One of the worst atrocities committed by theGalactic Empirein bothStar Warscontinuities will finally be depicted in live-action via the modern canon’sAndorseason 2. The Empire is infamous for using the Death Star battlestation to destroy the peaceful world of Alderaan and potentially threaten all disobedient worlds with the same fate, but the regime, unsurprisingly, committed countless atrocities before, between, and after both Death Star superweapons. One such atrocity is the Ghorman Massacre, which has been part of theStar Warsfranchise for nearly 35 years, though it will finally be shown in live-action in 2025.
Andorseason 2 will take place between 4 BBY and 1 BBY, with the series finale set to end whereRogue One: A Star Wars Storybegan. The series, naturally, will followCassian Andoras he and theRebel Alliancedevelop into their forms seen inRogue One, with various Rebel cells growing bolder in their fight against the Empire. Showrunner Tony Gilroy has confirmed that the Ghorman Massacre will be explored in depth in five episodes ofAndor, fully depicting the notorious event in the modernStar Warscanon.
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The Ghorman Massacre Was The Empire’s Worst Atrocity In Legends
The Ghorman Massacre was first mentioned inThe Rebel Alliance Sourcebook, a 1990 book by Paul Murphy. In theStar WarsLegends continuity– previously the officialStar Warscanon – the Ghorman Massacre took place early in the Galactic Empire’s history. As other Legends-era sources have revealed, the Ghorman Massacre originally took place in 18 BBY – only a year after Palpatine’s coup that putrefied theGalactic Republicinto the Empire.Citizens of Ghorman peacefully protested Imperial taxation, standing on an Imperial landing pad and blocking a vessel from using it. The vessel was ferrying then-Captain Wilhuff Tarkin.
I’ve Got A Bad Feeling About This: Why I Think The Andor Season 2 Trailer Sets Up One Of The Empire’s Worst Crimes
One of the Galactic Empire’s most infamous atrocities in both Star Wars continuities will seemingly be shown in live-action in Andor season 2.
Captain Tarkin, who was already in good graces with both Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, was seemingly given the go-ahead by the Emperor to give a draconian reply to the protesters.Tarkin ordered his pilots to land his ship on top of the Ghorman protesters, resulting in nearly all the protesters – who numbered in the hundreds – being killed or severely wounded. While Palpatine responded to the massacre by promoting Tarkin, the galaxy writ large generally considered the Ghorman Massacre to be the worst of the Empire’s atrocities – until the destruction of Alderaan.
Star Wars Canon Has Already Changed The Ghorman Massacre
Although the modern canon supplanted the Legends continuity in April 2014, the older continuity continues to have a strong influence on the newer one, with characters, concepts, and events from the Legends timeline often finding their way into the currentStar Warscanon. The Ghorman Massacre is one such element of Legends-era lore that has been brought into the modern canon, though the newer version of the massacre has several key differences.In the modern canon, the Ghorman Massacre takes place in 2 BBY – only two years before the events ofRogue OneandA New Hope.
It is also unknown if Wilhuff Tarkin has any involvement in the newer version of the Ghorman Massacre and whether an Imperial vessel lands on top of protesters has yet to be revealed. From the footage shown inAndorseason 2previews thus far, it appears that Imperial Army personnel and stormtroopers will open fire on protesters at some point. Like its original Legends-era incarnation, however,the modern canon’s Ghorman Massacre will have a death toll in at least the hundreds, as revealed in Chris Kempshall’sStar Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire.
Now, The Ghorman Massacre Is Basically The Birth Of The Rebel Alliance
Both iterations of the Ghorman Massacre are essential to the formation of the Rebel Alliance. In the original Legends continuity,Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and other members of what was once the Delegation of 2000 began to act against the Empire, with Mothma expressing her belief that the Ghorman Massacre made a rebel movement a necessity. Mothma, Organa, and Garm Bel Iblis had what became known as the Cantham House Meetings – with Organa feeling that the Ghorman Massacre was the final nail in the coffin of the Galactic Republic he once served.
The Cantham House Meetings were also first mentioned inThe Rebel Alliance Sourcebook.
In the modern canon,the Ghorman Massacre spurredMon Mothmato publicly condemn Emperor Palpatine and the Empire itself, resulting in her being branded a traitor. As shown inStar Wars Rebels, Mothma’s subsequent evasion of Imperial capture also led her to make the Declaration of the Rebel Alliance – a rousing speech that motivated numerous rebel starships to gather in the Dantooine system, officially forming the Rebel Alliance. Naturally,Andorseason 2 will likely connect toStar WarsRebels, further exploring Mon Mothma’s reaction to the Ghorman Massacre and how it birthed the Rebellion.
The Mandalorian and Grogu
