Andor Season 2’s Best Episodes Just Made 5 Retcons To An 8-Year-Old Star Wars Story

WARNING! Spoilers forward for Andor season 2, episodes 7, 8, and 9!

Star Wars’ finest new present, Andor, simply made some retcons to Mon Mothma’s highly effective defection from the Empire, which was beforehand seen in Star Wars Rebels. Andor season 2’s third arc confirmed the Ghorman Massacre and its fallout within the Imperial Senate. The episodes have been hailed as among the finest Star Wars tv ever, and it’s arduous to disagree. Tony Gilroy’s storytelling is unprecedented within the franchise, and there’s little question Andor will likely be praised when awards season comes round.

Mon Mothma’s story continues in a “fourth episode” for this chapter; Star Wars Rebels season 3, episode 18, “Secret Cargo.” This tells the story of Mon Mothma’s defection and escape from the Empire. Andor did a superb job avoiding vital contradictions, writing round Rebels, and there is a straight narrative throughline. That stated, there are a number of modifications – some minor, some main, all value noting.

5

Mon Mothma’s Senatorial Speech Was Modified

And Probably Made Higher

Tony Gilroy and Genevieve O’Reilly have brazenly admitted Mon Mothma’s stirring speech is a retcon, with Gilroy admitting that his brother Dan – who wrote Andor episode 9 – struggled to make it work. “Danny’s like, ‘Do I’ve to stay to this f–ing speech?’,” Gilroy recalled in a reasonably impolitic method. Andor determined to separate Mon’s speech, revealing she gave two – one in every of which was offscreen for Andor.

This variation might be attributed to the 2 reveals having completely different goal demographics, nevertheless it additionally is smart that Andor needed to have its personal model. It’s additionally doable that the model of Mon Mothma’s speech that Ezra Bridger, Zeb Orrelios, and Hera Syndulla listened to aboard the Ghost was altered by the Empire as a part of a propaganda smear marketing campaign in opposition to Mon Mothma. They did take heed to it by way of the Holonet, and Andor has proven what an efficient device propaganda is, so this alteration, whereas a reasonably large one, isn’t of a lot consequence.

4

Andor By no means Talked about Having To Unite Totally different Insurgent Cells

This Was Utterly Omitted From Andor

There is a cause Mon Mothma needed to give her Rebels speech; she was attempting to unite completely different insurgent cells to kind the Insurgent Alliance. This was the second speech Erskin Semaj referenced whereas within the secure home in Andor season 2, episode 9. Nevertheless, the half about bringing collectively completely different rebels was fully omitted. Since Andor is extra about small, particular person acts of Insurrection, it is smart this wasn’t talked about. It’s unclear if Andor will handle this speech or its results in any respect, nevertheless it doesn’t appear possible.

3

Bail Organa Wasn’t On Coruscant When Mon Gave Her Second Speech

Andor Confirmed Bail Staying On Coruscant

Whereas Bail Organa didn’t have a line in Rebels season 3, episode 18, he did seem alongside Normal Dodonna. They appeared whereas Mon Mothma gave her second speech, which helped unite the Rebels and formally kind the Insurgent Alliance. Initially, it was assumed that this look confirmed them on both Yavin 4 or Dantooine, however Andor has simply made it clear that Bail Organa stayed on Coruscant after Mon Mothma’s defection. Whereas it’s actually doable Bail had made a rapid journey to a Insurgent base someplace like Dantooine, Andor talked about that Normal Dodonna was on Yavin 4 throughout this time.

Whereas that is actually of no consequence, it does elevate the query of when Bail Organa really leaves the Senate to hitch the Rebels. We all know from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story that Bail finally seems on Yavin 4 earlier than going again to Alderaan, the place he’s finally killed by the Demise Star. With Normal Dodonna being on Yavin 4 already, it reveals that the timeline of occasions might have shifted barely to maneuver issues up a bit.

2

Mon Mothma’s Hair Was Utterly Totally different In Rebels

Might She Have Gotten A Haircut Earlier than Boarding the Ghost?

When Mon Mothma seems in Rebels, she’s donning the pixie lower audiences know from when she appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in addition to the unique Star Wars trilogy. It’s arduous to mistake Mon’s brilliant head hair, and it’s arduous to think about her hair a lot shorter than what we’ve seen thus far in Andor, nevertheless it’s doable that she shortly lower her hair whereas aboard the transit that was presupposed to deliver her to the Insurgent base.

The lower might’ve been symbolic in that she was reducing her ties to the Empire, or perhaps a solution to minimally disguise her. Nevertheless, it’s doable that Andor didn’t need to change Mon Mothma’s hair and that her arc in Andor merely didn’t embrace a haircut. Andor’s last arc might present Mon Mothma with the hair we see her don in Rogue One, particularly for the reason that last arc will lead proper into the movie, nevertheless it additionally doesn’t should. The vital half is that the viewers in each Andor and Rebels is aware of that this character is identical individual.

1

Rebels Exhibits Mon Mothma Arriving on Dantooine

Not Yavin 4, Like in Andor

Andor by no means reveals audiences Mon Mothma’s precise arrival on Yavin 4 on the finish of season 2, episode 9, it’s simply implied that she’ll get there. Nevertheless, in Rebels, it was by no means the plan for Mon Mothma to go to Yavin 4; the plan was all the time for her to go to the Insurgent base on Dantooine. At that time within the Star Wars timeline, Dantooine was a way more developed base and was extra suited to making tactical selections, although it might be decommissioned as soon as Yavin 4 was up and operational.

Andor made it clear a number of occasions that Mon Mothma can be going to Yavin, and made no point out of Dantooine. So whereas we don’t know the place Mon Mothma really went on the finish of Andor season 2, episode 9, it’s implied that the Ghost crew took her to Yavin as an alternative of Dantooine. This additional breaks Rebels continuity if true, since Ghost crew members like Ezra Bridger didn’t go to Yavin till Rebels season 4. It’s doable that Mon Mothma boarded one other ship after arriving on Dantooine after which made her solution to Yavin, however there’s no actual solution to know.

Whereas Andor season 2’s Ghorman Bloodbath arc retconned some issues from Rebels, all of the modifications have been minor, and never something that basically takes away from the storytelling in both present. Whereas Star Wars followers love when canon continuity is stored, getting such a superb bout of storytelling ought to forgive the retcons. In the end, holding the story advised in Andor separate from the one advised in Rebels was the precise transfer, and the retcons weren’t a giant deal.

New episodes of Andor premiere Tuesdays at 9 PM EST/6 PM PST.

Andor

8/10

Launch Date

2022 – 2025-00-00

Community

Disney+

Showrunner

Tony Gilroy

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