Andor smashed through every expectation with Episode 10 featuring not only a prison break but a prison riot, a possible arranged marriage for Mon Mothma’s daughter, and a full-on spy within the ISB. There was a lot of action packed into only 45 minutes, so you likely missed the occasional reference.
The biggest Easter egg was hiding in plain sight on Coruscant, tying the action of Andor all the way back to Queen Padmé Amidala. Here’s what to look for, and what it means for the Star Wars universe.
Luthen Rael has established the perfect cover for himself on the Imperial capital, dealing antiques with his assistant Kleya while secretly fueling and running the Rebellion in its earliest form. Because of his occupation, we’ve had the opportunity to see all sorts of familiar objects pass through his store. They’ve ranged from the plausible, like Plo Koon’s mask, to the obvious wink to the audience, like Indiana Jones’ whip frozen in carbonite.
But in Episode 10, we see something far more intriguing. When Kleya approaches Luthen to discuss the mark on the fountain (which we later learn means their ISB source wants to meet), Luthen is cleaning some merchandise, including a semicircular metal helmet.
It’s none other than the Naboo Crest Headdress that Queen Padmé Amidala wears while in disguise after an assassination attempt in Attack of the Clones. Somehow, it ended up in Luthen’s collection, destined to be sold to the hoity-toity Coruscant nobility.
But considering Padmé wore it only about 15 years before the events of Andor, why is it with an antiques dealer? Is the late queen and senator not important enough to be considered worthy of a museum exhibit, or is there another explanation?
This headdress is probably far, far older than we first thought, and we have evidence from an unlikely source: The ruthless Imperial fortification known as Disneyland. In the Star Wars themed Galaxy’s Edge section, there lies a prestige gift shop called Dok Ondar’s Den of Antiquities. Inside, guests can buy anything from a Princess Leia wig to Rose Tico’s necklace. In the corner dedicated to Leia and Padmé, the Crest Headdress could be yours for a mere $49.99. It’s considered an antique, albeit by a tourist trap.
So while this headdress is important because Padmé wore it, it probably has its own remarkable history. Considering the headdress’ flower of life motif (a recurring element in Naboo culture) and the fact that Padmé wore it to disguise herself rather than stand out, it’s probably traditional to Naboo. The women of Naboo may have been wearing these for centuries, if not millennia. In fact, it’s technically possible the one we see in Luthen’s shop doesn’t even belong to Padmé, but is one of many made in the same design.
Perhaps we’ll learn more in the future. Naboo’s history and culture are largely blank spots in the Star Wars canon, and with prequel TV shows exploring every other subject in the galaxy, why not this one?
Andor is now streaming on Disney+.
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