ScreenCrush: The Podcast! - ANDOR Season 2 Episodes 7 - 8 - 9 BREAKDOWN - Star Wars Easter Eggs You Missed!

Episode Date: May 7, 2025

Andor Episodes 7-9 connect to the greater Star Wars saga, with easter eggs calling back to Syar wars rebels, Rogue One, the original trilogy, and the Mandalorian. We also break down the references to classic cinema like the Battle of Algiers and the Battleship Potemkin.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It can be loud. I'm a deep sleeper. Hey, welcome back Screen Crush. I'm Ryan Erie. And this is all of the Easter eggs references and little things you might have missed in episode 7, 8 and 9 of Andor season 2. Just like last week, if you have only seen episode 7 or episode 8, don't worry. We are going to be spoiler-free throughout the video, and we have chapters marked for the episodes below. Don't forget, we're on all your favorite podcast platforms. And at our merch store, we have this brand new Fight the Empire shirt based on my favorite scene from season one.

Fight the empire. And we also have this brand new Free Gorman shirt and the I Have Friends Everywhere. More details about those later on. So there's a lot of Star Wars history to unpack, even in the first few seconds of this episode. We start with the Bells of Ferrix. Which, of course, marks the passage of time.

This next three-episode arc is set two years before the Battle of Yavin. And you can really see the rebellion now taking shape. Now, it's interesting to see how this show weaves in and out of the show's War's Rebels. That series also started in 5 BBY. That's five years before the Battle of Yavin, and it featured an isolated rebel cell gradually joining the larger rebellion, while Cassian's story is largely showing us how they built up a spy network to support the alliance. On Rebels during this time, we're near the end of season three and the start of season four. So while all this was happening, Grand Admiral Throne was facing off against the rebels on Lothal. Wedgantile's

defected from the Imperial Academy and joined the rebellion, and Darth Maul tracked down Obi-1 Kenobi to Tadouin and the two had one last duel. And this was also the year that the Mandalorian Civil War started. Clan Saxon were puppets of the empire, while Clan Ren rebelled to take control of the planet. And this is also around the time when the empire wiped out the people of Geonosis to hide the secret of the Death Stars construction. And so this was also around the time when Ezra Bridger met Saul Guerrera. But this is also the point in rebels when Yavin IV first appears. It's actually a big deal when the rebel cell arrives here for the first time because they're actually going to get to interact and meet with rebels from other worlds.

So many different ships and people. There are cells gathered here from every corner of the galaxy. Now on that show, we also see how a lion's headquarters moved around, from chopper base to Dantuin and finally ending on Yavin IV. Yavinfor started off as a waypoint for Luthin's operatives, like we saw in episode one. So it's cool to see how it's grown from a network hub to an actual community of rebels. And Yavin'4 has an interesting history as well. These temples were built by the Masasi people, who were enslaved by a Scyl

5,000 years ago. It's even thought the temples were built as shrines to the Sith and used as communication relays. And we actually saw Darth Mall activate a similar temple on Malacor and the show rebels. But in a more meta sense, George Lucas always had a symbolic meaning in mind for Yavin-4. Star Wars, A New Hope, was released just two years after the end of the Vietnam War. And he wanted to identify the scrappy rebellion with the Viet Cong soldiers who hid in the jungles of Vietnam. That's not true. That's impossible. That's what he told James Cameron. are the rebels. I think we call those guys terrorists today.

When I did it, they were get calm. Exactly. So were you thinking of that at the time? Now, as this shuttle is escorted in by a couple of X-Wings, notice the Y wings on the ground. Now, although the rebellion would later employ other advanced ships like the A and B wings, these were the most advanced fighters they had at the time,

which is why they were in the Death Star Run and a New Hope. One thing I am loving about this era of Star Wars is that we get to actually see how the empire took over. Like in shows like Andor, we see how imperial lies devalued the truth until people didn't know who to believe anymore. And this reflects our world today because we don't know what news we can trust. Most mainstream media sites have something called a profit bias. They just want to feed you stories that will up your engagement and confirm your existing bias.

And that's why, if you want to cut through the bias and hear the real news, I recommend ground news. They're the sponsor of this video. I use ground news every day. I like it so much, I subscribed on my own. Ground News is an app and website that gathers related articles from across the world into one place. But they give you the context about the sources political leaning, their reliability, and most importantly, their ownership. This means that you can see through the bias and think critically about the news you consume. For instance, here's a story about Trump easing auto tariffs. Sources on the left are very matter-of-fact with their headlines.

While sources on the right use celebratory language saying that he is boosting automakers. I can also see how many sources reported on this story. how many of them lean left or right? And most importantly, who owns those news sources? I want to know who has an agenda in telling this story a certain way. And I also want to know that the news isn't trying to sway me one way or the other. So they even have a blind spot section that shows you news stories that each side is ignoring. For instance, here's a story about the president's poll numbers dropping with Latinos,

and that has zero conservative coverage. Or this one about Trump requiring truck drivers to speak English, and that only has four left-leaning sources. Ground News is an incredible resource, and I have been looking for a service like Ground News for years, so I highly encourage you to check them out. If you go to ground. News slash SC or click this QR code, you'll get 40% off their vantage plan, which includes unlimited access to every feature. Your subscription will not only help out this channel, but you'll also be supporting an independent platform working to make the media landscape more transparent. Now, back to what I was saying.

