Star Wars Just Made a Deep-Cut Legends Moment Officially Canon

Star Wars Legends continuity is a mess, to say the least. There are countless wild events that make next to no sense and incredibly powerful characters that would send even Anakin Skywalker running for the hills. However, there are bits of Legends that have made their way into official canon, such as Grand Admiral Thrawn, one of the Empire’s highest-ranking officials. Lucasfilm even goes back to the Legends well in the second set of episodes of Star Wars: Andor Season 2 on Disney+, setting the stage for the Rebellion to climb out of the shadows by making a tragic event canon.

It all goes back to the planet Ghorman, which the Empire has its eyes on throughout Andor‘s second season. The Emperor’s quest for unlimited power leads the Imperials to increase their influence on the world, which houses its fair share of the mineral calcite, but the Ghor aren’t going to roll over because they know what being peaceful gets them.

What Is the Ghorman Massacre in Star Wars Legends?

Just like in official canon, Emperor Palpatine’s Declaration of a New Order sends shockwaves through the galaxy in Legends. Not all of the planets that belong to the Republic understand the former chancellor’s message, and peaceful protests start popping up all over. Ghorman is one of the worlds that doesn’t take kindly to living under the Emperor’s iron thumb, so the people take to the streets. To restore order, Captain Wilhuff Tarkin, later known as Grand Moff Tarkin, heads to Ghorman, but he meets resistance on the landing pad. The protestors won’t get out of his way, so to avoid looking like a coward, he lands his cruiser on top of them. Tarkin’s decision leaves hundreds dead and provides the push that some parties need to start building the Rebellion.

The elimination of Legends from the official canon seemingly meant the end of the Ghorman Massacre. However, the animated series Star Wars Rebels made it its mission to show the early days of the Rebellion, and that opened the door for the powers that be to bring Ghorman back into the fold. The Ghorman Massacre, which involved the Empire gunning down peaceful protestors, became the incident that caused Mon Mothma to leave her post as a senator behind in Rebels and become one of the faces of the Rebellion. But Andor‘s latest batch of episodes reveals that Tarkin did visit Ghorman shortly after the rise of the Empire and that the planet isn’t going to catch a break anytime soon.

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The Empire Isn’t Done With Ghorman in Star Wars: Andor

While it’s hard to believe that a show as dark as Andor will connect directly to something like Rebels, Season 2 makes it clear that Ghorman is the key to everything. The Ghor hold a real grudge against the Empire, especially because they are told no building will ever cast a shadow on the memorial they built honoring the victims of the Tarkin Massacre. With the Empire being the Empire, it goes back on its word and starts building a massive structure that will eventually become an armory. The people catch on and look for a way to fight back, reaching out to Luthen and his group for assistance. Unfortunately, the rebels on Ghorman are a bit too green, and their plan to steal Imperial weapons goes awry. The Empire is also onto them and hoping they attack so it has a reason to strike back.

It’s tough to see a planet like Ghorman being used as a pawn in a game it doesn’t know it’s playing. But that’s what makes Andor such an enthralling series. It shows how the sausage gets made and isn’t afraid to pull from the Wild West known as Legends if there’s a character or event that will kick things up a notch.

Andor Season 2 is streaming now on Disney+.

Were you aware of the Tarkin Massacre before it was discussed in Andor Season 2? What other Legends moments would you like to see brought to the official Star Wars canon? Let us know in the comments below!