Eyes in the Galaxy: How ‘Andor’ Ties to a Legacy of Resistance

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    The galaxy far, far away just witnessed a massacre on Andor. But did it comprehend what transpired — and will viewers in our galaxy? Andor season 2, episode 8, 'Who Are You?' marks not just the darkest moment in the series; it may represent the bleakest period the Star Wars franchise has ever seen. Stormtroopers on Ghorman, a prosperous planet with a mineral the Empire needs for constructing its Death Star, assault a square filled with defenseless protesters. This ignites a firefight drawing rebels into the fray, where both factions seek a propaganda victory.

    Before the slaughter unfolds, a tense buildup occurs. Brave protesters assemble in the square, already scarred by a previous Imperial massacre, chanting "We are the Ghor! The galaxy is watching!" They have every reason to believe so. The events are reportedly being broadcast live by a few galactic journalists — although, as Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy confirms, those journalists operate under the Empire's Ministry of Enlightenment. "They're there to sell the story" of a fabricated attack by rebels on an Imperial depot, Gilroy states. Subsequently, we see them focus their reporting on "Imperial martyrs" — deceased Stormtroopers and Imperial personnel, essentially. RIP Syril, who almost uncovered his superiors' intentions, never getting to answer Cassian's pivotal question (the episode title). And RIP Ghorman itself, which Senator Mon Mothma later describes as a "genocide." 

    But where does the phrase "the galaxy is watching" originate? If it echoes the sentiment from protests closer to home, "the whole world is watching," that is precisely what Gilroy aimed for. 

    "It's universal enough that I can use it," Gilroy mentions, referencing its adoption by protesters during the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011 — when NYPD officers executed one of the largest mass arrests in U.S. history. In reality, the chant has deeper roots, likely originating from the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s. Bob Dylan contributed to its prominence, incorporating it into a song on his seminal 1964 protest album "The Times They Are a-Changing." Historically, the most well-known instance of "the whole world is watching" arose from anti-Vietnam War protesters outside the Democratic convention in Chicago in 1968. The protesters were correct; the event was broadcast live by U.S. networks and garnered global attention. However, like Ghorman, it didn't conclude well. The world’s gaze didn’t prevent National Guardsmen and Chicago PD from resorting to violence. It also didn’t stop the nation’s most renowned journalist, Walter Cronkite, from needing to apologize on national television to the mayor of Chicago for referring to his security forces as what they undeniably were: thugs.

    Connecting Andor to anti-Vietnam protests also aligns Gilroy with the beginnings of Star Wars itself. Lucas, who was originally set to direct the impactful Vietnam film Apocalypse Now before choosing to pursue his space fantasy passion project, intended for the Empire to symbolize the U.S. military in Vietnam — defeated by technologically inferior adversaries. As dark as 'Who Are You?' is, it's not the first instance of genocide depicted in what is often viewed as a franchise for children. As Tony Gilroy emphasizes, there are two staggering genocides in the original Star Wars — the Death Star's destruction of Princess Leia's home planet, and the obliteration of the Death Star with millions of lives aboard. "You know, there were no cameras on Alderaan," Gilroy observes wryly. "I guess it's in keeping with our show — if you keep the camera down on the ground instead of in space, you feel it more."
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    <strong>Topics</strong>
    <ul>
        <li>Star Wars</li>
        <li>Politics</li>
    </ul>
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