Star Wars does it again!
Viewers of Andor were pleasantly surprised with something that has long been mentioned in other media: the fabled Holonet! During a scene in the home of Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), we see what looks to be a news report on an appropriately 70s-looking in-wall television, which offers a key plot point for our characters.
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Longtime fans of the franchise immediately recognized this as the Holonet, a sort of in-universe television network and a way to get the news to disparate corners of the galaxy quickly. While it has long been mentioned in other Star Wars media and made an appearance in animation in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, episode 7 of Andor (“Announcement”) marks the first time we’ve seen it in live-action.
According to Wookieepedia, the Holonet was:
“…used by the citizens of the Galactic Republic and its successor state, the Galactic Empire. The HoloNet News was broadcast on the HoloNet during the reign of both governments. Following the Battle of Endor, the New Republic, the successor government created by the Rebel Alliance, took control of HoloNet and began easing the Imperial restrictions and censorship.”
Why is this such a big deal? It all comes down to storytelling and fleshing out the universe of the story! In the early days of the franchise, we saw a very small snapshot of the galaxy, and the people who live in it; lots of military on either side, but not too much in the way of culture. As the franchise progressed, we, of course, saw more and more detail and culture, but Andor marks the first time we’ve seen anything relating to the news media of the Star Wars universe.
Despite low viewership, Andor has been a delight to many fans, seeming to both recapture the spirit of the Original trilogy and bring a fresh new perspective to the galaxy far, far away that we know and love. The 12-episode series runs Wednesdays and currently has a 95% rating on RottenTomatoes.com.
Did you catch the Holonet in Episode 7? What are you hoping to see in future episodes? Let us know in the comments below!