction of the Death Star. Yet even more significant than the Ghorman Massacre itself was the aftermath, which was shown in the ninth episode, “Welcome to the Rebellion.” After learning of such a horrific atrocity, Mon Mothma was unable to keep her hatred of the Empire a secret any longer.
At an Imperial Senate meeting, Bail Organa gave the floor to Mon, who proceeded to openly denounce Emperor Palpatine and encourage the rest of the galaxy to do the same. This officially made Mon an enemy of the Empire, and it was the catalyst for many disparate revolutionary cells uniting under the banner of the Rebel Alliance. This pivotal moment in Star Wars lore was previously explored in the animated series Star Wars: Rebels, specifically the Season 3 episode “Secret Cargo.” There were many discrepancies between Andor and Rebels, so it initially seemed as if writer Tony Gilroy was simply retconning the events of the latter. However, some clever dialogue prevented the events of “Welcome to the Rebellion” from breaking Star Wars’ established continuity.
Andor and Rebels Told the Same Story in Very Different Ways
In Rebels, Ezra Bridger and the rest of the Ghost crew watched an Imperial news broadcast of Mon’s speech at the senate. It was short and to the point, and Mon’s voice remained calm throughout:
I name the Emperor himself for ordering the brutal attacks on the people of Ghorman. Their peaceful world is one of countless systems helpless against his oppressive rule. This massacre is proof that our self-appointed Emperor is little more than a lying executioner, imposing his tyranny under the pretense of security. We cannot allow this evil to stand.
Ezra Bridger expressed his shock that a senator would criticize Palpatine in such a way, and Zeb Orrelios said, “I’m surprised she’s still breathing. Lady’s got guts.” In Andor, Mon delivered a longer and more impassioned speech, following in the footsteps of Luthen Rael’s iconic monologue from the first season. She spoke about the importance of truth and objectivity, ending with a fiery declaration: “The monster screaming the loudest? The monster we’ve helped create? The monster who will come for us all soon enough is Emperor Palpatine!” In both versions of the story, the Empire tried to apprehend Mon after her speech, and the Rebels needed to help her escape. In Rebels, she was guided away from Coruscant by the members of Gold Squadron. Once in space, the crew of the Ghost took over and escorted Mon to Dantooine, where she gathered the Rebellion. In Andor, Mon was instead saved by Cassian Andor, who gunned down some ISB agents and brought her to Luthen’s Rebel safe house on Coruscant.
Andor Acknowledged Different Facets of the Rebel Alliance
Once Cassian and Mon got to safety, Erksin Semaj said, «There’s a ship waiting. They want her to make a speech. They want her to come in with a Yavin escort.» Kleya Marki added, «They wanna rewrite the story.” In other words, the events of Rebels followed those of Andor and were meant to be a cover-up. In addition to protecting Cassian’s identity, this was better for the burgeoning Rebellion’s public image. The Rebels on Yavin 4 were better organized and less secretive than Luthen’s shady Rebel cell, so it would be harder for the Empire to paint Mon’s rescue in a negative light. Mon’s speech from Andor and her two subsequent speeches from Rebels showed the Empire’s enemies that they were not alone in their fight. This was a great way for Gilroy to tell the version of the story that he wanted to tell without completely overwriting that which came before.
Erskin originated in Rebels before making his live-action debut in Andor.
Gilory did something similar with the Ghorman Massacre itself. In Legends continuity, Grand Moff Tarkin lands his shuttle on protesters was the Ghorman Massacre, but in Andor, it was incorporated as one of the events that led up to the Ghorman Massacre. Even though the tone of Andor is about as far from that of Rebels as a Star Wars series can get, they are both canon parts of the franchise. By his own admission, Gilroy is not much of a Star Wars fan, but thankfully, this has not stopped him from respecting the lore. There are still a few inconsistencies unexplained by Andor. For example, Rebels showed Bail on Yavin as he listened to Mon’s speech, yet a major plot point in Andor was that Bail could not yet go to Yavin. But, in a massive franchise like Star Wars, a few plot holes like that are inevitable. Maintaining such details matters less than crafting a compelling narrative, and judging from audience reactions to Andor‘s second season, Gilroy has certainly succeeded on that front.
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Andor
TV-14 Action & Adventure Drama Thriller Sci-Fi 9 10
Cast
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Diego Luna Cassian Andor
Stellan Skarsgård Luthen Rael
Prequel series to Star Wars' 'Rogue One'. In an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue, Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a Rebel hero.
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Star Wars Rebels
Animation Adventure Action
Cast
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David Oyelowo
Steve Blum
Freddie Prinze Jr.
Tiya Sircar
A brave and clever ragtag starship crew stands up against the evil Empire as it tightens its grip on the galaxy and hunts down the last of the Jedi Knights.
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