ANDOR Season 2 Resurrects a TIE Fighter From a Classic ’90s STAR WARS Game

Andor isn’t exactly known for throwing out fan service as Tony Gilroy and his team have carved out a space in the Star Wars galaxy that feels grounded, gritty, and fresh, and I like that fan service isn’t a main priority.But, there was an Easter egg in Season 2 that does nod to the past, and I thought it was pretty cool when I learned about it!In the Season 2 premiere, Cassian Andor is sent on a mission to steal a new type of TIE fighter, one that’s noticeably sleeker, faster, and more menacing than your standard issue. If it looked familiar to you but you couldn’t quite place it, it was revealed by the official Star Wars website that this ship is the TIE Avenger, a model first introduced in the classic 1994 PC game Star Wars: TIE Fighter.For anyone, like myself, who spent late nights glued to a clunky CRT monitor, flying Imperial missions with a joystick and squinting at DOS graphics, this is a full-circle moment.TIE Fighter was the follow-up to X-Wing and put players in the cockpit of the Empire’s finest starfighters, unraveling a storyline about internal threats to the Emperor. I loved playing those games when I was growing up! It might still considered one of the best Star Wars games ever made.What makes this Easter egg cooler is that the TIE Avenger in Andor wasn’t just CG slapped into the background, it was a full practical set build. According to Lucasfilm, it was a “rare full interior and exterior TIE Fighter set build,” and its design even borrowed elements from Kylo Ren’s TIE Whisper seen in The Rise of Skywalker.Andor has done this kind of thing before with Luthen’s shop from Season 1. Eagle-eyed fans spotted artifacts and relics from The Force Unleashed and other deep cuts peppered throughout the shelves. You don’t need to have played TIE Fighter to appreciate the tension in Cassian’s mission. But if you did? You probably grinned when you realized a piece of ‘90s Star Wars canon had just flown its way into live-action.

Apr 23, 2025 - 23:38

ANDOR Season 2 Resurrects a TIE Fighter From a Classic ’90s STAR WARS Game

Andor isn’t exactly known for throwing out fan service as Tony Gilroy and his team have carved out a space in the Star Wars galaxy that feels grounded, gritty, and fresh, and I like that fan service isn’t a main priority.

But, there was an Easter egg in Season 2 that does nod to the past, and I thought it was pretty cool when I learned about it!

In the Season 2 premiere, Cassian Andor is sent on a mission to steal a new type of TIE fighter, one that’s noticeably sleeker, faster, and more menacing than your standard issue.

If it looked familiar to you but you couldn’t quite place it, it was revealed by the official Star Wars website that this ship is the TIE Avenger, a model first introduced in the classic 1994 PC game Star Wars: TIE Fighter.

For anyone, like myself, who spent late nights glued to a clunky CRT monitor, flying Imperial missions with a joystick and squinting at DOS graphics, this is a full-circle moment.

TIE Fighter was the follow-up to X-Wing and put players in the cockpit of the Empire’s finest starfighters, unraveling a storyline about internal threats to the Emperor. I loved playing those games when I was growing up! It might still considered one of the best Star Wars games ever made.

What makes this Easter egg cooler is that the TIE Avenger in Andor wasn’t just CG slapped into the background, it was a full practical set build.

According to Lucasfilm, it was a “rare full interior and exterior TIE Fighter set build,” and its design even borrowed elements from Kylo Ren’s TIE Whisper seen in The Rise of Skywalker.

Andor has done this kind of thing before with Luthen’s shop from Season 1. Eagle-eyed fans spotted artifacts and relics from The Force Unleashed and other deep cuts peppered throughout the shelves.

You don’t need to have played TIE Fighter to appreciate the tension in Cassian’s mission. But if you did? You probably grinned when you realized a piece of ‘90s Star Wars canon had just flown its way into live-action.