Holy Hannah! I thought Andor could not get any better than it was in its first season, but the Gilroy team and Diego Luna keep turning in masterpiece after masterpiece. Star Wars, at its core, has always been about resisting tyranny and oppression from fascist governments. Lucas was definitely on to something when he started with that little $11 million movie in 1977. Here we are, 48 years later, and Andor is continuing to build on those themes in new and interesting ways.

We see the harsh cruelty of the Empire on full display here. And what it shows is a terrifying reflection of our own crumbling society. We see how the Empire uses state and independent media alike to manipulate its Senators and populace into buying a one-sided story of poor peacekeepers who were assaulted by the terrorist insurgents of Ghorman. We see the Empire very deliberately manipulate the population of Ghorman into rising up against it so they can more easily take control. And we see the senseless slaughter of hundreds of innocents caught in the Empire’s web.

In 1977, we had the Empire as an overtly evil, monolithic force of nature led by the mustache-twirling Grand Moff Tarkin (although Peter Cushing’s performance elevated the writing of the part) and the mysteriously violent and cruel Darth Vader. They chase down Rebels and blow up a planet, but we kind of have to accept the words of Lucas’ opening crawl and those of the Rebel characters that the Empire in A New Hope is as Evil as they say it is. Over the course of the following movies, we start to see a bigger picture. But it wasn’t until Rogue One and Rebels that we began to see the evil of the Empire at work on the common folks of the Galaxy.

With the end of the Ghorman arc, we can now be certain that the Empire is two things: 1) headed by selfish, evil people; and 2) carried on the backs of everyday people who thought they were doing the right thing for the greater good. Syril Karn and Dedra Meero both believe they are acting in the best interests of the Empire by carrying out their missions on Ghorman. In the end, both realize they’ve been lied to, manipulated, and used as pawns in a horrifying game designed to trap the citizens of Ghorman so that the Empire can seize their planet and its mineral resources.

While it’s good to see them reach this realization, it comes too late for the people of Ghorman. But it is not too late for the Rebellion to use the Massacre to its advantage. Cassian is sent from Ghorman, where he witnessed first-hand the cruelty and insidiousness of the Empire, straight to Coruscant to pull Senator Mon Mothma out of harm’s way following her rousing speech about the Death of Truth and the Ultimate Victory of Evil. And rousing the speech is, so much so that we witness the Empire do everything in its power to stop her words from getting loose. Fascists are afraid of Truth. That’s why they try so hard to discredit or destroy anything and anyone who speaks out against them.

Fascist leaders like Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Kim-Jong Il, and Benjamin Netanyahu try so hard to control the narrative by controlling the media or casting doubt upon the media’s reporting. They suggest that Truth is merely a set of “alternative facts” rather than something undeniable. Because if Truth is malleable, if it really is just an alternative set of facts to be cast aside when it becomes inconvenient, then Evil has the chance to grow. Good is not the opposite of Evil, but Truth.

This isn’t just a review of a TV series. This is a call to action for all those who read my little corner of the Internet. Call your representatives as often as you can. Flood their offices with emails. If you can protest, do so. Share this post. Share articles from sites known to be credible. Credibility is flagging among the mainstream news media, so find alternative sources such as the AP, known for reporting facts with little bias. Call out injustice and lies when you see it.

Resist, and have hope. For rebellions are built on hope.