Andor Shows Love to a Major Rogue One Character (& It’s Not the One You Think)

The premise of Disney+’s Star Wars: Andor is a tough sell. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the project set directly after it, is already a prequel, showing how the Rebellion comes to acquire the plans to the original Death Star. But Rogue One pulls off the impossible by making a group of characters who have no future in the franchise incredibly compelling. Some of the standouts include Chirrut Îmwe, one of the mysterious Guardians of the Whills, and Bodhi Rook, an Imperial pilot who defects after crossing paths with Galen Erso. As great as they are, though, the characters at the heart of Rogue One are Cassian Andor and Jyn Erso.

Cassian, a seasoned rebel, shows Jyn the ropes, which involves dropping a memorable line she turns around and uses when times get tough. However, as Andor reveals, Jyn isn’t the only one in the galaxy who believes in Cassian.

Cassian Andor Witnesses What a Rebellion’s Failure Looks Like

Andor Season 2’s first three arcs built to the Ghorman Massacre. With the Empire in need of kalkite, a mineral that lives underneath Ghorman’s surface, it sends agents to aid the rebel cell growing on the planet. The Imperials allow the rebels to steal weapons in an effort to provoke an attack that will give them the green light to occupy Ghorman. Cassian first visits Ghorman while the rebels are still green, and he doesn’t come away impressed. He leaves the planet in the rearview for a couple of years until he learns that Dedra Meero, the Imperial officer responsible for the incident on Ferrix in Season 1, is stationed there.

Cassian and Wilmon Paak head to Ghorman, with Cassian posing as a member of the media. He arrives at the same hotel he stayed in years earlier and interacts with a familiar bellhop. Realizing Cassian is there to fight back against the Empire, the young man doesn’t check him in, allowing the rebel to operate without issue. Cassian tells the bellhop that he hopes things work out for him, and the bellhop replies, “Rebellions are built on hope.” Sadly, moments later, the Empire flexes its muscles on the people of Ghorman and kills hundreds of civilians. Cassian walks away from the event forever changed, but the message the bellhop gave him doesn’t leave his mind.

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Cassian Andor Pays It Forward in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

After the Rebellion learns about the superweapon the Empire is building, they task Cassian with helping Jyn find her father, Galen. The only way to do that is to talk to Bodhi, who is being held captive by Saw Gerrera, Jyn’s old caretaker, on the moon Jedha. Jyn doesn’t love the plan, and when she tells Cassian as much, he informs her that “Rebellions are built on hope.” The line sits with Jyn, who buys in fully after her father dies shortly after reuniting with her.

Without Galen to guide them, the Rebellion tries to figure out how to take down the Death Star with the resources they have. The meeting isn’t going well, but Jyn speaks up anyway and urges the leadership to send a crew to steal the plans for the weapon. They hesitate, so Jyn uses Cassian’s line to make them really think about what they’re fighting for. However, Mon Mothma and the rest still aren’t convinced, so the crew of the Rogue One heads off to Scarif on their own. The rest is history, with Jyn and Cassian succeeding in their mission but losing their lives when the Empire fires upon the planet.

Cassian had selfish goals when he arrived on Ghorman for the second time, but the tragedy opened his eyes to the gravity of the situation. He never looked back after, and when the moment came to inspire Jyn like the bellhop did him, he didn’t hesitate. That small interaction, while inconsequential at the time, changed the outlook for the entire galaxy.

Andor Season 2 is streaming now on Disney+.

Did you catch the bellhop say Cassian Andor’s line from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story? What other references to the movie did you spot in Season 2? Let us know in the comments below!