So this shuttle is offloading new recruits based on their clothing, and we also see Wilman deplane. Now, Wilman has had an interesting arc over this series. He started off just working in his dad's electronic shop, but the Empire's murder of his father radicalized him, just as we've seen other characters radicalized over the series, like Cyril and Cassian. Since then, he's matured from the guy who got his friend killed because he had to say goodbye to the farmer's daughter

to a man who did space drugs, a Saul Guerrera, and now he is a confident, fully trained operative. And there's also tiny details around Yavin that the show is building up to for this reveal. For instance, the mess tables here are also how we saw the workers eating on Mina Rao. And on Yavin and Gorman, we always see the rebels together, around tables, like looking at each other, while the Imperials always appear isolated in one or two shots, and they almost never actually face one another. It's a subtle way to show that the rebellion is built

on community, and the empire treats people like their parts of a machine, like we'll talk about in just a second. Now, at Cassian's hut, we see that he has a shoulder wound from a blaster bolt that has not healed. So each arc this season feels like it's the finale of a 12 episode series, which is very Star Wars. This is similar to how the last arc began with Bix having trauma over their killing of an imperial soldier. The Star Wars trilogies all make you feel like you started watching in the middle of a larger story, in the same mode as the Saturday morning serials that George Lucas loved when he was a kid. Notice the design of the hut where he and Bix live. It is built with a round doorway. Now, off of the series, I've talked about how imperial structures favor these harsh right

angles, how the buildings of Coruscant look like brutalist post-war works. But a planet's natural architecture on worlds like Gorman and Chandrilla always favors curves and circles. These are the shapes that you would find in nature, which is a subtle way to imply that the empire imposes on nature while the rebellion works with it. Hence, Cassian's circular doorway inside his hut. And notice how inside we even see that his hammock is hanging from two trees that are inside his home and that the hut was deliberately built around them so they would have a place to sleep. Well, yeah, but the Death Star is a big old circle. Yes, but that is because of the natural force of gravity. When an objects spins in fourth dimensional space, it naturally becomes a spherical object.

So they had to build a Death Star in that shape. And then we go to Gorman, which I just found out is built in this valley in Colico, Italy. It makes sense since the Gorman language sounds like a mix of French, Italian, and German. Shout out to Star Wars Games for pointing this out. But notice, the peaceful landscape is marred with this plume of smoke from a fire bombing at the naval terminal. Now, in Memorial Square, the police have put up these Sith black blockades, so now we don't even see the small number of protesters that we saw a year ago. A news reporter is giving us some exposition and notice his cam droid has news written on the side in Arabash. Now the focus gradually

shifts to Cyril on his way to work and a scene that's very different from the last arc. Now there are no people in the square, no one to sell spiders to tourists. There are no tourists. Cyril thought that his mission was to go undercover and expose a rebel cell who was a threat to the empire. But now he's seen that the empire responded by choking the life out of all gormons, not just the rebels. And this is not what he signed up for. And I love this bit of writing. You can feel this city, which was already on edge these past few months, tightening up. So as the narrator talks about the city, we stay focused on Cyril to show that he was also on the edge and tightening up. And his story is intercut with Cassians because these two are mirrors of one another.

They began the series as disaffected young men who are radicalized into two very different sides of this war. Wilman tells him that he has been working on Gorman on behest of Luthan, and we learned that Cassian is now taking a break from Luthan missions. I think this is because he's actually found a happy life with Bix, and that's going to be important to note later on in the video. Now, Wilman has become more harsh and violent after his time with Sao Guerrera. After all, Saul Guerrera was actually on the fringes of the rebellion. In Rogue One, we even hear that the other rebels didn't like working with him

because his tactics were too extreme. You're rebels, aren't you? Yes, but Saul Guerrera is an extremist. His militancy has caused to the alliance of great men. problems. But now this has led Wilman to creating his own off the book's mission, to kill Dedra Miro. In season one, she tortured and killed Wilman's father. She caused the empire to crack down on Farrix, and she's also obsessed with exposing Lutheran's activities as the rebel agent Axis. And then we intercut with Dedra, reporting to Leo Partigas, in the same secure

room where Cyril used to report to her. Director Krennick still with him now, but they wanting me to pass along the affirmative message to you immediately. Orson Krennick isn't talking to her because he's meeting with the emperor. But why is he meeting with the emperor? Well, books like Rogue One Catalyst and Thrawn Treason give a clear picture of the massive undertaking it was to build the first Death Star, mostly because they were figuring out how to build it as they went, and they kept hitting production snags, like needing to spend years undermining the Gorman people so they could mine Calcite from the planet. So, this meeting with the emperor is part of the final run-up.

They're just two years away from a two-decade project finally being finished. And by the way, if you would like to join the Rebel Alliance, we have designed these new shirts for you, The I Have Friends Everywhere, Fight the Empire, and Free Gorman. This is in addition to our other and or parody merch, the Rebel Scum graffiti painted over an Imperial Roundel, the stay on target to celebrate our victory against the Death Store, or if you're a monster who's on the other side and would like to celebrate the founding of our glorious Galactic Empire,

get your happy Empire Day shirt available at Empire Day Celebration kios or in our merch store where we design all the merch ourselves. But you can tell that Dedra isn't happy with her mission. Not only would she rather be hunting down Axis, but I don't think that she has the stomach for displacing an entire plan. Part of Gaz notes how she's losing it and tells her to make her report. And afterwards, notice how she straightens up and puts her arms behind her back. This is her imperial training kicking in, always following the chain of command,

while Cyril is more passionate, more untrained, and he has a harder time keeping his emotions in check later on. What am I doing here? She tells him, there's evidence of outside agitators. Which is true because the empire are the outside agitators. And note the way she tries to shut down his objections. will be rewarded. This is her treating Cyril like he's a machine, something that she can turn on her off by administering a kiss.

