That Rogue One Easter Egg In Andor Season 2 Has A Surprising (And Hilarious) Origin

Arguably the greatest thing about "Andor" season 2, which might be the best "Star Wars"-related project we've seen since "The Last Jedi," is the fact that creator Tony Gilroy and his writing team never once give in to the pervasive temptation of "prequelitis." It's just one of those things where you know it when you see it — like when "Solo: A Star Wars Story" decided to offer an explanation for both Han Solo's surname and Chewbacca's fairly straightforward nickname Chewie, or when "Rogue One" decided to randomly toss original trilogy characters Ponda Baba and Dr. Evazan into the mix in Jedha when they should've been halfway across the galaxy on Tatooine at the time, or, well, several egregious moments sprinkled throughout George Lucas' prequel trilogy. (Don't ask me why, but having Yoda say goodbye to Chewie in "Revenge of the Sith" sticks out more than anything else in my mind.)

"Andor" has remained blissfully free from those sorts of clunky scenes, but its most inspired reference to "Rogue One" — a rare (but justified) moment of interconnectivity indulgence — almost never happened in the first place. In addition to depicting the horrors of the Ghorman massacre, "Andor" season 2, episode 8 (which is titled "Who Are You?"), also sneaks in one of the most poignant origin stories for the 2016 movie's most memorable line: "Rebellions are built on hope." It's a refrain that first pops up early on when Cassian (Diego Luna) almost instinctively says it to his new companion Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), which she then repeats later on in Yavin before the entire Rebellion leadership. "Andor" puts a new spin on this by having a hotel bellhop on Ghorman, a rebel-sympathizing fellow by the name of Thela (Stefan Crepon), first say this to Cassian prior to the violence and long before the events of "Rogue One."

Hope is all we have.

The final season of Andor​ is now streaming, with new episodes Tuesdays, only on @DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/86ZiFxKYkn

— Star Wars (@starwars) May 9, 2025

In an interview, however, Gilroy admitted that this moment in the script came from a thoroughly unexpected source: his own "Star Wars"-obsessed son. And, in a hilarious twist, the younger Gilroy had to take his dad to school a bit with regards to franchise lore. Rebels, as it turns out, take many different forms.

The Gilroy family is already overflowing with Hollywood talent — Tony is the acclaimed writer/director responsible for "Michael Clayton," the original "Bourne" trilogy, and more, brother Dan wrote and directed "Nightcrawler," and Dan's twin brother John is a well-respected editor — but perhaps they can all make room for the youngest generation of Gilroys. While chatting with Entertainment Weekly, Tony Gilroy revealed that constructing an origin story for that "Rebellions are built on hope" dialogue was never initially in the cards for "Andor." As he explained, his son was the brains behind this particular operation ... and he had more than a little fun at his famous father's expense, too:

"My son is a big 'Star Wars' fan, and he often comes to the house and busts my balls at the computer about how little [about the franchise] I know. One day he's there at the house and he's goofballing on me, and he's like, 'Well, who's going to introduce 'Rebellions are built on hope'?' And I go, 'What do you mean?' He goes, 'Well, in 'Rogue One,' Diego says it. And Jyn repeats it.' And I go, 'Well, isn't that from somewhere [else in the franchise]?' He goes, 'No, man, what are you talking about? You better figure that out.'"

In retrospect, it's reasonable to assume that "Rogue One" was simply calling back to George Lucas' original "Star Wars" trilogy with that line, but it's downright amusing that Gilroy needed some gentle prodding from the real nerd of the household to get that callback into the final episode. According to Gilroy, this exchange happened fairly late in the writing process and didn't leave him with a ton of options. So, he settled on the fairly minor (but incredibly memorable) character of Thela as the true originator for this eventual rallying cry. As Gilroy explained:

"The hotel clerk is such a groovy little character. It definitely comes from my son busting me on not having it in earlier [scripts]. I was like, 'Good catch.' So, that's where it comes from."

Of course, this incredibly brief moment between Cassian and Thela in "Andor" season 2 has ripple effects far beyond the scope of the series. It's a perfect example of a prequel story done right, like how "Better Call Saul" only improved "Breaking Bad" with the benefit of hindsight. If you ask Luna, this one scene will similarly enhance our viewing experiences of other "Star Wars" productions. Luna's thoughts were also included in the same EW article, with the star describing it as follows:

"It's such a powerful line. That's why I think watching 'Rogue One' after seeing season 2, it's going to be so powerful for audiences. Everything is going to be fully charged. Things like this, a line that was already memorable, now, damn, the face of this kid [Thela] is going to come to you when you hear it. And that sacrifice behind every line. When we study revolutions, we tend to focus a lot on the moment when they happen, but the history behind them is what's actually interesting."

For a series that has already devoted so much time and effort to unsung heroes of the Rebellion like the shadowy Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård), our favorite manifesto-toting revolutionary Karis Nemik (Alex Lawther), and many more, it's perfect that even someone as "minor" as this Ghorman citizen could have such an outsized effect on the Alliance at large. Rebellions are built on hope, yes, but that hope comes from countless names who will never get the spotlight they truly deserve. Luna clearly agrees, going on to say: 

"That's what this piece of writing does. It tells you, 'Yes, of course we care about those who sacrificed everything for those [Death Star] plans.' But the sacrifice of all these people is behind them. And that's when this story becomes crucial. It's going to make [watching 'Rogue One' and 'A New Hope'] more personal for you as an audience because now you have all these images and memories."

Season 2 of "Andor" is currently streaming on Disney+.