Over a month after its finale, Star Wars: Andor fans are discovering the TV show featured a hidden Darth Maul Easter egg. On Instagram, Andor production designer Luke Hull shared an image of what appears to be a ceremonial plate featuring the design of a scorpion-like creature front and center. At first glance, it doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary, but a closer look at the item reveals the Easter egg. You can make out the face of Darth Maul on the body of the creature, the depiction of the former Sith Lord glaring menacingly into the camera.
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Hull’s post was provided without a caption, but commenters were quick to praise the beauty of the piece and the sneaky inclusion of the Maul Easter egg. Check it out in the space below:
The Star Wars franchise has been guilty of leaning on nostalgic callbacks in the past, but part of what made Andor such a success is that it wasn’t reliant on Easter eggs to appeal to fans. Being part of such a large property, the series obviously contains connections to other Star Wars works, but — save for the ones that tied directly into Rogue One — these tended to be more obscure. For example, the Andor Season 2 premiere had a deep-cut reference to the 1990s video game Star Wars: TIE Fighter.
Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy has gone on record to explain why the series didn’t feature more overt connections and references, such as cameos for characters like Rogue One protagonist Jyn Erso. For him, anything included in Andor had to make sense for the story he was trying to tell. The series was notable for eschewing fan service.
Considering Andor‘s relationship with Star Wars Easter eggs, this reference to Darth Maul perfectly aligns with the show’s approach. This remained hidden for a while; the plate is most likely a background prop appearing in a scene set in Luthen’s shop, which featured several galactic antiquities. Never once did the cameras call attention to it. Even now, with the still easily viewable for all, you have to look closely to see Maul’s face cleverly placed on the plate. It’s nice to see the production design team was able to have a bit of fun putting together the props, leaning on their personal Star Wars fandoms to flesh out the environments.
Unfortunately, Tony Gilroy is moving on from Star Wars now that Andor is over, which means future projects will miss his unique touch. Hopefully, Andor serves as a guiding light for the next wave of Star Wars creatives with regard to how they handle Easter eggs. Star Wars has a rich history, so it’s impossible for upcoming movies and shows to operate entirely in a bubble without any references to anything else, but hidden Easter eggs like this are arguably preferred to ones that are more in your face.
Did you notice this Maul Easter egg on Andor? Let us know in the comments!
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Image courtesy of Lucasfilm. -
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios.