It is such good writing. And this takes us to the outskirts of the Senate building where we see that even Corrassant has become more like a police state. The rebel attacks on Gorman, I'm sorry, I mean the terror attacks on Gorman, have brought the galaxy into a state of fear. And remember, the emperor and the Sith feed on fear. So they have to pass through security checkpoints.

which is obviously a metaphor for the increased security in America in the years after September 11th. Mon walks away from her driver, the ISB plant from last season, who is becoming really obvious in his push for information. Are you planning to go to the office today? It's just they're asking for schedules this week, parking and movement. Then she has a meeting with Senator Dossi Oren from Gorman. Now, Mon has been advocating for the Gorman's four years, and a year ago she even tried to get Oren's support for repealing the Resentencing Act.

If I can't count on your support, what's the point? But now, all he can do is thank her for what she's tried to do so far. I came here to thank you, Mon. Increasingly, everyone seems to be admitting that Gorman is doomed. And to underscore this, we cut to the Gorman Front, fighting among themselves. Cereforce? You see, a year ago, they believed that when they exposed the injustices of the Empire, that they would be vindicated, and the bad apples would be cut out,

and things would go back to normal. But that didn't work. Their raid on the convoy only gave the Empire permission to crack down and sent it more troops. So now they're torn between finding a peaceful measure or escalating their attacks against the empire. They say, It's heartbreaking to see just how easily they were manipulated, and they end by saying, which is a name for the Gorman people, but it's also an identification with their spider, the Gorelectapod, who weaves the fabric that they're so well known for. Back on Yavin Ford,

we see that Cassian is more official. He's going to briefings, and he's becoming part of an official military structure. But instead, Bix leads him to a force healer. Oh wait, she's a Jedi, I thought all the Jedi were killed. No, here's the thing. Anyone can be born with various degrees of force sensitivity. So, in the days of the Republic, kids would be tested and their parents could then decide to send them off to train as a Jedi knight. But in the days of the empire, the emperor rounded up force sensitive kids so he could harvest their genetic material for testing. This, of course, was for a cloning project that all led up to this. Somehow Palpatine returned. Now, this is actually something very controversial in Star Wars these days. In the show, Asoka, Star Wars producer Dave Filoni

introduced an idea that anybody can train to be a Jedi, even if they had low force sensitivity. And in this episode, we see a woman who has an aptitude to use the force for healing. Now, there are different abilities that different people can have in the force. In the Fallen Order games, for instance, we see that Calcestis can sense force echoes. And the idea of force healing goes, I think, all the way back to the Timothy Zon novel, Air to the Empire. when Luke mentions that Jedi in training who didn't quite have enough force sensitivity to become Jedi often became healers. But more recently, we've seen this ability used by Ray and Rise of Skywalker and by Grogu and the Mandalorian. Come on, baby. Do the magic hand thing.

This woman immediately senses that Cassian is different. But Cassian, like Han Solo, doesn't believe in all these tricks and nonsense. I'll work on that. Come back and let you know. But I never seen anything to make me believe there's one all-powerful force controlling every... Now, after she touches him and heals his shoulder, she says, Thank you. Because she can see how important he was in the Force. Later, she tells Bix,

Your pilot, they're gathering as they go. There's a purpose to it. And? There's some place he needs to be. Now, wait, what does all that mean? Well, think about it. Cassian eventually helps to steal the Death Star plans, which gets the plans to Leah, who gets them to Luke.

Not only does this result in the Death Star being destroyed in a New Hope, but it also means that Luke becomes a Jedi Knight, Knight, turns Darth Vader, and then together they defeat the Emperor and the Empire. Cassian is like John the Baptist. He paves the way for the galaxy's savior. There's some place he needs to be. Now later, Bix even tells Cassian... I've had dreams like that. So this goes back to the idea that everybody is a little bit in touch with the Force. After all, the Force does connect all living things. But in my opinion, this does not mean that anyone can become a Jedi, just like everybody can't

learn to dunk a basketball. So in the show, Asoka, Sabine Wren should not have been a Jedi, damn it. Now, while Yavinfor seems to be teeming with possibility, Gorman is filled with a sense of doom and dread. Cyril goes to see Enza, and I get the feeling that he's going a little bit native here, and he's actually developed feelings for her. I needed to see you. But she quickly, finally, sees through him. Now, Cyril is feeling just as pinned in as the Gormans. He has surrendered his freedom to the empire, and now he has no choice or agency in what's about to happen. Back on Yavin 4, Cassian is getting guff from Commander Draven, who we first met in Rogue 1. He mentions a ship is getting fit with hypercoms, and these are communicators that allow you to transmit from hyperspace. Now, Cassian refuses to follow orders or surrender his agency, which is a direct contrast to Cyril.

One man surrendered his freedom to the empire, and the other won't let it go. This is also probably the reason why Cassian doesn't want to hear that an unseen galactic force is guiding his destiny. And he's also similar to Ezra Bridger, who felt like being on your own. Yavin IV was stymieming his ability to fight the empire. We already told Ryder we would send help. If Thron hadn't found our base, we would have launched an attack. Now, just as Cyril and Cassian parallel each other, Gorman and Yavinfour are marrying one another as well.

