This article contains spoilers for Andor episode 9.Andor episode 9 contains a number of subtle Easter eggs and Star Wars references that build upon the franchise’s greater themes. The first wave of Star Wars Disney+ TV shows exploited fan-service, Easter eggs, and cameos to give them a cultural footprint. Andor is generally lacking in such Easter eggs, though, instead focusing in on deft character-work. It portrays the Empire as a truly brooding presence in the galaxy, a force for evil that crushes all who would oppose it.
Andor episode 9 is the perfect example, continuing the prison arc and turning up the pressure on all its stars. Mon Mothma’s support for the nascent Rebel Alliance means she is in real financial difficulty, and in danger of being exposed. Luthen is making mistakes, and the ISB is on his trail. Meanwhile, Cassian Andor – the one everybody is looking for – is stuck in a prison on Narkina 5, and it’s now becoming clear the Empire intend all the prisoners to die there. Andor is deeply political, exploring themes of fascism and prejudice in surprisingly subtle ways, all the while tying back to the ideas George Lucas placed at the heart of Star Wars. Here are all the major Star Wars references and Easter eggs.
Andor Episode 9 Names Some Familiar Star Wars Locations
A lot of different people and places are name-dropped in Andor episode 9, but most of them – including Steergaard and Spellhaus – are new locations first mentioned in this Disney+ TV series. For all that’s the case, though, there’s mention of a Separatist meeting on Jondara – probably a mis-spelling of the name Jondora, a planet name-dropped in Star Wars: The Old Republic. More interesting is the nod to Kafrene, a key location in the Imperial era. It’s even been officially placed on the Star Wars galaxy map, in a sector of space known as the Expansion Region, deeply scarred by the Clone Wars. The Ring of Kafrene is a mining colony situated in an asteroid belt; in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Cassian Andor himself finds his way there, and learns of the existence of the Death Star from an informant.
The Relationship Between Mon Mothma & Vel Is Similar To Satine Kryze & Bo-Katan
Andor episode 9 finally reveals the truth about Vel Sartha, the rebel operative who led the mission on Aldhani. It seems she is in fact Mon Mothma’s cousin, although she’s choosing to take a more militant approach than Mon and has signed up with Luthen. The relationship between Mon Mothma and Vel Sartha seems reminiscent of the dynamic between Satine Kryze and her sister, Bo-Katan, in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Mon Mothma has no idea her cousin was involved in Andor‘s Aldhani heist.
Luthen’s decision to bring Cassian Andor on board for the heist has left the nascent Rebel Alliance dangerously exposed. Not only has Cassian seen Luthen’s face, and traveled on board his personal ship, he also worked with Mon Mothma’s cousin. Luthen hasn’t even told Mon Mothma about this, meaning she has no idea she’s facing potential exposure from a different angle.
Andor Episode 9 Reveals The Secret Cost Of Resisting The Empire
Andor episode 9 adds more depth to what seems to be one of the great themes of the Galactic Civil War. “The Empire doesn’t rest, Mon,” Vel tells her cousin. “We take what’s left.” The rebels will only defeat the Empire at great personal cost, and Vel has embraced the darkest side of the rebellion, launching terrorist attacks that she knows will cause the Empire to overplay its hand. Mon Mothma’s cost is more subtle, shown when Vel walks away and leaves her cousin alone. She effectively lives a double life, allowing the Empire to portray her as an ineffectual do-gooder even as she secretly finances the early Rebel Alliance.
This role cannot last, of course; already Mon Mothma can sense the net tightening. Andor will presumably tell the full story of Mon Mothma’s personal rebellion; by the time of Star Wars Rebels she’ll be forced to leave Coruscant, traveling the galaxy preaching opposition to Imperial overreach. It is likely the rebellion will cost Mon Mothma all her relationships; her father and daughter certainly wouldn’t be sympathetic, and Vel has never been mentioned before in Star Wars canon, meaning she can be expected to pay the ultimate price. Mon Mothma will indeed be left alone.
Andor Episode 9 Teaches That Fascism Falls When People Listen To One Another
Imprisoned in an Imperial labor camp, Cassian Andor insists the prisoners can communicate freely without fear of reprisal – simply because nobody’s listening to them. The importance of communication is a subtle theme in Star Wars, because it is consistently portrayed as important in the fight against fascism. The dialogue parallels Cassian’s fate in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; he will ultimately die for the rebellion, alongside Jyn Erso, but this time the entire galaxy will hear and act. According to Star Wars, fascism dies when people listen to one another and respond to what they have heard. This same pattern can be seen running through the sequel trilogy, with nobody coming to Leia’s help in Star Wars: The Last Jedi – and the entire galaxy turning up to defeat the Empire in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Andor Episode 9’s Interrogation Scene Shines A Light On Leia’s Heroism
Finally, there are interesting parallels between Bix’s torture and Darth Vader’s interrogation of Leia in the first Star Wars film – with the same kind of shot as a door descends. Andor episode 9 actually shows the methods the Empire use to torture people, however, and reveals why they are so successful. In doing so, it underscores Leia’s strength of will; no doubt the Empire had created even more brutal torture methods in the five years after Andor season 1. Unlike Bix, however, Leia did not break – and, indeed, the suffering she endured appears to have served as the fire that forged her.
New episodes of Andor release on Wednesdays on Disney+.
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