ANDOR Showrunner Tony Gilroy Was Denied Only One Thing, Dropping STAR WARS’ First F-Bomb

I’m still grappling with the conclusion of “Andor,” a truly remarkable addition to the expansive Star Wars universe. It’s astonishing to think that such an emotionally resonant, realistic tale could have originated in a galaxy far, far away. Disney and Lucasfilm entrusted “Andor” showrunner (and co-writer of “Rogue One”) Tony Gilroy with an impressive budget of $650 million, along with nearly complete creative freedom. Remarkably, Gilroy himself has confirmed that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy permitted him to tackle sensitive themes like police brutality and brothels in the very first episode without resistance. However, Lucasfilm drew the line at one specific request. They refused to allow “Andor” to utter Star Wars’ first f-bomb.

During a talk at the ATX TV Festival (as reported by Fandom Wire), showrunner Tony Gilroy mentioned that in two seasons of ‘Andor’, he got only one creative suggestion from Disney, concerning the usage of profanity. Originally, Cassian’s adoptive mother Maarva (played by Fiona Shaw) was to say “F the Empire” in her speech during the first season. However, Disney asked for a change and so it became “Fight the Empire”. The revised line effectively conveys the same message, and the alteration helped avoid the controversy surrounding the initial use of an expletive in ‘Star Wars’.

Interestingly, Tony Gilroy utilized the series “Andor” as Star Wars’ first official incorporation of a strong language expression. This occurred when Bail Organa tells Mon Mothma to “Rip this place apart,” during her senate speech. In our opinion, it’s more engaging when science fiction franchises develop their unique expletives. Battlestar Galactica excelled at this with the term “frak,” which was effective. We all understood what frak truly represented, and they didn’t have to fret about censors. “E chu ta” is an instance of unattractive Star Wars universe slang/insult. Despite the passage of time, we are still uncertain of its exact meaning! Come on, Star Wars. Let’s see a creative alternative to the F-bomb soon.

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2025-06-03 13:02