Star Wars: Andor Hid Jedi and Sith Connections in Plain Sight

At five episodes into its first season, Andor has steered clear of the Jedi and Sith conflict that has defined much of Star Wars fiction. However, Andor's fifth episode, "The Axe Forgets," hid connections to both orders of Force-wielders in plain sight. SPOILERS follow for Andor Episode 5, "The Axe Forgets." Most of Andor's fifth episode is concerned with Cassian and his cohorts plotting their heist of the imperial payroll on Aldhani. However, the episode's final scene cuts to Luthen on Coruscant as he attempts to receive word about whether the plot succeeded or if it failed, to no avail. 

As established in the previous episode, Luthen runs a store on Coruscant, where he sells artifacts of the pre-Empire world. Careful viewers may notice two interesting items on his shelf: a Jedi holocron and a Sith holocron.

What are Jedi holocrons?

The cube box on Luthen's shelf is the Jedi holocron. The Jedi used them to record the teachings of the Jedi Order and other information. Only Force-wielders could open them.

Given the secure nature of the holocrons, they most often contained sensitive, ancient, or vital information not meant for sharing outside of the Jedi Order. As such, they were stored in the archives at the Jedi Temple and only accessible by members of the Jedi Council, which begs the question of how Luthen came to possess one.

This episode of Andor marks the first time a Jedi Holocron has appeared in live-action in Star Wars. They previously appeared in episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, as well as several comic books.

What are Sith holocrons?

Sith holocrons are similar to Jedi holocrons. Rather than cubes, they are typically shaped like pyramids and can only be opened by using the dark side of the Force.

Like Jedi holocrons, Sith holocrons hold sensitive information. However, Sith holocrons are considered more dangerous for multiple reasons. One is that they are typically imbued with the dark side and can tempt others. Another is that, while Jedi holocrons often hold wisdom pertaining to the use of the Force, the information inside of Sith holocrons is typically much more volatile, such as details of ancient and massively destructive weapons, such as the one Ezra Bridger found on Malachor.

In Solo: A Star Wars Story, Dryden Vos was in possession of a Sith holocron, which passed to Qi'ra once she killed him and usurped his leadership of the Crimson Dawn. As mentioned, Ezra Bridger discovered a Sith holocron in Star Wars Rebels. Another played a significant role in the story of Shadow of the Sith, and more have appeared in Star Wars comics.

Andor debuts new episodes on Wednesdays on Disney+.