Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Andor Season 2.
It’s not exactly news to anyone that the Empire inStar Warsis a special kind of evil, but true to form,Andortakes this to another level. This is certainly not the first time we’ve seen the Imperial forces commit genocide, nor the first tragedy the Ghor have faced,but we’ve never been on the ground as it happens in real timein the way that Season 2 depicts. Even the positive displays of solidarity before the actual massacre are heartbreaking when we know what is coming, and it’s chilling to realize this might be the last we see of their people as their entire culture is wiped off the map. Finally, it’s the last straw for the Empire, proving that open rebellion has now become a true moral obligation.
Unlike Most Star Wars Stories, ‘Andor’ Puts Us On the Ground of an Atrocity
Depicting atrocities in fiction can be surprisingly challenging when your world exists on a galactic scale. Most fans can easily recall their first memory of witnessing the Death Star’s destruction of Alderaan, of course, but blowing up a planet almost feels too much for the mind to truly comprehend.Rogue Onescales down from that with the fall of Jedha, but the degree of annihilation is still horrific and continuesthe parallels between the Death Star and nuclear weapons. With Ghorman, the mental image ofTarkin landing his ship on a crowd is chilling enough,butnow viewers must face the tyranny directly, without being spared the grisly details.
On a similar note,it’s rare to witness Imperial forces being portrayed as so deadly. It’s easy to think of stormtroopers or TIE fighters as cannon fodderin the cockpit of an X-Wing, but they feel unstoppable when they’re bombing you from above or gunning you down in the street. There’s also what the Empire’s KX droids are capable of when unleashing their full potential, and it’s shocking to see them simply beat humans to death with their bare hands. The fact that this is where we meet K2-SO (Alan Tudyk) feels like a small bit of karma, since the droid is just as crucial as Cassian (Diego Luna) and the others in achieving the rebels' victory on Scarif.
As a writer,Tony Gilroyhas long been a student of history, and there are clear parallels to other famous protests in political history. With their language,the Ghor bring to mind the French, who have a proud tradition of revolution. The chant “We are the Ghor! The galaxy is watching!” bears a striking resemblance to what was chanted duringthe 1968 Democratic National Conventionin protest of the Vietnam War: “The whole world is watching!” Like Ghorman, the event itself ended in a brutal crackdown by Chicago police, although far from an outright massacre. That year, theTlatelolco massacre also happened in Mexico, where hundreds of students were killed. Like Ghorman, it started when guards killed their own members in the crowd, and used it to justify the resulting slaughter.
In Reality, the Ghor Never Stood a Chance in ‘Andor’
Historical parallels aside, the gathering crowd on Ghorman is also memorable for its more intimate nature. Thanks to the camera work and some incredible extras, the entire episode feels like the inverse ofthe smaller riot on Ferrix, since the Ghor possess strength in song and numbers. Mobs tend to take on a life of their own, butthe peaceful chanting in their fictional language gives them and us a sense of pride and power, at least until the blasters come out. Knowing their entire culture might now be lost forever feels extremely difficult to stomach.
As powerful as mobs can be for the people who join them, they’re also a disruption by nature and can easily be seen as a threat. Some of them know this already and attempt to stop the massacre before it can start, but what neither they nor someone like Syril (Kyle Soller) can admit is that it’s useless. Rather than empowering,the protest is haunting and dreadful, because viewers know exactly how it endsfor everyone involved. In truth, the Empire had decidedthe fate of the Ghora long time ago, and what we’re seeing now is just one last act of defiance from people who have no idea what they’re facing.
‘Andor’ Finally Explains Why This Important Character Isn’t in ‘Rogue One’
We didn’t want to watch these two fall apart.
The Ghorman Massacre in ‘Andor’ Is the Point of No Return for the Empire
What makes the Ghorman Massacre so effective is not just the grounded nature of the event, but how much time we’ve spent with them. The massacre we saw is only the opening salvo in a genocidal campaign, and it’s horrific to think the few Ghor who survive might not last long.If this is the last of the Ghor, it’s a very chilling note to end on, and it marks a moral event horizon for the Empire,whose horror we’ve now seenon both an individual and collective scale. Even the Imperial characters are shaken by the horrific events they witnessed, and that seems very telling.
Within mere minutes of the event, Imperial propaganda not only twists and rationalizes it but lays the groundwork for more, citing the same “outside agitators” lie that Syril had fully believed. If humans can be killed that easily and personally, then everyone can, andwe know which worlds are next. Soon enough, they won’t even need an army to do it, just a button. After makingso many sacrifices alreadyfor the cause that she believes in, no wonder this is the final straw for Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly). When the galaxy has reached this point, what response is left other than outright rebellion?
Prequel series to Star Wars' ‘Rogue One’. In an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue, Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a Rebel hero.
