ANDOR Showrunner Opens Up About “Minimizing” STAR WARS REBELS to Tell a More Powerful Story

One of the latest episodes of Andor Season 2, titled “Welcome to the Rebellion,” is already being hailed as one of the show’s most powerful episodes, and it rewrites, or at least reframes, a major moment from Star Wars Rebels.In the episode, we see Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) take a stand in front of the Imperial Senate with a speech that incinerates them. She calls out the Empire’s lies about Ghorman, names genocide for what it is, and ends with a chilling warning: “The monster who will come for us all soon enough is Emperor Palpatine.”Moments later, Cassian whisks her away from ISB agents, and she’s off to Yavin 4 to officially join the Rebel Alliance. It’s a gripping and raw moment in the series, and… apparently, it messes with canon.Fans of Star Wars Rebels may remember a very different version of this story. In that series, Mon Mothma gives a similar speech while being transported by Gold Squadron, and it’s broadcast across the galaxy. That sequence was once considered gospel in the timeline.But showrunner Tony Gilroy didn’t see it as unbreakable. He told Entertainment Weekly:“We are hijacking canon. In canon, she’s rescued by the Gold Squadron and the speech that they gave in the cartoon, which was a canonical show, [is on that ship]. And Danny’s like, ‘Do I have to stick to this f--ing speech?’”So rather than ditch Rebels entirely, Gilroy and his brother/co-writer Dan Gilroy opted to work around it, recasting the animated events as a second act rather than the only act. “In a really sneaky way, we’re minimizing what they did in Star Wars Rebels, but we’re keeping it consistent. We’re just saying you don’t really know the whole story of what happened.”Essentially, the speech we saw in Andor becomes the catalyst and the Rebels moment becomes a continuation. According to their logic, Cassian gets Mon to safety, and later, Luthen Rael arranges her rendezvous with Gold Squadron, where she gives a second broadcasted version of her message. It’s retroactive storytelling, but it works because it’s emotionally honest, and it deepens the arc.Genevieve O’Reilly, who has truly made the role of Mon Mothma her own, reflected on the power of the scene and the decision to have Cassian by her side. “She has been working for the Rebellion deeply and intrinsically, and she’s been vital to the Rebellion. But that is the moment that she crosses that rubicon and she crosses it with Cassian. That felt beautiful, that it is with him, given where we go in Rogue One. But it’s that there’s no turning back at that point. There is no going back.”For those who missed it, here’s the full text of Mon Mothma’s speech:“Fellow senators, friends, colleagues, allies, adversaries, I stand before you this morning with a heavy heart. I stand this morning with a difficult message. “I believe we are in crisis. The distance between what is said and what is known to be true has become an abyss. Of all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous.”“The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil. When truth leaves us, when we let it slip away, when it is ripped from our hands, we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest. “This chamber’s hold on the truth was finally lost on the Ghorman plaza. What took place yesterday, what happened yesterday on Ghorman was unprovoked genocide. Yes, genocide. And that truth has been exiled from this chamber. “And the monster screaming the loudest, the monster we helped create, the monster who will come for us all soon enough, is Emperor Palpatine.”Nine episodes into its second season, Andor continues to impress fans with its strong storytelling.What did you think of the speech and the canon shift?

May 8, 2025 - 22:07

ANDOR Showrunner Opens Up About “Minimizing” STAR WARS REBELS to Tell a More Powerful Story

One of the latest episodes of Andor Season 2, titled “Welcome to the Rebellion,” is already being hailed as one of the show’s most powerful episodes, and it rewrites, or at least reframes, a major moment from Star Wars Rebels.

In the episode, we see Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) take a stand in front of the Imperial Senate with a speech that incinerates them. She calls out the Empire’s lies about Ghorman, names genocide for what it is, and ends with a chilling warning: “The monster who will come for us all soon enough is Emperor Palpatine.”

Moments later, Cassian whisks her away from ISB agents, and she’s off to Yavin 4 to officially join the Rebel Alliance. It’s a gripping and raw moment in the series, and… apparently, it messes with canon.

Fans of Star Wars Rebels may remember a very different version of this story. In that series, Mon Mothma gives a similar speech while being transported by Gold Squadron, and it’s broadcast across the galaxy. That sequence was once considered gospel in the timeline.

But showrunner Tony Gilroy didn’t see it as unbreakable. He told Entertainment Weekly:

“We are hijacking canon. In canon, she’s rescued by the Gold Squadron and the speech that they gave in the cartoon, which was a canonical show, [is on that ship]. And Danny’s like, ‘Do I have to stick to this f--ing speech?’”

So rather than ditch Rebels entirely, Gilroy and his brother/co-writer Dan Gilroy opted to work around it, recasting the animated events as a second act rather than the only act.

“In a really sneaky way, we’re minimizing what they did in Star Wars Rebels, but we’re keeping it consistent. We’re just saying you don’t really know the whole story of what happened.”

Essentially, the speech we saw in Andor becomes the catalyst and the Rebels moment becomes a continuation. According to their logic, Cassian gets Mon to safety, and later, Luthen Rael arranges her rendezvous with Gold Squadron, where she gives a second broadcasted version of her message.

It’s retroactive storytelling, but it works because it’s emotionally honest, and it deepens the arc.

Genevieve O’Reilly, who has truly made the role of Mon Mothma her own, reflected on the power of the scene and the decision to have Cassian by her side.

“She has been working for the Rebellion deeply and intrinsically, and she’s been vital to the Rebellion. But that is the moment that she crosses that rubicon and she crosses it with Cassian. That felt beautiful, that it is with him, given where we go in Rogue One. But it’s that there’s no turning back at that point. There is no going back.”

For those who missed it, here’s the full text of Mon Mothma’s speech:

“Fellow senators, friends, colleagues, allies, adversaries, I stand before you this morning with a heavy heart. I stand this morning with a difficult message.
“I believe we are in crisis. The distance between what is said and what is known to be true has become an abyss. Of all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous.”
“The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil. When truth leaves us, when we let it slip away, when it is ripped from our hands, we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest.
“This chamber’s hold on the truth was finally lost on the Ghorman plaza. What took place yesterday, what happened yesterday on Ghorman was unprovoked genocide. Yes, genocide. And that truth has been exiled from this chamber.
“And the monster screaming the loudest, the monster we helped create, the monster who will come for us all soon enough, is Emperor Palpatine.”

Nine episodes into its second season, Andor continues to impress fans with its strong storytelling.

What did you think of the speech and the canon shift?