Andor made waves when its first three episodes didn’t contain even a hint of the element the Disney+ franchise shows are all built around: Easter eggs. But in Episode 4, the series returns to the proven method with a couple of name drops and cameos. We have the return of Mon Mothma and Coruscant, and even a mention of Death Star construction happening on Scarif.
But you may have missed a subtle allusion to one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy, albeit a being we’ve never heard speak.
When Mon Mothma returns from her antiquing trip/secret Rebellion rendezvous, her husband says some Imperial bigwigs will be coming over for dinner, which is an unpleasant surprise. Mothma expresses her displeasure, but understands that to keep up appearances she has to be every bit the perfect Senator, and sometimes that means making small talk with people who are building a superweapon capable of murdering billions.
One of the names dropped is Sly Moore, which should be familiar to any hardcore prequels fans. Sly Moore was the Umbaran confidante of Palpatine and, if rumors from the non-canonical Legends timeline are correct, she was also Palpatine’s secret lover.
While Sly Moore never spoke over the course of her appearances in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, her pale white skin and bald head made her unforgettable. She was a close collaborator of Emperor Palpatine, and one of the few people who knew his true identity as Darth Sidious. She also had the power to manipulate people’s minds, which is always a handy trick. According to content released on the official Star Wars site, Moore was rumored to be in a torrid affair with Palpatine and was known as “Queen of the Empire.”
Because of this close connection, Moore has been the focus of several fan theories, mainly focusing on the mystery of Rey’s parentage. If Palpatine is technically her grandfather, could Sly Moore be her grandmother? There are few other people Palpatine would trust for help in his quest for eternal life.
More immediately, will we see Sly Moore in Andor Episode 5? We don’t know how Mon Mothma’s dinner party will go, or if her storyline will even show it. But if Moore does appear at Mothma’s table, we may finally get a chance to see how she handles herself in a conversation.
Andor Episode 4 is now streaming on Disney+.