On Yavin 4, you have a sense that something is growing and being built. While on Gorman, it feels as if the world is increasingly doomed. We see new recruits arrive on both planets. On Yavin 4, they run off into the temple, excited for what they're about to do. But on Gorman, the recruits are young, reluctant, and I think deliberately, inexperienced. I think the empire wants these doughboys to screw up and cause an incident. You also get the feeling that this part of the occupation is no longer under Deidre's control. It's being run by Captain Keido. So even Deidre feels like she has lost agency because of her own

actions. Now as Cassian and Wilman fly into the valley, they go over these spiral structures. Now, if I had a guess as to what these structures are, I would say they're related to the weaving of fabric since after all they look woven together, or this is some way to gather the spider silk. But I do think it's interesting that they move in a natural shape, the DNA helix, because, after all, as we all know, the force is purely genetic and comes in the forms of midi-chlorian counts in your blood. I hate you. Ah, we have fun. And Vell goes to see Bix. Now, remember, Vell is Mon Mothma's cousin, who, in the last arc, lost the love of her life Senta.

She was everything that you have day dreamed about. Afterwards, she needed a break, so she's focused on intake and training new recruits. She mentions... Draven, Dodona. And General Jan Dodana is this commander that we saw in A New Hope and here in Rogue One. Now, Vell gives us some perspective on how far the rebellion has come. We're not a bunch of maniacs running around Aldani. Referring to the Aldani heist last season.

And then we get a look at how grim Gorman looks when it's under curfew. So after Wilman and Cassian Planned Degra's assassination, they say... Ferris, Stom in Sky. And remember, this was the chant the people of Farrix used at Marva's funeral. Stodon Sky! Stodon Sky! What does that mean? Well, for the people of Farrix, it is a great honor to have your ashes made into a brick.

It means that you become part of the foundation of the world. So, becoming a stone is a way of joining the physical world with the spiritual world. In other words, Stone in sky. Now, at the hotel, he meets the same bellhop from a year ago, who now has a promotion working the front desk. He pretends to not recognize Cassian, but makes it clear that his coworker is a snitch who will rat him out.

She will report it. And he tells him this before he makes it clear that he remembers Cassian, and he knows that he's here to hurt him. the empire in some way. Meanwhile, Wellman reunites with the underground and meets up with Tina. And this guy, right, he's out there in the galaxy spreading more seed than a drawn-mounted farm planter. Now let's move on to episode 8, which is one of the most riveting, hard to watch hours of

TV I have ever seen. As a Star Wars fan, it was gratifying to finally get to see the Gorman Massacre that we'd heard about for so long, but seeing it play out with this brutal honesty hit far too close to home. The episode begins with Gorman out of focus. Just as when this episode begins, nobody knows what's really happening on this planet. The Empire has confused and muddled the narrative, so the Gormans can't even agree on a singular strategy. And at the end of the episode, when everything is finally in focus, it's too late. Here, as the camera focuses, we see that the capital city of Calo is built very much like a medieval city, with the buildings never higher than a few stories tall, and everything being drawn upward toward the central plaza.

And now here we can see just how much of a disturbance this new armory is. It looms over the city, and it cuts out like a presence that just doesn't belong. And this also reflects old European cities in the modern day that build new skyscrapers and financial districts far away from the historic districts. And the city is dead quiet. All you can hear is the alarms. In a moment that foreshadows that gruesome ending in the silence that falls on Gorman after the massacre. Now, in his hotel, Cassie and assembles his body,

blaster that's hidden in his case, a trope that we've seen before in movies like the Jackal. This episode was just so sad. I actually had to walk away for like an hour before writing this video. It is just heartbreaking to see how the people of Gorman walked right into the trap that the empire set for them. Now they begin the episode by removing the barricades and notice they are on hover lifts because, you know, space. Outside Cassie and's hotel, notice how the ledges of the building are made in this same

spiral pattern is the architecture that we saw at the end of the last episode. It's part of this entire design aesthetic for these people. people. Their buildings and art all look as if they are woven together because they so closely identify with the spider as their planetary symbol. Commander Kaido is moving the barricades for two reasons. One, because the mining equipment is inside the imperial building and it needs to be protected. And two, they want people to enter the square and make a scene so the empire can blame the destruction of Gorman on its own people. And if the Gorman's made outlandish claims like they're going to strip mine our planet, then it just makes them sound more crazy and justifies military action,

is what the newscaster says here. Continued an inexplicable Gorman resistance to imperial norms. The inexplicable resistance to imperial norms. And we see the Gorman front playing right into the empire's hands, making Molotov cocktails, and they're so excited that the Imperials were foolish enough to reopen the plaza. And through this, we keep cutting back to Edie, Cyril's mother on Corrasson. Notice that the spider he gave her looms in the foreground,

just as Cyril is arranging his spiders in his home. This is showing us that, over the past couple of years, Cyril has grown to have genuine affection for this world. And if the spiders represent the Gorman people or the memory of the Gorman people, then they're right there in our living rooms with us watching how we react as the massacre unfolds. Now, when the people enter the square,

they blow horns, similar to how the people of Farrix banged pots to announce danger when the authorities approached. Now here I have to shout out a great video called How Andor adapts history into Star Wars by the channel Film Can't Die. The creator compares Ferrix to an Italian film called the Battle of Algiers, and there are all right.

