Andor episode nine, “Nobody’s Listening!” delivers yet again with more masterful tension, super-duper messed up Imperial methods, and timely galactic politics. One highlight of the episode is another grand senate sequence in which Mon Mothma addresses the galaxy’s representatives, pleading for them to wake up to the Imperial overreach occurring in more and more systems.
It’s a poignant scene, displaying both Mon Mothma’s desperation and the continued failure of the system that she believes in so fervently. As she speaks, other senators turn off their booths and simply leave. Others go so far as to heckle her, shouting, “long live the Empire!” Her moving address comes to a head, pleading for bravery and resilience from those who agree with her but are too fearful to stand with her:
"“I stand here today to speak to senators who come with open minds—those of you who still believe that when we enter this building, we are in a temple.”"
This quote has many layers, the first of which being what Mothma likely intended—referring to the senate chamber as a “temple” of democracy, with democracy itself being a concept and system meant to be revered and protected as if divine. There is a more literal layer, as well—the senate building is in close proximity to what used to be the Jedi Temple. It’s a bit of a stretch to assume that Mothma was referring to the Jedi temple as the two buildings are not the same despite some misconceptions.
One even deeper layer, however, is a nifty bit of foreshadowing accomplished with this line.
There’s something powerful about people that band together with the genuine intention to pursue the greatest good. And what better place to gather than a literal temple; designed to strike awe into its patrons, rich with the legacy of those who gathered to construct it. The spirit of upholding galactic freedom from inside a “temple” manifests in a literal way years later as the Rebel Alliance makes its secret headquarters in the Massassi temple on Yavin IV.
The Massassi temple is mostly shrouded in mystery, but we do know that it’s had a somewhat troubled past. It was erected to honor a Sith lord some 5,000 years before the Battle of Yavin, and was later utilized by the Ordu Aspectu—another morally questionable offshoot of the Jedi. It may not have a pleasant history, but the aging marvel of architecture certainly serves as an inspiring home for the Rebel Alliance. During the events of Rogue One, we see Mothma and Bail Organa in the war room of the Alliance, plotting the way forward in the fight against tyranny. I can’t help but apply Mothma’s dialogue to them in this context: two senators, who for years struggled to uphold their metaphorical temple, now command the forces that strive to build a new one whilst under the ancient ruins of a literal temple.
Something about it is beautiful. As George Lucas would say… “Star Wars is like poetry. It rhymes.”
It remains to be seen whether this was an intentional foreshadow or not—we do know that Andor season two will feature the rebel moon—but either way, it’s effective and lovely for this moment in episode nine.
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