This Dark Andor Theory Makes a Rogue One Hero Responsible for the Ghorman Massacre (& It Completely Ruins the Character)

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For nearly a decade within the Star Wars universe, the Ghorman Massacre has been established as a significant event. Its roots can be traced even further back to the Legends continuity, but it’s only recently that its details have been thoroughly examined. In the opening episode of Andor’s second season, titled “One Year Later,” Director Orson Krennic convened a clandestine gathering where he debated over a unique mineral called deep substrate foliated kalkite. He lamented, “Synthetic kalkite, alternatives to kalkite, substitutes for kalkite! To spend so much time contemplating such a trivial piece of rock is downright surprising.

To speed up the extraction of Kalkite, the Galactic Empire felt compelled to seize control over Ghorman, the planet where it was exclusively mined. So, they contrived a conflict, portraying the inhabitants of Ghorman as dangerous rebels. This allowed them to justify their invasion, conquer the planet, and forcibly acquire its Kalkite. However, there’s speculation among fans that Kalkite may not have been as crucial for the Death Star as Krennic presumed, potentially making a character from “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” unwittingly responsible for the Ghorman Massacre.

Galen Erso Did Not Want the Death Star to be Completed

In the movie “Rogue One”, it is Galen Erso who discloses that his scientific work was initially believed to be for creating a power resource beneficial for the galaxy. However, he discovers the Empire’s sinister plan to weaponize it instead. Faced with this revelation, Galen takes every possible action to thwart the project. Most noticeably, he deliberately makes the Death Star’s reactor core unstable and designs its thermal exhaust port in such a way that a precisely aimed shot could obliterate the entire battle station. Kalkite might also be an indication of his relentless efforts.

In the novel “Catalyst: A Rogue One Story”, Galen Erso, a skilled crystallographer, would have known how scarce Kalkite was due to his expertise. He might have argued that Kalkite was essential for the Death Star construction as a means of slowing down production. Given his knowledge, he likely anticipated the Empire would have to navigate a lengthy bureaucratic process to procure kalkite from Ghorman. Notably, Director Krennic chose a more aggressive approach instead, which nonetheless delayed progress. The subsequent Ghorman Massacre followed, and then came the tedious task of identifying, mining, and refining Ghorman’s kalkite.

Kalkite Adds a Dark Layer to Galen Erso’s Story in Rogue One

A key point supporting this theory is the fact that the term ‘kalkite’ wasn’t mentioned prior to Andor. Regarding the operation of the Death Star’s superlaser, it’s already been clarified in canon: The energy source was a hypermatter reactor, and this energy was channeled through lenses crafted from a specific material. However, Krennic only stated that these lenses required coating with kalkite, but he never elaborated on its purpose. Essentially, the Death Star operated similarly to a lightsaber, and lightsabers have no need for kalkite.

In terms of thematic alignment, it would be fitting to involve Galen in the Ghorman Massacre incident. In “Rogue One”, Galen was a character deeply burdened by guilt and sorrow, hating how his research could lead to innocent lives being lost and his family bearing the brunt of his actions. Making him unknowingly responsible for the Ghorman Massacre would intensify the tragedy in his story.

However, it’s important to note that the Ghorman Massacre was a crucial event as well, since it was such a heinous act that it became difficult for much of the galaxy to turn a blind eye to the Empire’s wickedness. If Galen were indeed responsible, it could be interpreted as another instance where he played a role in the Empire’s demise.

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2025-05-29 00:05