also remarkable similarities here to the Gorman Massacre. The film is about the Algerian Revolution Against French Colonial Forces. Now, it's made in a documentary style, filmed handheld, and it really envelopes you in its scenes. And its action scenes are wide in scope as it depicts mass protests and uprisings in Casball Algiers. Both movies are about a popular uprising in a city occupied by a larger military force. They follow underground revolutionaries plotting how to respond to imperial control, intercut with military commanders strategizing on how to suppress these people. A new military commander is installed who cracks down on local rebellion. The empire manipulates the media and propaganda to tell a different story to the people back home. They institute barricades, a curfew,

and checkpoints to suppress the natives. After an extended occupation, this erupts in an uprising that quickly turns violent with an explosion. Now, at first, the people overwhelmed the military with their numbers, but are soon slaughtered with superior firepower. Gilroy has also included other cinematic references I'll talk about as we go along. Now, while the young people are excited to finally have a voice in the square. Rylance finally works out that this is all a setup. In other words, he can't do anything to save his people, but he has found a target for his rage, Cyril. How do you speak the words? You've destroyed it. And the deep irony here is that Cyril, who is in a relationship with an ISB agent, has to hear about the imperial mining from a rebel

with more intel than him. What kind of a beam are you? And this was Cyril's ultimate reckoning. He has always believed in authority. He has spent his entire life trying to earn the approval of men in authoritative positions. And here is a man, a leader he respects, calling him a thief. And as the gore fight for their survival, Captain Tido states his goal very plainly. What I want is a comfortable ride home. And in the background, we can hear imperial transmissions that sound just like the probe droids and empire strikes back. While across the... the plaza, Cassian speaks with Thela the bellhop from episode five. Now last episode,

he recognized that Cassia was there under an assumed name. So now he says, Rebellions are built on hope. And this really got to me. Cassian repeats this line to Jen Erso in Rogue One. Rebellions are built on hope. And then later, she convinces some rebels to attack Scarf with the same line. Rebellions are built on hope. This shows us how revolutionary ideas grow from person to person until eventually they become part of an entire movement. While outside, chant, we are the gore the galaxy is watching. Again, this is deeply ironic because what the galaxy sees is that the gore are a deeply violent people who deserve to be massacred. Notice how the Gorman symbol on the flags looks like a maze or a spider web, consistent with their planetary symbol,

the spider. And notice how, outside the imperial offices, they've also installed security checkpoints, like the one we saw at the Senate last episode. And the Imperial Police have helmets designed to mimic the shape of Darth Vader's helmet, and their goggles also look like the visor of Kylo Ren. I think the metaphor here, apart from the joint design aesthetic, is that evil doesn't always wear a big scary mask. Sometimes evil is just regular people doing their job without questioning the morality of their actions. And these are the same police uniforms we saw on pharix at the end of season one. And all through this lead up to the massacre, Cassing and Cyril continue to mirror one another. I mean, their paths literally diverge here when they come within about three feet of each other before

heading into different directions. Cyril is placed in a room that might as well be a holding cell with KX security droids, which tips him off that the empire is expecting there to be an extremely violent scene. It would be like finding a rocket launcher in a local police station. And once everyone is in the square, the Imperials seal the exits. And to set off the riots, Taito sends in the young, inexperienced officers to be surrounded on all sides. He wants them scared so they'll overreact and provoke a violent reaction. But instead, at first, the people sing this stirring patriotic song. note lyrics like tight the weave and roll the sleeve are because this is primarily a weaving culture again i am in all of how well tony gilroy and his team created these fully realized independent cultures cyril confronts dadra what are we doing here following orders now he chokes her bringing back memories of her trauma from season one when the rebels on ferricks almost killed her and then she tells him the truth there's a stone something in the dirt here that needs

It's the energy program. It's directly from the emperor. And then throws it all back in his face. You didn't seem to mind the promotions. Cyril sought the approval of authority because he assumed that the authorities were always right. So this season is really about how he went from this. If I say this is the greatest day of my life. To this. Good luck, Dedra.

Outside, every domino has been set in the perfect place. Dedra gets word from Partagaz and gives the order. Proceed. Not unlike this. Wipe them out, all of them. Outside, the Thai fighters screech over head to amp up the fear and the powder keg explodes. Man, it just sucks to watch this. These poor people just wanted to make clothes and sing songs.

They only existed to bring something beautiful into the galaxy, and they have no idea why they're even being destroyed. Oh, the horror! I can't watch! This image, a guy at the memorial huddled and crying, is the enduring image of this scene for me. He is a man who is not equipped for war or a violent life, and all he can do in this moment is despair. Then the stormtroopers appear at the top of the stairs

in a sequence that has to be a direct homage to Eisenstein's heart-wrenching stairs sequence in the battleship Potemkin. Now, in this scene, crowds have gathered to cheer on the mutineers when the government forces unload and people are trampled on the stairs. This film also includes a sequence

with a baby carriage going down the steps that you might recognize being repeated in this scene from the untouchables. One by one, the members of the Gorman Front die while Captain Tido watches through glass that is reflected with fire. Now, the symbolism here is clear. He is a devil presiding over people suffering in hell.

And he gives this slight smile as he watches it happen. And then they send out the KX droids. Now, the first one of these we ever saw was the reprogrammed K2SO in Rogue One. But one of these droids nearly killed Cassium last season in Space, Miami. Hang out of this one for me. He said, no, no, no, you misunderstand. There's this horrifying moment when a man runs in fear from the droid, and he doesn't notice that he knocks over Enza.

