Movies - TV
One Andor Ship Is A Tribute To A Star Wars Legend
By BRYAN YOUNG
Spoiler Warning!
This story contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 11, of “Andor.”
In Season 1’s penultimate episode of "Andor," Luthen Rael is stopped by an Imperial Arrestor Cruiser. The ship's long history dates back to the making of the original “Star Wars” in 1977, and is a fitting tribute to an often unsung legend.
The Cantwell-class Arrestor Cruiser was designed by model builder Colin Cantwell in the mid-’70s. Though Cantwell’s work was later refined by designer Ralph McQuarrie and other model builders, his designs created the foundation for all of the ships in "Star Wars."
The first time audiences saw one of these ships was a brief glimpse in "Solo: A Star Wars Story," when Han Solo is trying to escape Coronet City. In the script, the Millennium Falcon was supposed to be caught by an Arrestor, but the scene was ultimately cut from the film.
Cantwell worked on "2001: A Space Odyssey" before moving on to "Star Wars," and one of his models became Luke Skywalker's T-16 Skyhopper toy that he plays with in the garage in "A New Hope." Cantwell passed away in 2022 at the age of 90, and it is nice to see him honored by name in a galaxy far, far away in this episode of "Andor.”