This season, Andor is set to depict the tragedy of the Ghorman Massacre on screen for the first time, and the show has already begun to lay the groundwork. Episodes 1-3 of season 2 introduce us to the Empire’s secret propaganda plot to sow distrust and a dislike of Ghorman throughout the galaxy. And now with episode 5, we finally get to see what life on this planet is like.
When Cassian (Diego Luna) arrives on Ghorman to scope out the efficacy of the Ghorman Front as a rebel cell, he learns from his hotel Bellhop that the Empire has already committed an atrocity against the Ghor – an event they refer to as the Tarkin Massacre. This event is essentially straight from the Legends continuity version of the Ghorman Massacre. According to this young man, a survivor of the tragedy who lost his father that day, Tarkin killed 500 unarmed protestors by landing his ship on them. The fallen are memorialized in the center square of Palmo.
In order to save face, the Empire promised to never overshadow this memorial with one of their buildings, a promise that they clearly never intended to keep. The armory that they’re building on Ghorman is an omen of the tragedy still to come. The Tarkin Massacre was a tragic day for the Ghor, but unfortunately it seems that there is even more tragedy on the horizon.
The canonical Ghorman Massacre that inspires Mon Mothma to leave the senate is still to come. According to series creator Tony Gilroy there’s “a lot of confusion within canon” about what the Ghorman Massacre actually is and the events that transpired there, but he’s “really confident that the really deep, passionate Star Wars community will appreciate how we’ve straightened out that story.”
Making the Tarkin Massacre from Legends continuity a separate tragic event in the current Star Wars canon, was a smart move on their part. It shows us that the Empire has willingly committed violence against the Ghor before, so there’s not really anything stopping them from doing so again. The seeds of the Ghorman Massacre are being planted, it’s only a matter of time before we see just how far the Empire is willing to go to get what they want.
