Star Warsfans know that theStar Warsfranchise is full of iconic quotes, as much as it is known for its powerful story of good vs. evil. As theStar Warsuniverse continues to expand, there are plenty of opportunities for the list of popular quotes to grow.Andor, created byTony Gilroy, has emerged as a popular show since its first season premiered on Disney+ in 2022.AndorfollowsCassian Andor, played byDiego Luna, before the events ofRogue One. The series also starsStellan Skarsgårdas Luthen Rael,Genevieve O’Reillyas Mon Mothma,Adria Arjonaas Bix Caleen, andFiona Shawas Maarva Andor.
Andorrefreshinglydeviates from the conventionalStar Warsstory, as it dials up the political intrigueand spy thriller energy. In its first season, the simmering of political tensions creates the perfect atmosphere for some terse character interactions. There are so many quotable lines withinAndor’s first season. The best quotes fromAndorare mostly commentary on the political climate and life under the Empire, butthere are also a few which reveal the depth of the characters in this acclaimedStar WarsTV series.
Prequel series to Star Wars' ‘Rogue One’. In an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue, Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a Rebel hero.
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10“The axe forgets, but the tree remembers.”
Arvel Skeen (Ebon Moss-Bachrach)
Cassian Andor is taken to the planet Aldhani by Luthen Rael to help out a team, led by Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay), who plans on infiltrating an Imperial armory. Arvel Skeen, played byEbon Moss-Bachrach, is skeptical of Cassian. Skeen notices Cassian is familiar with the meaning behind his tattoos. The two seem to bond over their experiences in prison as young men. Skeen says this quote to Cassian towards the end of their brief discussion, and it is revealed that his reason for joining the operation is to seek revenge.
In Episode 5, “The Axe Forgets,” this line said by Skeen has its origins as an African proverb.The axe in this case is the Empire and their cruel actions against people, while the tree represents those who have endured the Empire’s wrath. The Empire will not remember their actions because they are so focused on pursuing power that they do not think of the consequences of their actions. However, the tree (or in this case, people) will remember what the Empire has done to destroy their lives.This quote accurately shows the relationship between the Empire and its people, and how their actions ultimately sparked the start of a rebellion.
9“I show you the stone in my hand, you miss the knife at your throat. "
Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly)
In Episode 7, “The Announcement,” Mon Mothma wants to confide something to Tay Kolma (Ben Miles), her childhood friend and banker. This interaction between Mon and Tay is one of the most powerful scenes inAndor. It shows Mon being truly vulnerable for the first time and foreshadows her continued role in assisting with the Rebellion. As they chat during a party, Mon realizes that she can trust Tay, whose political ideology is similar to her own, and is ready to share her secret that only three other people in the Galaxy know. Mon quietly tells Tay that people do not know the real her, andshe reveals herselfto be a supporter of the Rebellion.
This interaction between Mon and Tay is one of the most powerful scenes inAndor. It shows Mon being truly vulnerable for the first time and foreshadows her continued role in assisting with the Rebellion.
The stone is a metaphor for Mon’s “front;” the image which she shows to the Empire. Her front is a distraction from what she is really doing, which is raising money, representing the knife. What is interesting is thatMon Monthma says that she has learned how to project one image of herself and hide her true self from Senator Palpatine(Ian McDiarmid), which is kind of ironic considering who he becomes later on in theStar Warsstory. This quote doesn’t just reflect Mon’s struggle to hide the truth from others, but it also reflects what other characters withinAndorhave to do in order to survive under the Empire’s rule.
8“Tell him I love him more than anything he could ever do wrong.”
Brasso (Joplin Sibtain)
In theSeason 1 finale, “Rix Road,“Cassian reunites with Brasso (Joplin Sibtain) on Ferrix. Cassian is frustrated that he left Maarva behind and how he argued with her before he left. Brasso tells him that she expected him to feel that way and begins to list things that Maarva wanted to tell him. This quote is one of the things that Maarva wanted Brasso to tell Cassian after she died.
This scene between Brasso and Cassian is one of the most emotional scenes inAndor.This quote sums up Maarva Andor and Cassian’s relationship with each other.It also shows how Maarva knows Cassian is destined for greatness, and that he might make some mistakes along the way on his hero’s journey. As his mother, Maarva is aware of Cassian’s flaws. While they sometimes had their differences, Maarva loved Cassian like her own son. She understands how Cassian thinks, and she doesn’t want him to worry about anything that he does wrong in the future. No matter what Cassian does, even if it is questionable to her, she still loves him for who he is.
7“Power doesn’t panic.”
Cassian Andor (Diego Luna)
At the Narkina 5 Prison Complex, 100 men are murdered on level 2, and this event, along with the death of Ulaf (Christopher Fairbank), Cassian Andor talks with Kino Loy (Andy Serkis) about escaping the prison.Cassian urges Kino that they need to implement their plan now, or face their deaths. He explains to Kino that they get power over the guards. Kino doesn’t believe that they will be able to overpower the guards, and it seems like he is just accepting his fate. But, Cassian knows that the prisoners have the power they need to fight, and he tells Kino that he would rather die escaping than working for the Empire.
Cassian knows that the guards actually do not have as much power as they let on because they panicked and killed those men to keep them quiet. He says this quote to Kino to assure him that the guards are afraid of the prisoners, and they actually do not have any power over them due to their fear. This is a pivotal moment in the episode, “One Way Out,” as it is the point where Kino decides that he is going to help Cassian with his plan.These words are ultimately a catalyst for the prisoners to rebel against the guards. Without Cassian’s words, Kino would not have taken action.
6"I’ve made my mind a sunless space. I share my dreams with ghosts.”
Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård)
Besides Maarva’s speech, Luthen Rael givesone of the most powerful monologuesin Episode 10 ofAndor’sfirst season.Lonni Jung (Robert Emms), Luthen’s informant, who works for the Imperial Security Bureau (IBS), gives Luthen new information, but Luthen says that he chooses not to act on it. Lonni tells Luthen that he no longer wishes to be an informant because he is now a father. Lonni asks Luthen what he has sacrificed. This question causes Luthen to tell Lonni that he has lost everything in his investment in the Rebellion.
Luthen’s monologue is raw and passionate as he speaks of what he has sacrificed for the Rebellion. This quote is one of the lines Luthen says towards the beginning of his speech. He refers to a sunless space where his mind resides, and this reflects his loss of his own internal happiness.Luthen is haunted by the past and his hopes for the future as shared with like-minded rebels who are no longer living. ThroughoutAndor,Luthen is shown as a leaderwho gets his job done, no matter the cost. However, this line specifically reveals a more vulnerable side of Luthen.
5“We’re cheaper than droids and easier to replace.”
Cassian Andor is sentenced to the Narkina 5 Prison Complex, and unlike some of his fellow inmates, he is eager to escape. He talks with Kino about wanting to escape, but Kino doesn’t want to hear any of it. Kino thinks that the guards listen in on their conversations. But, Cassian says that they do not care about what they have to say. He mentions that they are “cheaper than droids and easier to replace.”
Cassian has been in prison before, and he knows that the guards do not care about them. He agrees with Melshi (Duncan Pow) that they are the guards who see them as useless and would not hesitate to kill them if given the opportunity.This quote shows that Cassian shares a different view of their situation than the other prisoners, who believe that it is not worth trying to escape the prison complex. Cassian’s agreement with Melshi reveals that he thinks that their lives are worth something, and they should not let the Empire take advantage of them. Cassian’s outspokenness about wanting to break out of prison encourages others like Melshi and Birnok (Rasaq Kukoyi) to join him in creating an escape plan, and ultimately, sparking a rebellion in the prison.
4"I burn my life, to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see.”
Throughout Luthen Rael’s monologue in “One Way Out,” the line which stands out the most is this one in which Luthen states about burning his life. ManyStar Warsfans have mentioned that this particular part of Luthen’s monologue gives them chills, and it is easy to say why. He has given up his life for the Rebellion.Luthen knows that he will not live to see the result of his workand that others will be able to enjoy the sunrise on a day when the Empire is defeated.
This quote isvery significant in thatit ties intoRogue One. At the end of the film, Cassian and Jyn (Felicity Jones) embrace each other as Scarif is destroyed. On the horizon, there is a “sunrise” from the blast caused by the Death Star’s laser. The burning in the sky symbolizes Luthen’s sacrifice for the Rebellion.
3“Never more than 12.”
Kino Loy (Andy Serkis)
Kino Loy is very committed to his job and believes that there is no means of escaping the prison. However, Kino changes his mind after they discover that no one is leaving the prison. As a guard escorts them away from a fellow inmate’s dead body, Cassian asks Kino about the number of guards on each level and Kino responds with this iconic line. What makes this line hit harder is that this line ends Episode 9’s “Nobody’s Listening!“He decides to team up with Cassian and the other prisoners to escape the prison, even if it means that they might die trying to do so. However, Kino doesn’t just outright admit that he is ready to help with the escape plan.
As a guard escorts them away from a fellow inmate’s dead body, Cassian asks Kino about the number of guards on each level and Kino responds with this iconic line.
This quote is interesting because it may indicate that Kino has thought about escaping the prison in the past, but he did not take action. Kino’s confirmation of the number of guards is his verbal agreement to join the mini-rebellion against the guards.This is a significant shift in Kino as a character, as he goes from wanting to obey as a “company man” to a leader in the Narkina 5 Prison Complex breakout.
2“Oppression is the mask of fear.”
Karis Nemik (Alex Lawther)
Karis Nemik (Alex Lawther) created a manifesto which denounces the Empire and explains the ideas of freedom, as well as the causes of oppression. After Nemik’s death, Cassian is given his manifesto, and he reads it before Maarva’s funeral. Thewords of Nemik’s manifesto are heardduring the episode, “Rix Road.“In Nemik’s manifesto, there is this line which states that “oppression is the mask of fear,” and this is perhaps the most important part.
This quote fromAndoris extremely significant because it echoes a similar sentiment which Cassian shared earlier in Season 1 about how the Empire makes itself seem powerful, but it is actually afraid. This concept is a big theme which runs throughoutAndorandNemik’s manifesto hones into this theme of how those with power like the Empire are using their power to hide what they truly feel, which is fear.
1“The Empire is a disease that thrives in darkness, it is never more alive than when we sleep.”
Maarva Andor (Fiona Shaw)
During the final episode ofAndor’s first season,Maarva’s speech is the most stirring of all the ones featured in the series. Maarva Andor, a daughter of Ferrix, passes away and her funeral is held in her remembrance. During the funeral, a projection of Maarva is played in the middle of the square. She speaks to the crowd by reflecting on the times that she stood in the square to listen to the dead lifting her with their truth. Maarva knows that she, like many other people on Ferrix, has been asleep, and she had ignored the truth about the Empire. She tells everyone to wake up and fight against the Empire’s troops.
Maarva’s entire speech sparks the people of Ferrix into fighting the Empire’s troops. This line about the Empire is the most impactful part of her speech, sinceit compares the Empire to a disease that thrives off of people just going about their business and not questioning anything. If Marrva hadn’t spoken the truth, then the people of Ferrix wouldn’t have risen to challenge the Empire and its ideals.
