Hope is many things in the Star Wars galaxy. A lifeline in the darkest of times. An inextinguishable light for those facing what can feel like insurmountable odds. For the Rebel Alliance, hope is the foundation of everything they believe and fight for as they mount what will become a galactic civil war with the Imperial regime.
First uttered by Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) himself in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, then made famous by Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) as a rallying cry, the line, “Rebellions are built on hope,” almost didn’t make it into Andor. That all changed when creator and executive producer Tony Gilroy’s son, Sam Gilroy — who also plays the rebel Gerdis this season — petitioned his father to include the quotable line in Season 2.
The final inclusion makes for a poignant moment shared between Thela and Cassian on Ghorman. Like Nemik with his manifesto and Luthen with his unshakable ideals, Thela’s words impart a wisdom onto Cassian Andor that he will carry for the rest of his days.
Read on for even more interesting trivia and fun facts from the making of this week's Andor episodes.
Episodes 207-209
1. (Above) The Coruscant Senate Building’s Gate Nine set, where Cassian Andor prevents Mon Mothma from being arrested, was a revamp of Mon Mothma’s round senate office set.
2. (Above) About 350 extras were dressed by Michael Wilkinson’s costume department for the Ghorman Massacre sequence.
3. (Above) In an earlier version of Andor Season 2, K-2SO was introduced tearing through a ship in a sequence reminiscent of both the Alien and Predator movie franchises. Instead, the final scripts incorporate Imperial KX-units into the Ghorman Massacre sequence.
4. (Above) The rig in the Yavin temple used to hold K-2SO was designed by Rebecca Alleway’s set decoration team to hold a prop ship engine and then worked backwards to restrain the towering droid.
