The Links Between 'Andor' And 'The High Republic'
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The High Republic has been a notable success for Lucasfilm, expanding the universe of Star Wars in unique ways with a host of new characters, planets, and more. While many pieces of media have linked to this newly created era of Star Wars history, one of the more surprising has been the content generated around the two-season show Andor. So, join CultureSlate as we explore this interaction and the various connections!
One Way Street
The connection between the two properties was once a one-way street, as the authors of The High Republic works used information drawn from Andor Season 1 to inform their own writing, with one interesting exception. This was also the first notable mention of Andor content, when “Ghorman velvet” came up in the Phase 2 adult novel Convergence. This detail is interesting since the presence of fabric manufacturing on Ghorman only appeared in Andor Season 2, and the planet had no prior information from canon or Legends regarding its industries. This suggests that the fabric and fashion focus of Ghorman was nailed down very early into production for Season 2, if not before, allowing its mention in the novel.
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Another piece of Andor content, Ferrix, also came up during The High Republic. A world that has been settled for several centuries, even then, it would appear that its primary industry of ship and technology breaking and refurbishment is not the only thing it is known for. Upon crashing onto Planet X in Phase 2’s Path of Vengeance, the hyperspace prospector Sunshine Dobs mentions Ferrixian chimes, suggesting that the time grappler and his massive beskar bell are not the only example of Ferrix-made musical percussion instruments in the planet’s history.
It would seem they once produced more, enough to be of note to a man like Dobs, who, for all his criminality, is still a worldly individual. He likely traveled to Ferrix for ship parts and learned about their unique musical traditions, though it is interesting that we don’t see any bells or chimes in the finale of Season 1 with the funeral band. It is possible that a cultural practice known in the High Republic era has faded by the time of the Empire.
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The other mention of Ferrix is in Phase 3 with Tempest Breaker, where we hear that Lourna Dee and her forces raided the world during events late into Phase 1. While brief and limited in detail, this reference does confirm the planet was part of wider galactic events well before its brush with the infant Rebellion over two centuries later. The planet’s focus on breaking down technology means the Nihil likely had rich pickings, and it sounds like the raid was very successful for Lourna’s forces. Ferrix is also located far outside of the traditional zone of Nihil influence of the galactic south, so their raid there represents, in some sense, the Nihil at the peak of their power.
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Lastly, the planet Kenari appeared in the recent novel Into the Light. The single chapter, which shows an agent of Czerka Corporation trying to acquire gas extraction rights for the company, finds her effort blocked when the native Kenari chose to instead side with the Galactic Republic’s offer due to higher safety regulations. The group is then attacked by the Drengir, and all are consumed, leaving behind little evidence of what happened. This novel has two messages with this series of events, both related to the fate of Kenari.
On the one hand, you have the mysterious vanishing of a population of adult Kenari citizens, mimicking the mystery from Andor Season 1. But we also have the grim mention that Republic safety standards are better than those of Czerka at this time, when it is possible that, in the long term, that turned out not to be the case. Reference material discusses that some accident or event on Kenari’s surface led the Republic to declare the planet a no-fly zone, possibly as the result of an industrial accident. Kenari, therefore, stands as a possible notable example of how the Galactic Republic’s decline impacted worlds that put their trust in it.
At Long Last
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Outside of The Acolyte, which was set in the era, no Star Wars show has acknowledged the High Republic as an era of history. To be fair, Skeleton Crew might have, but it took the showrunners commenting after the show’s conclusion to clarify there was a possible link. There is also the fact that the streaming output of Star Wars shows has significantly slowed in recent years as Disney puts more emphasis on films in theatres than on Disney+.
But Andor Season 2 at last reciprocated The High Republic’s repeated inclusions of Andor content with a High Republic easter egg. The hospital that Dedra commandeers in her desperate bid to help keep Luthen alive is revealed by signage to be the Lina Soh Hospital. Lina Soh was a Chancellor of the Galactic Republic during the High Republic across the events of Phases 1 and 3 of the publishing initiative. The hospital is described as being capable of treating many diverse people from across the galaxy and is staffed with some of the best medical practitioners, a mix of expertise and openness that mirrors Lina Soh’s own goals during her lifetime. Hopefully, small links like this expand or at least continue in future shows.
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