This article contains spoilers for Andor episode 10.Andor episode 10's Easter eggs are deeper than mere Star Wars references, but instead speak of the nature of rebellion. The Star Wars Disney+ TV shows have become known for fan-service and countless Easter eggs, but Andor shows another way. Andor has a lack of surface-level Easter eggs, instead depending on deft writing and a deep exploration of the Empire and the nascent Rebel Alliance.
Andor episode 10 is a perfect example. One of the strongest episodes to date, much of the story focuses in on Cassian Andor and his prison break on Narkina 5. Meanwhile, on Coruscant, Luthen and Mon Mothma struggle to remain hidden in the shadows. Andor episode 10 closes with Luthen acknowledging the need for heroes who will inspire rebellion, before cutting to Cassian Andor himself as he runs from the Empire. This truly is the origin story of the Rebel Alliance, revealing the only way to defeat the dark side of the Force.
Cassian Andor's Prison Is In The Shape Of The Imperial Logo
Andor episode 10 reveals the Empire's prison is in the shape of the Imperial logo. At first glance this seems to be nothing more than a cool Star Wars Easter egg, but it's actually a powerful image representing the kind of system the Emperor has built across the galaxy. The Empire is a prison, one where every person has been assigned their place, and they are kept under control by fear. Hope of change, hope of escape, is nothing more than an illusion. When the Empire considers a person's usefulness to be over, they are killed. In Palpatine's view, there is only one way out of his Empire; death.
Cassian Andor's escape shows the only real way to break the Empire, however. He understands that the Empire does not watch everything, indeed cannot watch everything. Palpatine created planet-sized supercomputers to monitor the galaxy, and he both established and empowered the Imperial Security Bureau to monitor for any potential threats, but even these are under-resourced compared to the sheer size of the galaxy. All that is needed for rebellion to happen is for people to realize there is no way the Empire can control everything. Once communication begins, the system begins to break down. True rebellion will finally happen when people leave the Imperial system, just as the escaping prisoners leap into the waters.
Andor Episode 10 Reveals Luthen Has Become His Enemy
Andor episode 10 features a beautiful moment in which Luthen speaks to his informant inside the ISB, one of the most powerful scenes in Disney's Star Wars era to date. Stellan Skarsgård's mysterious rebel leader has often seemed like something of a Palpatine figure, but here he looks like Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back, compelling others to serve the fledgeling Rebel Alliance. Luthen is fully aware he has become everything he opposes, however, admitting he sees this as a necessity if the Empire is to be defeated.
Ironically, though, Luthen is unwittingly showing why Palpatine did not fear rebellion. The Emperor understood there's another dimension to this struggle, a battle in the Force between light and dark. As Star Wars: The Clone Wars co-creator Dave Filoni explained in The Art of the Mandalorian, "The Force naturally exists in balance; that balance is thrown out when someone chooses to give in to their fears and then spirals out of control making selfish choice after selfish choice. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering... The choice between dark and light is often subtle and not limited to the Jedi and Sith. Everyone struggles with the balance between light and dark." Palpatine would not fear Luthen's rebellion, precisely because Luthen was working within the system the Emperor had created, employing the tools of the dark side - fear, anger, hatred, and suffering. Luthen is as much a creature of the Imperial system as the people he has killed.
Luthen's Speech In Andor Episode 10 Foreshadows Rogue One - And The Dawn Of Hope
Luthen seems aware of this, however. He knows he is a creature of the dark, and believes he is fighting for a dawn he will not see. That dawn will break in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, when Jyn Erso reminds the galaxy that rebellions are built on hope instead of fear. The brilliant light of day will come with the Skywalker twins, the "hew hope" who will inspire the galaxy to rise up against the Empire. Luke and Leia will stand in the light side of the Force, refusing to take the Empire's weapons into their own hands, instead believing in another way. Leia will lose her homeworld of Alderaan, and yet she will still continue fighting out of hope rather than hatred. Luke will be tempted by the dark side, but he will ultimately set down his lightsaber and trust in the power of redemptive love. Luthen's longed-for dawn and day will come.
The Prison Break's Colors Hint At The Coming Rebellion
It's easy to miss, but Andor episode 10's prison break actually shows the colors of rebellion in the Star Wars galaxy. Andor and his fellow inmates are wearing white and orange uniforms, and they seem vaguely reminiscent of those worn by X-Wing pilots in the Rebel Alliance - notably by Luke Skywalker himself. This is the birth of the true rebellion.
Cassian & Melshi Escape Together At The End of Andor Episode 10
It is fitting, then, that Andor episode 10 ends with the focus on two particular escaping prisoners: Cassian Andor and another key rebel from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Ruescott Melshi. These two prisoners are the heroes Luthen is looking for, two men who will become agents of the dawn Luthen will not see. Andor episode 10 continues the path to that fateful mission to Scarif, where a group of heroes gave their lives to tell the galaxy how to destroy the Death Star.
New episodes of Andor release on Wednesdays on Disney+.
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