Lately, there has been a lot of buzz about the Ghorman Massacre. Aside from the destruction of Alderaan by the Empire and Hosnian Prime by the New Order, the Ghorman Massacre is one of the deadliest events in Star Wars history. In an instant thousands of innocent protestors were silenced, their voices against Imperial tyranny eliminated. It was this event that sparked Mon Mothma to publicly denounce Emperor Palpatine and officially form the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Despite its recent hype, the Ghorman Massacre is not new to Star Wars.
The original version of the Ghorman Massacre was first mentioned 35 years ago in The Rebel Alliance Sourcebook (1990) published by West End Games. In the original version of the Ghorman Massacre, hundreds of protestors blocked Governor Wilhuff Tarkin’s ship from landing. With permission from Palpatine, Tarkin ordered his ship to land directly on the protestors, killing the majority of them while injuring the rest. Some of the injured would succumb, and the ones who escaped physical injury sustained severe psychological trauma. The aftermath of the tragedy forced The Delegation of 2000 to stop hiding and openly rebel against the Empire.
I first came across the Ghorman Massacre in The Farlander Papers which was a companion booklet that came with the X-Wing PC game of the 1990s (aka the best Star Wars game ever created). Until Legends was branded as such, the Ghorman Massacre appeared in stories several times, but the version we’re going to see in season two of Andor, although details have yet to be told, will be slightly different. The biggest difference is the placement in the timeline. Whereas the Legends version took place 18BBY, one year after the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire, the canon version occurs 2BBY. During this time the events of Star Wars Rebels are in full swing.
- Phoenix Cell acquired 5 BTL-A4 Y-wing assault starfighter/bombers from the Reklam Station salvage yard, which were given to General Jan Dodonna and his cell.
- The Mandalorian Civil War begins.
- The Protectors of Concord Dawn are wiped out by Viceroy Gar Saxon and his Imperial Super Commandos.
- Phoenix Cell is decimated by Thrawn during the Battle of Atollon.
- It feels weird looking forward to an onscreen massacre, but for one that had such an impact on the course of Star Wars history such as the Ghorman Massacre, it’s a hugely important event. In a way, the Empire sealed its fate when it thought it was silencing protestors. Instead, it lit a fire that would ignite the spark to restore the Republic.