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Tony Gilroy Isn't Taking Credit For Star Wars Deep Cuts In Andor

It's safe to say that the Disney+ original series "Andor" is one of the most revolutionary projects in the entire "Star Wars” franchise, redefining how we perceive the galaxy far, far away and taking a hard look at what life is truly like under the rule of the Galactic Empire. The series itself has received an immense amount of critical acclaim for its mature subject matter and gritty, realistic tone — a tone which directly contrasts the epic "space opera" feel of the "Star Wars" films we've come to know and love.

And yet, despite pushing the envelope on what it means to be a "Star Wars" story, "Andor" also contains some of the most obscure and lovingly crafted Easter eggs in the entire series, many of which will only make sense to lifelong superfans of the franchise. One excellent example of this is the Imperial Cantwell-class Arrestor Cruiser featured in "Andor" Episode 11, which was pulled directly from some of the earliest concept art for the Star Destroyer from "A New Hope."

"Andor" is chock-full of Easter eggs and references that only the most diehard "Star Wars" fans are sure to recognize, though showrunner Tony Gilroy has made it clear that these "Star Wars" deep cuts didn't actually come from him.

Gilroy says the art department is responsible for most of Andor's Easter eggs

While speaking to Variety about the ways that "Andor" pushed the limits of what a "Star Wars" story could be, showrunner Tony Gilroy said that he can't actually take credit for many of the Easter eggs and references we see within the series. Instead, he said that you should be thanking the art department for these "Star Wars" deep cuts.

"I know the canonical incidents that pertain to my people. When it comes to ships or props or weapons or sometimes planets if we're not making them up, I'm deeply involved in that," Gilroy explained. "But then the art department will sneak in all that crap into Luthen's gallery — that, I had no idea. Like, 'Oh my God, the thing in the background!' and people are blowing it up. That's the art department. So many cool people work on the show. There's a deep geekdom in Pinewood, believe me."

It's certainly very interesting to learn that Tony Gilroy isn't actually responsible for all of the incredible callbacks and Easter eggs we've seen in "Andor" (including the aforementioned gallery of Stellan Skarsgard's Luthen Rael, which includes references to "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed"), and a great reminder of how collaborative the entertainment industry truly is. Although Gilroy himself may not understand these deep cuts, it's clear that the diehard "Star Wars" fans in the art department left plenty of goodies scattered throughout "Andor."