A grim dawn breaks over Ghorman as ANDOR SEASON 2 EPISODE 8, titled “WHO ARE YOU?”, begins. It’s a tense calm before a storm we know is coming. The Ghorman Massacre looms, casting a heavy shadow over everyone involved. The Empire is in place. The Ghorman Front is preparing. And Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna, finds himself at the heart of a pivotal moment in the Star Wars timeline, one that echoes far beyond the streets of Palmo.
Cassian sits alone in his hotel room, trying to steel himself for what he’s come to do: assassinate Dedra Meero (played by Denise Gough). But something about the atmosphere outside stops him. There’s a noise in the plaza that wasn’t there before. A different energy. Fresh Imperial troops are locking down the streets. The tension is unbearable.
Cassian reaches out to Wil (Muhannad Ben Amor) at the Ghorman Front’s HQ, only to find him lying in bed with Dreena (Ella Pellegrini). Confusion reigns. Dilan (Théo Costa Marini) insists the Imperials are just “opening” the plaza, but Cassian knows the truth: they’re fortifying it. A trap is being laid, and it’s already too late.
Inside the IOC building, Dedra confronts Major Partagaz (Anton Lesser) with intelligence about mining rigs being moved across Ghorman. But he dismisses her concerns. Instead, he repeats the propaganda narrative: Ghorman aggression must be punished. Captain Kaido (Jonjo O’Neill) has it all under control, he insists. This isn’t about truth. It’s about optics. The Imperials are controlling the narrative, feeding the journalists what they need to sell the Empire’s story.
On Coruscant, Eedy Karn (Kathryn Hunter) watches the coverage nervously. Her son, Syril (Kyle Soller), is summoned back to the IOC building as communication lines are going down. He’s lost in thought, surrounded by strange spider souvenirs, as a knock on the door pulls him back into the fray.
Elsewhere, Rylenz (Richard Sammel) surveys the scene outside his twillery. His daughter, Enza (Alaïs Lawson), finds him there. Once a founding voice of the Ghorman Front, Rylenz now preaches restraint. He wants silence. Survival. But Enza pushes back. The time for silence has passed. Her rallying cry spreads: “We’ll be silent when we’re dead.”
Crowds flood the plaza. Protesters raise banners and fists. Their chants are defiant. They speak not in their native tongue, but in Basic, ensuring their message spreads far beyond Ghorman. The rebellion is beginning to take form.
Back on the move, Syril encounters Rylenz, who confronts him in the crowd. Syril tries to evade, insisting he meant no harm to the Front. But when Rylenz presses about the mysterious mining activity, Syril lashes out, throwing him to the ground. The confrontation reveals Syril’s growing volatility. His allegiance is fraying.
Cassian, realizing the chaos is escalating, checks out of his hotel. He gives his key to Thela (Stefan Crepon), who assures him there’s no record of his stay. Thela, quietly supporting the rebellion, offers one final encouragement: “Rebellions are built on hope.” It’s a line that carries immense weight for Cassian, destined to echo in Rogue One.
He moves through the swelling crowd, still trying to reach Wil and Dreena. But the comms are jammed. All he can do now is watch and wait. From a vantage point, he eyes Dedra’s office, waiting for a chance to act. Inside, Dedra and Kaido argue about command. She watches the crowd gather below. But the shot is never clear enough.
Inside the IOC, Syril is ushered into a side room filled with KX units and frightened Ghor collaborators. He slips away while the Imperials prepare riot control. He barges into Dedra’s office, confronting her with desperate rage. What are they really doing on Ghorman? What are they mining? Why has she lied?
Dedra tries to deflect. But Syril doesn’t relent. He grabs her, shouting, shaking, then choking her. It’s a terrifying display of intimate violence, and a dark turn for a character whose obsession has spiraled into madness. He threatens to throw her out the window unless she tells the truth. Dedra breaks. She reveals the Empire’s interest: the planet holds a rare mineral crucial to its energy program. It’s exploitation under the guise of progress.
She tells him they’ll still be celebrated. Heroes. But Syril walks away, bitter and broken. He disappears into the chaos outside, Dedra ordering guards to capture him. He vanishes into the sea of demonstrators.
As the rebellion takes full form in the plaza, Lezine (Thierry Godard) begins singing Ghorman’s National Anthem. The anthem spreads across the square. Enza, Dilan, and many others join. It becomes a hymn of resistance. Flags rise. The crowd surges. Stormtroopers arrive. The chants grow louder: “The galaxy is watching.” Protesters climb the central memorial. Then, the violence begins. The Empire opens fire.
From rooftops and alleys, we see the massacre unfold. Cassian watches in horror. His target is forgotten. His people are dying. Enza screams as Dilan falls beside her. Lezine is shot mid-anthem. Dreena and Wil try to help the wounded, only to be dragged away. Cassian is powerless. This isn’t the time for a sniper. It’s a time for memory. For resolve. For witness.
The massacre on Ghorman will become a rallying point. A symbol. Just like the death of Alderaan, just like the uprising on Jedha. Ghorman is where the mask slips. Where the cost of silence is made clear.
The episode ends not with victory, but with clarity. Cassian disappears into the smoke. Dedra regains control of the IOC. Syril is gone, but his actions have forever altered the path forward. Rylenz weeps at his twillery. And Enza, now fully committed, begins gathering survivors. The rebellion is no longer a whisper. It’s a scream.
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