Andor Episode 7 References George Lucas' First Feature Film, But Not How You'd Expect
There will be spoilers for "Andor" Episode 7 – "Announcement"
After George Lucas directed his first film, "THX-1138", you would be hard pressed to find a film of his that followed without a reference to the sci-fi movie somehow. The number 1138 comes up a lot in his movies. In "American Grafitti", John Milner's license plate is "THX 138." In "Star Wars: A New Hope," it was the cell block Princess Leia had been transferred from. In "The Empire Strikes Back", General Rieekan sends Rogue's "10 and 11 to Station 38." In "The Phantom Menace," one of the Battle Droids has "1138" scrawled out on its backpack. It's everywhere. But fans have learned to spot it, and the filmmakers behind "Star Wars" have had to find increasingly more subtle ways to reference the movie in their work.
This week's episode of "Andor" is no exception and has one of the most unique subtle references to "THX 1138" yet.
Echoes from the past
In this episode, Luthen Rael's assistant Kleya winds her way through Coruscant (seen above) on her way to meet her contact in the underworld from the Aldhani heist. The places she moves through are reminiscent of the long modern architecture hallways of the Marin County Civic Center (seen below), where George Lucas filmed much of "THX 1138," using futuristic looking real-world architecture and creating something special out of it for the purposes of making a futuristic cityscape. In some places, the Imperial Security Bureau also matches the plain white walls, brightly lit, in "THX 1138", a reminder of the oppressive bureaucracy that oppresses the populace in both properties.
Warner Bros.
But as Kleya makes her way to Vel, she passes by Stormtroopers in the flow of people, much like the cybernetic police officers with silver faces in "THX 1138." Then, as she goes by, she hears something going on in the background, and in the static someone calls out the alphanumeric designation, "L-U-H-three-four-one..."
LUH 3147
This number is a reference to "THX 1138," with the designation LUH-3147 belonging to 1138's wife, played by Maggie McOmie (above).
Her name isn't just a clever reference to Lucas's first film, though. There's a thematic connection, too. She was the one who changed THX's meds and got him to wake up to the realities of the hellscape they were living in. Though she paid for this with her life, he was able to escape the dystopia they lived in and breathe in freedom once more. Although this was likely a reference added in by the sound department and the ADR team adding additional dialogue to the soundtrack, it shows how smart every artist who works on the show is, collaborating to create thematic story ties to every element of the show.
New episodes of "Andor" air on Wednesdays on Disney+.