Andor season 2 secretly rewrote one key line in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to spot it. Tony Gilroy’s Andor was undoubtedly the best Star Wars TV show to date, and I can’t help feeling there’s a degree of irony to this; back when it was first announced, the fanbase thought it unnecessary.

Andor features standout performances from the likes of Diego Luna, Ben Meldelsohn, Stellan Skarsgård, and so many more. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect, though, is how it relates to Rogue One; as Luna has observed, it allows viewers to understand just what his character, Cᴀssian Andor, sacrificed for the rebellion.

We’ve all tended to focus on the deeper character arcs. But, rewatching Rogue One after Andor, I can’t help being stunned at a single line of dialogue that takes on so much new meaning.

Tarkin’s Power Play Is So Much More Effective After Andor

A Single Line Of Dialogue Is So Much Better

Rogue One sees Mendelsohn’s Orson Krennic locked in a power play against Grand Moff Tarkin for control of the Death Star project. Krennic’s position is uncomfortable because of a recent security breach, with Riz Ahmed’s Bodhi Rook escaping the Empire bearing news of the battlestation. He deals with the problem in typical Imperial fashion – with a superlaser.

But not even a successful Death Star superlaser sH๏τ can save Krennic’s position. As Tarkin explains:

“I’m afraid these recent security breaches have laid bare your inadequacies as a military director.”

At first glance, the movie seems to be referring only to the pilot; but notice Tarkin’s precise wording. He doesn’t refer to a single security breach, but rather to multiple instances.

We Now Know Tarkin Was Talking About Dedra Meero

Andor Revealed Another Key Security Breach

Andor season 2 revealed Krennic had another security breach, just days before Bodhi Rook defected with news of the Death Star. Denise Gough’s Dedra Meero had tracked down details of the Death Star, and recorded the information. Meero’s files were hacked, and Krennic failed to kill everybody who heard of the Death Star.

Director Krennic tried to spin this, arguing the Death Star’s secrecy had become an impediment. But the Emperor was not ready for the galaxy to know about the Death Star, and Krennic had suffered too many security breaches. After Andor season 2, it’s no wonder Tarkin was able to wrest control of the superweapon.