It sounds like the plot of a scrapped Andor episode: the CIA, desperate for discreet digital communication with field agents, creates a fake Star Wars fan site complete with memes, game links, and nerdy quotes from Yoda. The only catch? It was all real. According to an investigative report from 404 Media, the CIA launched a website called starwarsweb.net around 2010. On the surface, it was indistinguishable from any other fan site of the time—featuring cartoony Star Wars characters, links to LEGO sets and classic games like Battlefront II, and the kind of Jedi-infused banter that feels right at home on Reddit or Discord. But underneath the surface? Hidden communication tools used to pass messages to covert assets operating overseas. Why Star Wars? Why Not? Of all the covers in the universe, a Star Wars fan site actually makes a weird kind of sense. Star Wars has a sprawling, global…
