This article contains spoilers for Andor episode 12.Andor episode 12 sees the pressure on Ferrix explode to the surface, in an episode with several impressive deep cuts into Star Wars lore. The Andor Disney+ TV show has generally lacked Easter eggs and Star Wars references, a deliberate decision on the part of showrunner Tony Gilroy to eschew fan-service in favor of character arcs and powerful thematic imagery. This approach has made Andor unlike anything seen before in the Disney era of Star Wars - except possibly Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which it serves to set up.
Andor season 1 returns to Ferrix, a planet that's basically felt like something of a pressure cooker over the last few episodes. Part of the galaxy's Corporate Zone, Ferrix had been allowed a degree of independence and autonomy by the Empire - right up until the moment something happened. Now, the Empire has swooped in to enforce law and order, and the citizens of Ferrix fume under the weight of the Empire's increasingly repressive regime. Andor episode 12 sees Ferrix explode in anger, and by the end of Andor's finale Cassian himself has joined the nascent Rebel Alliance. This episode features several important Easter eggs, all of which are placed very deliberately.
Rogue One's Death Troopers Appear In Andor Episode 12
Andor episode 12 opens with ISB Supervisor Dedra Meero arriving on Ferrix, intending to oversee the capture of Cassian Andor. She's flanked by two Death Troopers, an elite group of Stormtroopers who specialized in stealth and espionage. Death Troopers were named by Emperor Palpatine himself when he heard rumors of horrific Imperial black ops to create the ultimate soldiers. They worked solely for Imperial Intelligence and the ISB, explaining why they're accompanying Dedra on her mission to Ferrix. The Empire's Death Troopers made their first appearance in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, meaning their inclusion in Andor episode 12 is a smart touch helping draw the various narrative threads together.
Mon Mothma Name-Drops Canto Bight In Andor Episode 12
Mon Mothma stages an argument with her husband Perrin in which she accuses him of rekindling his gambling habit, aware her driver is an Imperial plant and he'll pass the scandal on to his superiors. This will ensure ISB will expect financial irregularities when they comb through Mon Mothma's books, and she'd rather they thought her husband was a gambler than consider the possibility she was funding the Rebel Alliance. Mon Mothma name-drops the gambling planet Canto Bight, an Outer Rim world introduced in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. "Playground of the most glamorous beings in the galaxy," one alien declared in that film. "Big-money card games and high-stakes fathier races! The galaxy's biggest artificial ocean! And the fanciest food this side of Coruscant." Perrin's past activities gambling at Canto Bight are an indication of just what kind of man he really is.
Maarva Andor's Holographic Message Is A Massive Star Wars Easter Egg
Maarva Andor's funeral takes a twist when her holographic final message calls the people of Ferrix to fight against the Empire in Andor episode 12. Viewers will naturally be reminded of Leia in the first Star Wars story, where her hologram served as a call to action for Luke Skywalker himself. There is, however, a better precedent for holos being used to incite revolutions; it was a favorite tactic of Saw Gerrera on Onderon during the Clone Wars. It's fascinating to see the idea used again.
Luthen's Ship, The Fondor, Has Cloak Capabilities
Luthen's ship, the Fondor, is clearly one of the most impressive in the galaxy; the previous episode showed just how combat-capable Luthen is when he's sat in the Fondor's pilot seat. Andor episode 12 further reveals the Fondor has full cloak-capability, with Luthen ordering his AI to prepare to activate the cloak as they leave Ferrix. Cloaking devices render a ship invisible to almost all forms of detection, although they can still be tracked by magnetic signatures. Cloaks may well have been a Sith technology - they were first seen used by Darth Maul's Scimitar - but they became more common during the Clone Wars. It's very rare to see cloaks installed on ships as small as the Fondor, perhaps hinting it possesses an unusually powerful power source.
Andor Episode 12's Post-Credits Scene Reveals The Death Star
Andor episode 12's post-credits scene confirms a prominent fan-theory that the prisoners on Narkina 5 were constructing parts of the Death Star, adding an element of dark poetry to Cassian Andor's life given he will eventually be killed by the Death Star in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The shot is a gorgeous one, albeit rather contradictory, given initial construction of the superweapon was seen in Revenge of the Sith - and installation of the dish had already begun. It can't be the second Death Star, however, given that was still in the early stages of construction when it was attacked by the Rebel Alliance in Return of the Jedi. Andor may have only had a few Easter eggs, but this one doesn't fit terribly well with established continuity.
All episodes of Andor are streaming now on Disney+.