Compared to otherStar Warsstories,Andortruly stands apart for how realistic and grounded it is, even if it’s had its fair share of Easter eggs and otherStar Warsreferences. This has been refreshing for many fans who have wanted a change in pace, as well as casual viewers who aren’t as knowledgeable about the greater lore.
Still,Andorhas featured some incredible references and Easter eggs, fromStar WarsLegends' Tarkin Massacreon Ghorman to the various hidden details in Luthen Rael’s gallery on Coruscant. One Easter egg that was almost featured in season 2, however, could have been massive enough to have some canon-breaking implications.
Andor Season 2 Almost Mentioned A Very Important Jedi Planet
In the official script forAndorseason 2, episode 9 “Welcome to the Rebellion” (viaReddit), writer Dan Gilroy had a member of the Senate mention a senator from Ilum, a key Jedi planet.This world was once where the Jedi would go to find their kyber crystals for their lightsabers, as seen inStar Wars: The Clone Wars.
SENATOR C (BROADCAST): …I thank the Senator from Ilum for yielding time so I may extend my condolence to her proud planet. We too, lost a citizen yesterday on the Ghorman Plaza. We too, are grieving and wondering what more we might’ve done to stop this insurrection…
By the sequel trilogy era, however, Ilum had been transformed into a weapon by the First Order,taking the power that was once used to fuel the noble Jedi’s weapons and harnessing it into a devastating planet killerthat could wipe out multiple systems at once. Ilum would have thus been a massive Easter egg, but also a canon-breaking one.
Why Ilum Would’ve Broken Canon
The problem with including Ilum in this setting inAndoris that, realistically,the planet should not have had representation in the Galactic Senate.Located in the Unknown Regions, it would have been greatly surprising for the planet to be a part of the galaxy’s governance, as even some planets in the Outer Rim lacked any kind of representation.
The planet’s kyber was also being mined to power the two Death Star stations, leaving the sacred world ravaged and devastated. Any senator from that world would certainly protest watching their planet fall apart at the hands of the Empire - or the Empire themselves would have quietly removed said senator to keep things covert.
At the end of the day,Andormade the right choice by removing this particular Easter egg. While hearing Ilum mentioned in this TV show would have been incredible, the implications surrounding a mention in this context would have hurtAndorand greaterStar Warscanon in the long run.
