Andor Season 2 Just Revealed the Origins Of An Iconic Star Wars Line
The spark that ignites the Rebellion.
“Rebellions are built on hope.”
It’s the phrase that’s recently come to define a crucial era in Star Wars history, the long, brutal civil conflict between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic. As classic Star Wars lines go, it’s relatively new: Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) is the first to say the words in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and it’s later relayed by the film’s main heroine, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones). From there, it becomes a rallying cry that stirs the Rebellion into action, setting the stage for their first major victory against the Empire.
Though Cassian’s the first Rebel to utter the words on-screen, most Star Wars fans assumed that he’d taken the phrase from another character, maybe one we’d eventually meet in Andor. The prequel series is all about the infectious spread of ideas — and as the Rebellion matures and Cassian becomes a crucial part of it, it’d make sense to see him carry that torch from another, more seasoned, Rebel fighter. We finally get confirmation of a kind in the latest episodes of Andor Season 2. The latest group of episodes reveals the origin of Rogue One’s iconic line, all while giving Cassian some major development.
Spoilers ahead for Andor Season 2 Episode 8.
The Ghorman Front is more influential than they think.
Andor Season 2 has largely been focused on the decline of the planet Ghorman, an object of intense interest to both the Empire and the Rebellion. As the former creates potent propaganda to degrade the planet’s reputation throughout the galaxy, the Ghorman Front — a rising rebel cell — grows increasingly defiant. It all culminates in Episode 8, with Imperial forces staging another massacre disguised as a Ghorman insurrection, and the Front doing everything they can to fight back. But before everything comes to a bloody head, Cassian returns to Ghorman for his own mission: assassinate ISB supervisor Dedra Meero (Denise Gough).
Though Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) and Wilmon Paak (Muhannad Ben Amor) have each tried to bring Cassian into the Ghorman struggle, Cassian is content to stay on the sidelines however he can. He only returns to the planet to put down Dedra, but he does quietly support the Ghorman’s efforts to restore their freedom. He says as much to Thela (Stefan Crepon), the Ghorman local and hotel worker we met back in Episode 4. The pair reunite when Cassian checks into the same hotel under a different alias. The Empire has doubled down on security in the Ghorman capital, but Thela promises to keep Cassian’s cover as long as possible.
Cassian returns the favor by wishing him good luck. “I hope things work out for you,” he tells Thela. And Thela responds with the phrase countless Star Wars fans have repeated for the past nine years: “Rebellions are built on hope.”
Ghorman local Thela turns out to be the inspiration behind Rogue One’s most iconic line.
Many assumed that Cassian would pick this phrase up from a former mentor, like Luthen or Davits Draven (Alistair Petrie). To take it from a Ghorman Rebel whom he meets only twice is a surprise, but it works on multiple levels. At this point in Cassian’s story, he still hasn’t completely put his faith in the Rebellion. Both Luthen and Draven point out that he’s yet to give everything to the cause: not only did he dismiss the Ghor for their impatience to fight the Empire, but he’s so afraid to lose loved ones like Bix (Adria Arjona) that it’s affecting his efficiency. He mostly stands on the sidelines during the Ghorman Massacre, and fails to take down Dedra Meero, the one thing he came to the planet to do. Even when the dust settles, he chooses to return to Yavin rather than stay with Wilmon and help what’s left of the Ghorman Front.
That said, Cassian’s clearly rattled by what he’s seen — as he escapes with a broken KX security droid, and he’s visibly affected by the Front’s emergency broadcast. There’s no doubt he’s also thinking about Thela and the other Ghormans who lost their lives during the massacre. He might have failed to stand with them when they needed him the most, but he won’t likely make the same mistake again. Either way, Cassian will carry Ghorman with him for the rest of his days, spreading their message and their passion through the Rebellion.