And because of this clumsy accident, The droid just picks her up and throws her like a rag doll and she dies on impact. Across the plaza, people try to flee, but they're met by imperial vehicles blocking the way, similar to the tanks in the film, the Battle of Algiers. And then, in the middle of the chaos, the camera focuses on Cyril, and the sound goes quiet. Now this is a common trope in filmmaking when characters become completely overwhelmed, and for a moment, we are unable to absorb the enormity of battle. But then Cyril finally sees his nemesis, his great arch enemy, Cassian Andor.

Remember, back in season one, he saw Andor's murder of two workers as the pinnacle of injustice. So now that he is surrounded by injustice, he actually has one thing he can focus on. He attacks Cassian, unknowingly saving Deidre's life for a second time. And I believe this is actually the first time that Andor and Cassian have met or seen each other since episode three of season one. And even then, Andor just held him hostage and barely looked at his face. They burst into the same cafe where Cassian was undercover a year ago, and the fight is brutal. Like a lot of great Star Wars stories, we start with a big, large-scale battle and end with the fight that is smaller and more personal. They choke each other, they bash each other with objects.

And this was actually my favorite moment of the fight. Cassie had punched a Cyril in the back and Cyril elbows him to the face. It is just all messy and they're sleepy and tired. It is like a real fight. But the best moment of the episode is when he finally gets the drop on Andor. I mean, this is Javert, finally cornering Valjean. And the last thing that Cyril ever hears is his arch-enemy asking, Who are you?

This reminded me of one of my all-time favorite monologues from Rahl Julia and Street Fighter. For you, the day bison graced your village was the most important day of your life. But for me, it was Tuesday. And then Rylans gets his revenge on the man that he thought he could trust. But more importantly, this is Rylans correcting his mistake, even though it's too late for it to matter. Cassian and a few other survivors escaped the plaza, and these steps look like another visual homage to the Battle of Algiers. Cassian gets targeted by a KX droid, but then he is saved by Sam, the dipshit who caused Senta's death in episode 6. So Sam redeemed himself, kind of, and then Wilman, just like in episode 3 this season, wants to go back for the woman he loves.

But first, he helps Cassian load up the droid, who is probably going to be reprogrammed as K2SO from Rogue 1. And when they part, they repeat... Ferrex, stolen sky. Which, of course, we heard from Marva's funeral procession. As Cassian drives away, we hear Drina on the radio. This is murder! The empire built this fire. They made this fire and led us to the slaughter.

And then she adds, The conspiracy we feared is real. It's here today. Which echoes what Marva's hologram said at her funeral. It's here and it's not visiting anymore. And this is all Gorman can do right now. to try to let people know the truth. We're going to let people know what happens.

Help me. Meanwhile, Deidre's PTSD overtakes her and she tries to loosen her collar. Again, calling back to when she was attacked and strangled on Farik's last season. Only one man in her life ever loved her, but then she used and betrayed him. And we end the episode with two broadcasts,

one telling us the truth from Drina, and the other is imperial propaganda in the news. As the imperial martyrs of Gorman are mourned, we're sure to learn a great deal more about what happened here today and the price will pay for our own safety. And this clip is deeply ironic. As we know, the massacre was really about one thing, creating the Death Star. This was an instrument built by the Emperor under the guise of keeping the Empire safe.

The Emperor's primary charge is to protect us, is it not? And then we end on Edie. Poor Edie, played by the magnificent Catherine Hunter, losing the only thing in the world she ever cared about. Episode 9 is one of my favorite episodes of the entire show because it seamlessly ties into Star Wars Rebels and ways that I'll talk about later on. But it's also one of the best incorporations of animation and live action that we've seen since Clone War Season 7, when Asso Katano was added into the events of Revenge of the Sith. So the episode begins with the songs of the gore from last episode. They are singing Valley, Highland, Let Me Spend Every Day There.

So this episode is all about telling the truth about the massacre and letting the voices of the gore be heard. So it's appropriate that we begin with their songs. And the lyrics here are deeply tragic. They sing about spending their days in the hills and valleys that the empire are currently stripping away for Kalkite. Then we open on a reflection of the Senate building. Note that it's upside down as a way to visually show us that the values of the Senate have now been inverted. Instead of standing for democracy, it has simply become a voice for the emperor. And then rain starts to obscure the building.

Nota said. The dark side clouds everything. The senator from Gorman is being arrested for no reason while Bail Organa watches. Now Bail Organa is of course the adopted father of Lea Organa and one of the founders of the rebellion. Back when the Chancellor initially took too much power, he formed a committee with Mon Mothma and Padmei to place a check on his powers. We cannot let a thousand years of democracy disappear without a fight. And in Tales of the Jedi, we see him recruit Osokitana into the early stages of the rebellion. Now, as Senator Oren is arrested, he says,

It's my people today and yours tomorrow. Which is all too true in this case. Bail Organa and his homeworld will be destroyed in just two years. Last episode ended with the Imperial News lying about the events on Gorman, and Mon Mothman knows that people need to hear the truth about this genocide. So this is why she decides to commit treason and she asked him to come with her. Nothing we will ever do will be as hard as hiding all these years. And then Bail says, We have to buy time. We're not ready.

