Andor Season 2 Expands on Key Star Wars Conflict

If there’s one thing Lucasfilm has accomplished with shows like Star Wars: Andor and Star Wars Rebels, it’s in showcasing the diverse heroes and worlds that played a crucial role in fighting and eventually overthrowing the Empire. While we're familiar with Yavin-IV, Hoth, and Endor from the movies, lesser-known planets like Lothal and Ferrix have also been brought to the forefront. Now, thanks to the first three episodes of Andor Season 2, another world has entered the Star Wars zeitgeist: Ghorman.

More: The Andor Cast Reacts to 5 Major Moments From the Season 2 Premiere

What is Ghorman, and why is this world so important to the conflict that is the Galactic Civil War? Why does the situation on Ghorman develop into a watershed moment for the Rebel Alliance? Here’s what you need to know about this little-known but surprisingly important corner of the Star Wars universe.

Ghorman in Star Wars: Andor

Star Wars: Andor first alluded to the planet Ghorman in the Season 1 episode “Narkina 5.” In a meeting between Forest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera and Stellan Skarsgård’s Luthen Rael, Saw references the doomed anti-Imperial group known as the Ghorman Front. To Saw, the Ghorman Front serves as a cautionary tale when discussing the best strategies to combat the Empire.

Now, in Season 2, Ghorman plays a much more direct role. In the premiere episode, we see Ben Mendelsohn’s Director Krennic addressing a group of ISB agents about a sensitive issue involving the planet. He shows them a documentary promoting Ghorman’s thriving textile industry, renowned for its silk fabric harvested from a unique breed of spider.

The real issue, as Krennic explains, lies in another of Ghorman’s natural resources: its vast supply of calcite. Krennic claims that this calcite is vital for the Empire’s research into renewable, unlimited energy. However, considering Krennic's history from Rogue One, it's likely he's not telling the whole truth. More plausibly, Krennic needs large quantities of calcite to complete the construction of the Death Star. Like Kyber crystal, calcite is a critical component in Project: Stardust and a significant factor in the delays of completing this formidable weapon.

Extracting the required amounts of calcite poses a challenge, as it would likely leave Ghorman a desolate, uninhabitable wasteland. This raises concerns about the fate of the native Ghor population. Palpatine’s control over the galaxy isn’t absolute, and he cannot simply destroy an entire world and its people without repercussions. This is precisely why he desires the Death Star—to enforce his rule unchallenged, regardless of the atrocities committed.

Krennic’s plan involves turning public opinion against Ghorman, justifying the Empire's takeover and displacement of its people. Given the planet’s history of anti-Imperial sentiment, his propaganda ministers believe this can be achieved through social manipulation. However, Denise Gough’s Dedra Meero understands the need for a more aggressive approach. The Empire plans to install a group of radical rebels to fuel the narrative that Ghorman is a dangerous, lawless place, paving the way for the Empire to seize control under the pretense of restoring order.

This storyline sets the stage for an ongoing narrative in Season 2. Characters like Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor and Genevieve O’Reilly’s Mon Mothma are likely to become involved as the political situation on Ghorman deteriorates, making it a new battleground in the Galactic Civil War. Given what we know about Ghorman, it’s poised to be a setting for both tragedy and a pivotal moment for the Rebel Alliance.

In short, Andor Season 2 is set to explore an event known as the Ghorman Massacre. Although this event has been alluded to in Disney-era Star Wars media, it’s one of the most significant developments leading to the formation of a unified Rebel Alliance.

The Ghorman Massacre has its origins in the pre-Disney Star Wars Legends universe. In that timeline, set in the year 18 BBY, Peter Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin was responsible. When Tarkin visited Ghorman during a peaceful protest against illegal Imperial taxation, he ruthlessly decided to land his ship directly on the protesters, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries.

The Ghorman Massacre quickly became a stark example of Imperial cruelty, sparking public outcry and galvanizing Senators like Mon Mothma and Bail Organa (played by Jimmy Smits and Benjamin Bratt) to support the burgeoning rebel movement. There’s a direct connection between the Ghorman Massacre and the establishment of the Rebel Alliance.

Lucasfilm is presenting a slightly different take on the Ghorman Massacre in the Disney era, and with Andor Season 2 unfolding, we’re still piecing together the revised timeline. However, the core concept remains the same: the Ghorman Massacre is an incident where the Empire oversteps its bounds, igniting a renewed wave of rebellion.

Warning: the remainder of this article contains possible spoilers for upcoming episodes of Andor Season 2!