'Andor': 10 Most Memorable Quotes & Scenes From The Star Wars’ 'Rogue One' Spin-off Series

Darker, grittier, and packed with great quotes and memorable scenes.

Andor, the Disney+ prequel series to 2016’s acclaimed Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, is easily one of the lucrative sci-fi franchise’s best live-action offerings.

Just like its film predecessor, the 12-episode action adventure series boasts top-notch acting, thrilling action set-pieces, and exceptional writing.

Set five years before the events in Rogue One and Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), Andor follows the story of smuggler-turned-revolutionary Cassian Andor (Diego Luna reprising his Rogue One role) during a perilous time when a rebel alliance is secretly being formed to oppose the tyrannous Galactic Empire.

Emotionally captivating and visually enthralling, Andor offers a unique view of how other peoples, tribes and planets in the galaxy far, far away are affected by the terrorizing reign of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.

With Season 2’s filming approaching midway, let's revisit the 10 most memorable quotes and scenes from Andor’s Season 1.

'Andor': 10 Most Memorable Quotes & Scenes from Season 1

1. “I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see.”

Why does ruthless Luthen Rael (an excellent Stellan Skarsgard) do the things he do? In an impassioned two-minute rant directed at his Imperial mole, the resistance leader lays bare his soul on the sacrifices he has made, and will continue to do so even at the expense of sacrificing people’s lives, so that the galaxy can be free from the treacherous Empire. One of the most stirring speeches ever delivered in all of Star Wars. (Episode 10, “One Way Out”.)

2. “I can’t swim.”

The saddest three words in Andor. At the Imperial prison facility on planet Narkina 5, this agonizing admission by Kino Loy (Andy Serkis) just when he and Cassian are on the verge of freedom pierced through every viewer’s heart when it hit home that—despite his masterful role in rallying their fellow prisoners to escape—the longsuffering floor manager himself will not be able to do so. (Episode 10, “One Way Out”)

3. “Fight the Empire!”

Death could not stop Maarva Andor (Fiona Shaw) from standing up for what she believed in. Via a holographic recording broadcast at her funeral by her beloved droid B2EMO in full view of Imperial presence, Cassian’s beloved mom rallies her fellow Ferrix citizens from beyond the grave to fight against the darkness that is slowly but surely engulfing them. (Episode 12, “Rix Road”)

4. “The pace of repression outstrips our ability to understand it… It's easier to hide behind forty atrocities than a single incident.”

During the rebel heist mission on planet Aldhani, rebellion advocate Karis Nemik (Alex Lawther) explains to Cassian—then under the guise of a hired mercenary named Clem—simply but clearly just how the Imperial thought machine works. (Episode 5, “The Axe Forgets”)

5. “It’s a lie… It's a projection. It's a front.”

With her immaculate and stylish wardrobe, Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly reprising her Star Wars Rebels and Rogue One role) gives pioneer fashion icon Queen/Senator Padme Amidala a good run for her money. But it is all for show as the future Rebel Alliance leader confesses to her childhood friend Tay Kolma (Ben Miles) of just how deeply she is involved in setting up a rebellion against the Empire. (Episode 7, “Announcement”)

6. Man of Many Faces

One of the most unforgettable and "whoa" moments in Andor is watching Luthen’s grumpy understated rebel spy effortlessly transforming into a flamboyant antiques dealer, complete with fancy garb and fake smile, on board his spacecraft prior to meeting Mon Mothma on Coruscant. (Episode 4, “Aldhani”)

7. The Eye of Aldhani

Ahh, the Northern Lights of Star Wars. A celestial phenomenon that occurs every three years on Aldhani, and which natives regarded as a spiritual event, Cassian and his fellow rebel infiltrators timed their heist on the planet's Imperial garrison just as The Eye was occurring. Visually mesmerizing, the thrill of the spectacle is heighten further when the rebels took to the sky into the illuminating comet flow in a bid to escape from the pursuing Imperial fighters. (Episode 6, “The Eye”)

8. Ferrix’s Lively Funeral Procession

Despite Imperial troopers watching them like hawks, the Ferrix community came together to send off the much-cherished Maarva Andor through well-coordinated pomp and music, and what a beautiful and inspiring sight it was. The best use of a marching band in Star Wars since the joyous celebratory band at the end of 1999’s Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. (Episode 12, “Rix Road”)

9. The Fondor v Imperial Dogfight

Upon returning to Coruscant after meeting with eccentric rebel leader Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker), Luthen encounters an Imperial Arrestor Cruiser and proceeds to demonstrate his battle skills with his heavily modified Fonder Haulcraft easily destroying a few TIE fighters and one massive tractor beam. One of the most exciting dogfight sequences in Star Wars history. (Episode 11, “Daughter of Ferrix”)

10. A Villain’s Comeuppance

Truth be told, Andor has a slowish start and only came to life in the third episode. Cassian meets Luthen for the first time in an abandoned warehouse, but when overtly ambitious Pre-Mor Security inspector Syril Karn (a truly creepy Kyle Soller) and his cronies close in on them, the pair manages to escape on a speeder bike after hoodwinking the corporate soldiers into attacking an empty landspeeder. The look of utmost despair on Karn’s face as he witnesses his massive blunder—and the carnage caused to his men—was truly a joy to behold. (Episode 3, “Reckoning”)

Andor is streaming exclusively on Disney+. Its second and final season, which will lead up to the events in Rogue One, is likely to air in 2024.

Read also:

* 4 'Star Wars Rebels' Easter Eggs in 'Rogue One'

* Rebel Heart: Mon Mothma Finally Rallies the Troops on 'Star Wars Rebels'

* ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’: 20 Best Quotes From The Hit ‘Star Wars’ TV Series

* ‘The Mandalorian’: 15 Best Quotes From Season 1

* Boba Fett’s 15 Most Memorable Quotes From ‘Star Wars’