With it only being a few weeks away from Andor Season 2, promotional materials are ramping up, including a new trailer that set a more dire tone for the series. One fan theorized about what could be by far one of the darkest moments onscreen for a Star Wars show.
In his trailer breakdown, Alex Damon from Star Wars Explained speculated on a possible Season 2 plot point: Maybe Cassian Andor himself started the Ghorman Massacre. And I think Alex might be onto something.
At the 6:09 mark, Alex describes the exchange between Luthen Rael and Cassian, where they are discussing a mission. Cassian worries about it failing, whereas Luthen explains that this mission will burn very bright. Alex theorizes that Luthen is the kind of purpose who would set off a powder keg and sacrifice a group of people in exchange to help radicalize more people to the cause of the Rebellion.
This is exactly what the Ghorman Massacre was in canon. It was a peaceful movement where protestors were slaughtered by the Empire. For many in the galaxy, Mon Mothma included, it was a breaking point to turn against the Imperial leadership.
Between the two Andor trailers and the first look special we've gotten so far, there is footage supporting this theory. Several shots have Cassian in what looks to be Ghorman attire, with quite the charming smile. As seen in the above Star Wars Explained video, we also have a shot of him with a snipper blaster rifle in what is possibly a room above the square where the massacre occurs. It would just take one shot from his rifle hitting a stormtrooper that could make a peaceful protest turn into a deadly massacre in an instant.
This would also fall in line with Cassian's guilt in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He tells Jyn Erso:
"Some of us - well, most of us - we've all done terrible things on behalf of the Rebellion. Spies, saboteurs, assassins. Everything I did, I did for the Rebellion. And every time I walked away from something I wanted to forget, I told myself it was for a cause that I believed in. A cause that was worth it. Without that, we're lost. Everything we've done would have been for nothing. I can't face myself if I gave up now. None of us could."Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
While this is all speculation at the moment, I think perhaps this could be a huge potential plot point. Cassian is a good man, but good people sometimes have to do bad things during wartime. If he triggered the powder keg on Ghorman that got innocent people killed, his guilt in Rogue One tracks as well as why he might hesitate to kill Galen Erso in the film.
We'll have to wait and see, and check out Star Wars Explained full video for the details! Andor Season 2 premieres on Disney+ on April 22.