Even Andor Creator Tony Gilroy Gets Surprised On Occasion By The Series' Deep-Cut Star Wars Easter Eggs
While other live-action "Star Wars" Disney+ efforts like "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and "The Book of Boba Fett" have been your typical action-packed, galaxy-hopping adventures, "Andor" hasn't followed the same formula. Instead, the series has taken a more thoughtful, meticulous approach to storytelling in a galaxy far, far away. As it has shown Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) go from a lowly Imperial citizen to a wrongfully imprisoned prisoner, it has also touched on the origins of the Rebel Alliance, revealing the various operatives who are trying to build it from the ground up and how they find the resources to do so.
In telling this narrative that resembles more of a political drama than "Star Wars" — which isn't to say that the saga doesn't have a history of political allegory — "Andor" hasn't gone out of its way to reference other pieces of media in the form of cameos or overtly nod to previous films and TV shows. Although, it does have its fair share of Easter eggs, and the ones that it has showcased so far are some of the deepest-cut ones we've ever seen on the small screen. In fact, even "Andor" showrunner Tony Gilroy has admitted that some of them have caught him by surprise.
Despite his status as one of the driving creative forces behind "Andor," here's why Gilroy is so shocked by some of the Easter eggs hidden within it.
Andor's Easter eggs were a team effort
As "Andor" continues along with its first Disney+ season, Tony Gilroy spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the program. Of course, no discussion about a "Star Wars" project is complete without some mention of Easter eggs since, at this point, they're basically must-haves for any new franchise entry. Gilroy has admitted in the past that he's not exactly a die-hard "Star Wars" fan with an intimate knowledge of it, so how did the show end up with so many Easter eggs fit for only the most committed of fans? Simply put, sprinkling in some nods to "Star Wars" history was a team effort.
In addition to Lucasfilm Story Group figurehead Pablo Hidalgo, Gilroy explains that visual effects supervisor Mohen Leo and his team were a tremendous asset when it came time to include Easter eggs. "Mohen and his team know everything. We have a lot of people around the show that are really deep. So if we have a question, we ask it, but it's kind of an organic system, really," Gilroy said, adding, "Every now and then, they sneak s*** in there that even I didn't know." Gilroy points to the various hidden gems inside Luthen Rael's (Stellan Skarsgård) antiquities shop as an example of Leo and his team's input.
With the final few episodes of "Andor" Season 1 on the horizon, don't be surprised if the remaining string of episodes has a few more interesting Easter eggs hidden in the background.