Warning: This article contains spoilers for Andor Season 2
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Andor creator Tony Gilroy explains why the show deviates from established Star Wars canon during Season 2, Episode 9 – “Welcome to the Rebellion.” In that episode, Mon Mothma makes a passionate speech to the Senate, condemning the horrific actions of the Empire on Ghorman. She’s then swiftly evacuated with Cassian as her escort. Those well-versed with the animated series Star Wars Rebels might have noticed that “Welcome to the Rebellion” connects to the Rebels episode “Secret Cargo,” in which Mon Mothma is taken to safety at the Rebel base on Yavin IV. On Rebels, Mon gives a similarly themed speech, resigning from the Senate as she dedicates herself to the rebellion. Gilroy discussed why he took things in a different direction.
“We are hijacking canon,” Gilroy told Entertainment Weekly. “In canon, she’s rescued by the Gold Squadron and the speech that they gave in the cartoon, which was a canonical show, [is on that ship]. And [Andor writer Dan Gilroy’s] like, ‘Do I have to stick to this f—ing speech?’ In a really sneaky way, we’re minimizing what they did in Star Wars Rebels, but we’re keeping it consistent. We’re just saying you don’t really know the whole story of what happened.”
The Andor creative team hasn’t been afraid to bend Star Wars canon to fit the show. The latest batch of Season 2 episodes (Episodes 7-9) rewrites how Cassian meets his droid companion K-2SO. Episode 8 – “Who Are You?” essentially wipes the events of the comic Rogue One – Cassian & K-2SO Special out of continuity. How Andor handles Mon Mothma’s escape to Yavin isn’t as drastic, but it demonstrates Lucasfilm’s ability to be flexible when it comes to canon.
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The studio’s willingness to go this route probably has something to do with Andor‘s reception. The series is widely critically acclaimed, being considered one of the best Star Wars projects of all time. Andor Season 2’s Rotten Tomatoes score set a new record for the franchise, which explains why Lucasfilm gave Gilroy & Co. creative freedom while making the show. The studio never forced decisions on Gilroy.
From strictly a filmmaking perspective, it’s easy to see why the Gilroy brothers wanted to mix things up for “Welcome to the Rebellion.” A writer is going to want to leave their own stamp on a project, and the prospect of essentially copying and pasting someone else’s dialogue was probably unappealing. To Gilroy’s credit, he found a way to make it work. Nothing in Andor contradicts what happens in Rebels; it’s just revealed that Gold Squadron taking Mon to Yavin was step two of an elaborate plan. Within the context of the Star Wars universe, what transpires makes a great deal of sense as well. Pulling something off like rescuing Mon Mothma from the Senate was never going to be an easy task. Bringing her to Luthen’s safe house before regrouping and flying to Yavin is logical.
The mission to save Mon Mothma also provides a foundation for Cassian’s relationship with Mon Mothma. As seen in Rogue One, Cassian is someone Mon trusts for highly pertinent assignments, such as uncovering the truth about the Death Star. Andor pulls of the trick all best prequels do by adding depth to the characters; Mon knows what Cassian is capable of because she’s seen it up close. He saved her life during a dangerous, stressful time. The next time Star Wars fans rewatch Rogue One, it’ll be hard to not think about Cassian and Mon’s daring escape from the Senate.