Yavin isn't ready. Which points out the goal of the rebel cells in this show and the show Rebels. Luthin wanted to spark enough rebellion across the galaxy to inspire people to rebel. Bail wanted to gain military strength, while Asoka coordinated cells into a formal fighting force. And Mon Mothma wanted to use political leverage and financing to secretly bring more worlds into the fold. Each of them was an important part of growing the rebellion from a group of infighters on Yavin 4 to the organized military force that we see in a new hope. In the back of Lutheran shop, Clea is 3D printing him a fake press badge. And note that this object looks like it was placed in carbon freeze, the same technique

used to capture Han Solo and the Empire strikes back. After seeing the genocide on Gorman, Cassian's nerves are shot, and he wants to quit. Now, I think he's also shaken by what the force healer said in episode seven. All that you've been gathering, the strength of spirit, surely you must feel it. This is a man who can stand up to any form of violence and his courage will never break, but the idea that his choices are not his own are terrifying. He wants to break from the rebellion just to prove that he is not being guided by some unseen force. Also, the Star Killer Armor from the Force Unleashed Games is in the background here. So Erskine finds a listening device in Mon's office, and instead of leaving it there, pretending they don't know

it's there, she smashes it. And this shows us how her mindset has changed. She is done playing games and she is ready to take direct action against the empire. So she goes to the Senate Plaza to practice her speech, and by the way, this is a real place called the City of Arts in Valencia, Spain. It's also they filmed a lot of season three of Westworld. So Luthin finds her there and note he's in his spy clothes, not the wig and robes that he wears as an art dealer. He comes clean, telling her that her aide Erskine works for him, and that someone on Belorgana's team is an ISB plant. And this is where some of the long simmering tension between them finally erupts. These two have disagreed since season one on.

tactics. Ma'an didn't like the Aldani heist because it caused too much of a crackdown, which is the exact reason that Luton planned it. And now, she reminds him of how he murdered one of her oldest friends. Do you remember Take Homer? But this is what Luthon is there for. He protects people who can't protect themselves. Remember, at the wedding, Ma'n Mothma pretended like she didn't know Lutthin was going to kill Tay and he saw right through it. You need to be protected. I'm not sure what you're saying. How nice for him. So this episode is really about how Ma'an Mothma began her transition from egalitarian senator to military commander, and when she tells him, right now I'm more afraid of you than anything. I was reminded of Lutheran's own words.

I'm condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. And he gives her this code phrase. I have friends everywhere. Which is the same one that Cassian used in episode five. I have friends everywhere. And back in her office, Erskine admits that he has been working for Luthan for two years. Remember, the two of them spoke in Easter eggs at the wedding. Well, my father's sons with him. I was born in the boo. Then Andor and Luthen have an interesting conversation. Now, you can tell Cassian cares about Luton. He wants him to leave for Yavin 4. But Cassian also wants out. And Luton reminds him that they both signed up to die. Eventually they'll hang us both, won't they? We set that course the first time we met.

Remember, Lutthin told him, kill me or take me in. And Lutthin also confirmed that he expects this life to kill him. I burned my life to make a sunrise that I know I'll never see. But then there's this odd moment where Luton reflects on how lucky he's been to have had Cassian. You appeared when I needed you. Or Donnie, Markina, Thericks. And what he's talking about here is the will of the force, something that he probably doesn't even believe in. Now as the series nears its end, it's clear that Cassian is being guided to the time and place he needs to be.

Which is also a bit of meta-story-telling, because we already know Cassian's destiny. So this show is about sacrifice. Every character has to give up what they prize most for the rebellion. And for Cassian, it's his ability to choose. But his entire arc is about him finally surrendering his autonomy for the greater good. By the way, the comm sound here is the same one we hear in the prequels. So when Cassian enters, he claims to be part of the mid-rim network. The mid-rim is the central band of the galaxy. And the Imperial's little command desk is just like what we saw in solo and the original trilogy. As they enter through checkpoints, we see a twi-leg here as the camera linkers on each of Bail Organis operatives.

And we see that Legret is Manning the Communication Center, so all of the pieces are in place, as Bail tells her... Tear the shit out of this place. And I don't normally like Cussin and Star Wars, but that has a much better ring to it than tear the pooh-doo out of this place. And they part with... Next year, in Yavn. Which happens because we see them together on Yavin in Rogue One. The Senate is called to order by the alien known as Oathkeeper in the credits, and we hear very senator spewing imperial propaganda.

We shall submit a list of our fallen imperial pageants. And this man says, We too lost a citizen yesterday on the Gorman Plaza. So I wonder if he's talking about Cyril and he is the senator from Corrassant. Cyril might have been proud to know that he was talked about on the Senate floor, but it's perfect that they don't even bother knowing, remembering, or saying his name. Who are you? And this same man goes on and on about an emergency.

on and on about an emergency. And to those who failed to see this as an emergency. Now that word is a slippery slope. Remember, Palpatine's rise to power was accelerated when Jar Jar nominated him to receive emergency powers. Nisa proposed that the Senate give immediately emergency powers to the Supreme Chancellor. And this also set up a clever parliamentary procedure

for bail. After Senator Irving yields her time to bail, he uses this emergency as a pretext to allow Mon Mothma to speak. I am invoking Article 17-252 and yielding the floor to the senior senator from Chandrilla. And the Arabeche on this newsfeed signed reading Senator Bail Organa.

And then we finally get the speech. So back in season three of Star Wars Rebels, we heard a snippet of this speech. I named the emperor himself for ordering the brutal attacks on the people of Gorman. But here, Gilroy comes loaded for bear, not just attacking the emperor, but attacking the lack of truth.

