This post contains spoilers for "Andor" and "Star Wars Rebels."

"Andor" has been fleshing out overlooked, abandoned corners of "Star Wars" history in ways we never thought were possible. The third arc of season 2 — which includes episodes 7, 8, and 9 — forces us to confront the horrifying, spine-chilling reality of a second Ghorman massacre instigated by the Galactic Empire, where hundreds of protesters die. The show extracts the first massacre directly from the non-canon "Star Wars" Extended Universe (now known as Legends), granting it canonical legitimacy to brutal effect.

With these dual Ghorman massacres, "Andor" underlines the bloody, violent cycle of history repeating itself, where the Empire has repeatedly weaponized local resistance groups to trigger political unrest and planet-wide genocides. After both Cassian (Diego Luna) and Wilmon (Muhannad Ben Amor) manage to survive the Ghorman massacre, we arrive at an unavoidable realization: the Rebellion must stop hiding in the shadows and find a...