The special look Star Wars has provided for Andor season 2 has revealed the truth behind Emperor Palpatine’s true mission, and how it connects to Princess Leia Organa’s gravest threat in A New Hope. Palpatine was always several steps ahead of those who opposed him, to the point where his future enemies once called him not only an ally, but also a leader. This type of meticulous scheming continued for the Death Star, his second-most important project behind Project Necromancer.

Leia, however, didn’t buy into Palpatine’s machinations for maintaining power and order in the galaxy. In A New Hope, she famously warns Grand Moff Tarkin about the dangers of putting down rebellion, insisting that “The more you тιԍнтen your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.“ In the long run, Leia would be correct, but Andor season 2 is already recontextualizing her words in an utterly fascinating way.

Andor Season 2’s New Footage Reveals The Empire WANTED A Rebellion

Chaos Carves A Path For Order

The new footage of Andor season 2 included in the first look shared by Star Wars reveals that the Empire not only knew they were inspiring rebellion across the galaxy, but that it was something they wanted. A dialogue exchange between ISB personnel Dedra Meero and Major Partagaz sees Dedra warning Partagaz that “The insurgents have weapons at this point,” to which Partagaz seemingly responds, “We’re counting on it.” While this dialogue could be edited together purposely for this special look, it still sends a critical message.

It wouldn’t be surprising for the Empire to seek rebellion, as it would act as justification for using violence to strengthen their hold on the galaxy. This is a sentiment that’s shared outright by Imperial Remnant officer Valin Hess in The Mandalorian, when he tells Din Djarin and Migs Mayfeld “we can create havoc that’s gonna make Burnin Konn just pale by comparison, and then they’re gonna turn to us once again.” The Empire has always known that oppression can be an illusion of safety and order.

Palpatine Planned To Use The Rebellion As Justification For The Death Star

Strong Resistance Requires Brute Force To Be Dealt With

Palpatine, ever the mastermind, knew this all to be true, and he sought rebellion in the galaxy as an excuse for the Death Star specifically. If rebellion, especially something as strong and unified as the Rebel Alliance, became widespread enough, he would finally have justification for using the superweapon on specific planets and systems. He was smart enough to know that he couldn’t simply let the weapon be used without reason in times of “peace.”

Of course, Palpatine knew that he couldn’t make this desire for rebellion too evident. That’s why the Empire seemed to be reluctant to put down riots and neutralize the threats of insurgents. It’s even likely that Imperial officials outside the ISB and other high-ranking positions truly were concerned about rebellion to sell their act even more. Palpatine was a master of deceit, and he wasn’t afraid to fool even those who were technically his allies to get what he wanted.

Everything Happened As Palpatine Planned… Right Up Until Luke Skywalker Took His SH๏τ

Luke Saved The Galaxy From Palpatine’s Carefully Crafted Machinations

Palpatine’s mission was going perfectly in this regard until Luke Skywalker arrived and destroyed the project Palpatine had spent most of his life preparing for. Ever the master of contingency plans, Palpatine had the Death Star II to fall back on, but it wouldn’t be long before that superweapon suffered the same fate as the first. Luke truly was a savior of the galaxy, but it’s frightening to imagine what Palpatine was getting away with up until that point – and how much he could still have succeeded were it not for Luke.

Palpatine always understood that resistance could be manipulated. It was something he demonstrated with his orchestration of the Clone Wars; he knew that forcing the Jedi to fight would be the key to having at least half the galaxy easily turn against them. The chaos and disruption would leave the galaxy seeking order, and that’s when Palpatine could swoop in to give them exactly that. For some, they would take that order at any cost, even the destruction of planets.

It will be utterly fascinating to see how Palpatine’s mission to spark rebellion continues to play out from the perspective of other Imperial officials and the fledgling Rebel Alliance itself in Andor season 2. We’ll be offered insight into just how much the Empire orchestrated, versus how much may have come as a surprise to them. At the end of the day, however, Andor is certainly going to challenge everything we think we know about Palpatine and the Empire at this time period, enhancing Star Wars lore for the better.