When Tony Gilroy casually remarked that the use of the word “genocide” in Andor wasn’t meant as a direct reference to Israel but that he’s comfortable with audiences making the connection, he tapped into something that has always been at the heart of Star Wars: politics.
Gilroy’s stance is refreshingly honest. He doesn’t deny that his show can be read through the lens of modern conflicts, including Gaza. Instead, he acknowledges that resonance is inevitable. “Does it bother me that people make the parallel… if it rings in their ears? Let it ring. I’m into it at this point.”
That’s not a creator backing away from difficult conversations—that’s one leaning into the power of storytelling.
Star Wars Has Always Been Political
The idea that Star Wars should be “apolitical” is a myth. George Lucas built the original trilogy as a reaction to the Vietnam War, deliberately casting the Empire as a technologically superior military force being outmaneuvered by a scrappy band of rebels. Lucas once explained that the Ewoks, for instance, were modeled after the Viet Cong—guerrilla fighters who knew their terrain and could resist even the most advanced military hardware.
In other words, Return of the Jedi wasn’t just teddy bears beating stormtroopers—it was Lucas retelling America’s defeat in Southeast Asia, wrapped in space opera packaging.
Even the prequels were steeped in contemporary politics. Lucas himself pointed out that the rise of Palpatine echoed how democracies collapse from within, with nods to Nixon and Bush-era America. His famous line—“So this is how liberty dies… with thunderous applause”—wasn’t written in a vacuum.
Andor as the Heir to That Legacy
What Gilroy is doing with Andor isn’t new—it’s continuation. The Ghorman massacre storyline, where Imperial forces slaughter civilians protesting a blockade, is a clear analog to the kinds of state violence we’ve seen throughout history. Audiences today may see Gaza; audiences in the ’70s would’ve thought of My Lai or Kent State. The point isn’t which parallel is “right”—it’s that the story is built to echo real-world oppression.
Gilroy knows that. He also knows you can’t control how those echoes sound. That’s why he’s comfortable letting viewers bring their own experiences to the narrative. The politics aren’t a distraction from Star Wars—they’re the beating heart of it.
Why Politics Keep Star Wars Relevant
The political edge is exactly why Star Wars has survived for nearly five decades. Without it, the saga risks becoming hollow nostalgia. From Vietnam to Iraq to Gaza, fans continually see their world reflected in the galaxy far, far away.
It’s also what makes Andor resonate differently than other Disney-era projects. Where The Mandalorian leans into Western myth and pulp adventure, Andor dives into questions of surveillance, resistance, and sacrifice in authoritarian systems. Its characters bleed, suffer, and argue about the cost of rebellion. That makes it one of the most overtly political Star Wars stories since Lucas himself.
And yet, Andor is still entertainment—spy thrillers, prison breaks, and heists. Just as Lucas once disguised Vietnam commentary beneath star destroyers and lightsabers, Gilroy packages modern anxieties inside a slick, character-driven show.
The Ongoing Conversation
The real question isn’t whether Star Wars is political—it always has been. The question is which politics audiences see in it today. For some, Andor’s references to genocide and occupation recall Palestine. For others, it calls back to older atrocities. For Gilroy, the goal isn’t to dictate the comparison but to leave space for interpretation.
That approach honors Lucas’s legacy. The power of Star Wars lies in its ability to be myth and metaphor at the same time. You can watch it for space battles and smugglers, but you can also use it as a lens to understand resistance, imperialism, and the dangers of unchecked power.
And if Gilroy says, “let it ring in their ears,” maybe that’s the truest acknowledgment of what Star Wars has always been: a story about how people fight back when empires rise.
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