Andor Reveals the Secret Origin of Rogue One’s Most Memorable Line

Cassian Andor’s story comes to a conclusion in the 2016 film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but his legacy and unyielding belief in galaxy-wide freedom lived on through the Rebellion. But Cassian’s story did not end there, as the Disney+ series Andor delves into his life in the years leading up to the events of Rogue One, chronicling how he came to be one of the most pivotal figures in the Rebellion, instrumental to the destruction of the Death Star. The first season of Andor was hailed as an instant classic by fans and critics alike. The second season, which premiered on April 22, has been met with the same response, solidifying the series as one of the most high-stakes and emotionally charged stories of the early days of the Galactic Civil War.  

Episode 8 of Andor Season 2, titled “Who Are You?”, shows Cassian caught in the middle of the Ghorman Massacre; a tragic event that led to Senator Mon Mothma’s denouncement of the Emperor and the beginning of the unified Rebel Alliance. It is during this galaxy-altering moment that we learn the origins of one of Cassian’s memorable inspiring words to Jyn Erso from Rogue One.

A Young Bellhop on Ghorman Laid the Bricks for the Rebellion Without Knowing It

Earlier in Season 2, Cassian (Diego Luna) is sent to Ghorman to ascertain the local insurgents’ readiness for all-out rebellion against the oppressive Imperial presence on their planet. Behind the scenes in the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB), it is revealed that the Empire has enacted a year-long campaign to provoke the rebels into open revolution so the ISB can open fire and wreak unimaginable destruction on the population and take control of Ghorman’s mines. Ghorman is the only planet that naturally produces the raw materials needed to produce pieces for the Death Star.

While Cassian is undercover on Ghorman the first time as a fashion designer named Varian Skye, he speaks with a young bellhop named Thela (played by Stefan Crepon). Thela explains that the monument in the center of town was resurrected in memory of the peaceful protestors who were gunned down by Grand Moff Tarkin’s ship when the Moff refused to delay his landing. One of those lost in the carnage was Thela’s father. While Thela tells Cassian that he has never forgotten what happened and still refuses to leave his home planet, there is a silent understanding between the men that they both are aware of the other’s true nature as rebels. 

RELATED: Andor Season 2 Is Confirming Why Mon Mothma Is One of the Most Pivotal Figures in Star Wars

When Cassian returns to Ghorman a year later on an unauthorized mission to assassinate ISB supervisor Dedra Meero, he crosses paths with Thela once more. This time, the atmosphere on Ghorman is much more tense, and Thela is less subtle about where his own ideologies lie while talking to Cassian in hushed tones, revealing that he never logged “Varian Skye” in as a guest a year earlier. Though Cassian does not reveal his true identity or what his connection to the larger rebellion is, the two understand one another and the gravity of the situation rapidly unfolding between native Ghormans and the Imperials. 

The day of the peaceful-protest-turned-massacre, Cassian informs Thela that he most likely will not be returning, and that he hopes “Things work out” for him, to which Thela replies, “Rebellions are built on hope.”

Cassian pauses for a beat to absorb Thela’s words and their implications. In that moment, Cassian knows the rebels on Ghorman will not be silenced. He knows that they are not ready for a war against the Empire, just as he advised the rebel leader Luthen Rael a year earlier. But with Thela’s poignant words, Cassian is made aware that the Ghormans would rather die than live under tyranny any longer. 

The sentiment clearly impacts Cassian deeply for years to come, as he repeats Thela’s words back to Jyn Erso at the beginning of her own journey as a rebel. Later, Jyn herself repeats the same sentence back to rebel leaders while trying to convey the importance of capturing the Death Star plans. 

Those five words–rebellions are built on hope–first said by a quiet and brave bellhop on Ghorman, would go on to be the reason for the Rebel Alliance’s first decisive victory over the Empire at Yavin. 

Andor Season 2 is streaming now on Disney+.