And what is known to be true has become an abyss. Now, it's clear that Gilroy is making a commentary here on our own society. Because of the outrage algorithm, most people consume news that is tailored to their existing bias. And actual journalism has turned into a profit arm of mega corporations. She even goes on to describe the comment section of Star Wars YouTube videos. We become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest. And as she speaks, the Arrubesh here reads Senator Mothma Shandrilla. She says that she came here as a child, like she first mentioned in season one.

We came here as children. To visit? No, Mon became a senator at 16. And she ends the speech by naming that monster. The monster who will come for us all soon enough is Emperor Campitian. And this is a slight rewrite from the speech that we heard in Rebels. This massacre is proof that our self-appointed emperor

is little more than a lying executioner. Afterwards, Cassian meets up with her right away and name drops her cousin Vell. Cousin Bell is a friend. We're the last survivors of the raid on Amani. And she's still not sure she can trust him or Erskine until their quick thinking saves her life. She's a rebel spy! Now, Ma'an is shocked by the violence.

The rebellion has always existed for her as numbers on a piece of paper. But now she's taken her first step into a larger world. And after she leaves, Bail sits in the Senate chamber as the lights go out one at a time, symbolic of how democracy is finally fading away from the empire, which of course all leads up to this line. Somehow Palpatine returned. Sorry, I meant this line. The rebellion will continue to gain a support in the Imperial Senate.

The Imperial Senate will no longer be of any concern to us. When the building goes into lockdown, the security checkpoints turn red, the color of the Sith. It's a neat way of showing how the security that Palpatine is providing is really just a disguise for increasing the power and strength of the Sith order. And this moment, when she finally trusts Cassian, is just so great. I have friends everywhere. At the communications, Lee Ray, Legrette is having a hard time cutting down the Senate feed. And I think this is because these two technicians who lock the door are either working for Luthin

or they're just working class people who hate their jobs in the empire. I hope it's option B. Cassian peels out of the driveway like her husband just came home and they escaped to his old safe house. Erskine meets her there and we hear... They want to rewrite the story. Ray, what's that mean? Well, in Rebels, we don't hear that Cassie and Andor rescued Mon Mothma. We hear she was rescued by Gold Squadron.

They wanted to change the narrative so people know that Mon Mothma was rescued by an organized fighting force of the rebellion. And in fact, Gold Squadron was part of the original Death Star Trench Run. After she asked Cassian how she can repay him, he gives her the perfect answer. Make it worth it. And she does. She commands the Rebel Alliance to victory and then establishes the New Republic, an ineffective bureaucracy that is overthrown by fascists in just 35 years. Now, after this episode, the story continues in Rebel Season 3, Episode 18. But a little bit of time must have passed because Erskid is wearing combat clothes in that episode,

and Mon Mothma has already gotten a bad haircut and started wearing a sack. In that episode, the crew of the ghost keep her safe from Imperials and escort her to Dantuin. That's the site of the old rebel base that Leah gave up in a new hope. And that is when Mon Mothma gives another speech that formalizes the formation of the Rebel Alliance. We will not rest until we bring an end to the empire, until we restore our republic. Now, back on Yavin, we see Vell go through the ordinance of incoming recruits. She notes the Arabesh on this blaster, which reads, that's your mom.

And it turns out that was owned by Melshi. Cassian escaped Narkina 5 with him last season, and he was one of the Rogue 1 crew in the movie Rogue 1. Cassian gets Wilman and Drenna to Yavin and then has a talk with Draven. Gold Squadron will deliver the senator to Yavin. And Cassian, the audience proxy, says, I've heard her before. Which is hilarious because we don't need to hear that speech. we already heard it in Star Wars Rebels. Back at his hut, he tells Bixie wants to quit and reassures her,

the only special thing about me is luck. Which we know isn't true. There's no such thing as luck in fiction. He is being guided by the force, a force called Tony Gilroy. And the next morning, he finds out that she has left him, so he would be able to fulfill his purpose. Again, in a show that is all about sacrifice, this is what Cassian had the most to lose. He began the show looking for a woman he loved, his sister, and now another woman he loved has left him. Now, all he has is the rebellion. But he should have seen this coming because Bix told him that beating the empire was the only way she could ever be happy. But if I'm giving up everything, I want to win. Which of course she repeats here. I'm choosing the rebellion. And I should point out that yes,

she is making a decision for him, but he was doing the same thing to her. He told her that they were leaving and never gave her a choice. Oh, and this bird here is the same one we hear here. And the episode ends with Cassian, losing one person he loves, but gaining a new companion, K2SO, from Rogue One. He is voiced once again by the great Alan Tuddock from Firefly. And the sequence when he comes to life seems to be an homage to Frankenstein coming to life in the original Boris Karloff film, strapped to the tables, electricity pumping through him and lurching like he's in pain. And here's a few aliens and background details that we overlook. Here in Yavin, we see a rebel security officer like the soldiers we saw at the start of a new hope.

This isn't Abdurian, this could be a Bothan, like Mon Mothma mentions here. Southern has died to bring us this information. This senator looks like the same species as Mazkanata. This is a Talpidian, and here is a Kyuzo from the Clone Wars series. There were lots of other species that we weren't able to identify, and we ran out of time. But if you know who they are, shout us out on our free-to-join Discord server. Well, guys, that's all the Easter eggs that we caught. But if you found any, let us know in the comments below or at me on Twitter.

And if it's your first time here, please subscribe and smash that bell for alerts. For Screen Crush, I'm Ryan Erie. I don't know.