
ANDOR Season 2 Included a Easter Egg Referencing George Lucas' 1971 Film THX-1138 — GeekTyrant
Now, THX 1138 is a bleak, minimalist sci-fi film set in a society where humans are medicated into emotional numbness and controlled by robotic enforcers.
Duvall plays THX, a worker who begins to question his reality after going off his mandatory emotion-suppressing drugs. It's a haunting film, and it marked the first time Lucas started exploring the themes of rebellion, identity, and authoritarian control.
This isn't the first time THX 1138 has slipped into the Star Wars galaxy either. Back in A New Hope , Luke mentions being transferred from 'Cell Block 1138.' Clone Marshal Commander Bacara, who shows up in Revenge of the Sith and The Clone Wars , carries the designation CC-1138.
It's become a quiet tradition for Lucasfilm to slip these references in for those who know where to look.
But this latest callback in Andor feels especially fitting. The series has always been Star Wars at its most grounded and politically charged, which is exactly the kind of sci-fi THX 1138 was wrestling with decades earlier.
With Andor , showrunner Tony Gilroy continues to build a bridge between Lucas' earliest dystopian vision and the rebellion that changed cinema.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Forbes
36 minutes ago
- Forbes
‘How To Train Your Dragon' Soaring Toward No. 1 Debut At Box Office
The live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon, starring Gerard Butler, is knocking Lilo & Stitch off the top of the domestic box office perch this weekend. Lilo & Stitch, a live-action remake of the 2002 Disney animated hit has been No. 1 at the domestic and worldwide box office since its debut in theaters on May 23. Since that time, the PG family hit has been outperforming such heavy hitters as Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Karate Kid: Legends and From the World of John Wick: Ballerina. With the release of How to Train Your Dragon, however, Lilo & Stitch has finally met its match. Deadline projected Friday that the DreamWorks/Universal Pictures film will earn $82.5 million from 4,356 North American theaters through Sunday to become the new No. 1 film domestically. Butler, who voiced the role of Chief Stoic the Vast in the animated film, plays the character in the live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon. Mason Thames plays the role of his haphazard son, Hiccup, who bonds with a Night Fury dragon he names Toothless; while Nico Parker takes on the role of Hiccup's teen Viking rival-turned-ally Astrid. Lilo & Stitch, meanwhile, is projected by Deadline to earn $16 million from 3,675 theaters domestically. If the forecast holds, it will boost the film's worldwide take to $367 million. Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal in "Materialists." A24 Also new in theaters this weekend is Past Lives' Oscar-nominated filmmaker Celine Song's romantic comedy Materialists, which stars Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans. Deadline projects Materialists, which is an A24 release, will earn $12 million from 2,844 North American theaters through Sunday. Paramount Pictures' Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Lionsgate's John Wick spinoff movie Ballerina are in a battle for the No. 4 spot, as Deadline projects both films will earn about $9 million each. The Final Reckoning is playing in 2942 North American theaters this weekend, while Karate Kid: Legends is in 3,008 venues. Should the projections hold, it will up Ballerina's domestic tally to $41.4 million, and boost The Final Reckoning's North American box office take to $165.2 million. Note: This box office report will be updated throughout the weekend with the most current numbers as they become available. The final numbers for this weekend's box office will be released on Monday.


CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
How optical illusions are illuminating vital medical research
New York — At the Museum of illusions in New York City, around every corner is a wonder for the eyes. There's a vase that's a face, art that moves with you, and a room that seems to go on forever. It's a funhouse for our perceptions, built for the TikTok age. But the visual tricks are windows into how the mind works, and they fascinate scientists. "The brain uses all the information it can get to figure out what's in front of it," Dr. Martin Doherty, a psychology professor at the University of East Anglia in England, told CBS News. Doherty has studied one particular puzzle for years called the Ebbinghaus illusion, an optical illusion which shows how size perception can be manipulated using surrounding shapes. "The illusion works by using context to mess around with your perception," Doherty explains. Doherty long thought that everyone saw the Ebbinghaus illusion the same way. But in a study published in March in the journal Scientific Reports , he and his colleagues found that radiologists who have years of training to ignore visual distractions actually see the image differently and accurately. In the study, researchers tested 44 experts in "medical image interpretation" — radiographers and radiologists — against a control group of nonexperts consisting of psychology and medical students. They found that the experts were "significantly less susceptible to all illusions except for the Shepard Tabletops, demonstrating superior perceptual accuracy." "According to the theory, that shouldn't happen," Doherty said. "It shouldn't be possible. No previous research has shown that you can learn to see through them." One other group has also been shown to solve the illusion, young children. But that ability goes away after age 7, Doherty said. "We think that's because it takes time to learn to integrate context into your perception," Doherty said. It's evidence of the deep abilities of a trained brain. But for most of us, illusions are proof of our limitations. "When you see these visuals, it's just like your brain just starts going crazy," museumgoer Kevin Paguay said. It's also a reminder that you cannot always believe what you see.


Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Blake Lively seeks protective order against Justin Baldoni's team over Taylor Swift communications
Blake Lively is seeking a protective order against Justin Baldoni's team in response to its alleged "demands" to access Lively and Taylor Swift's private communications. According to documents obtained by People, Baldoni's team has "pursued [these communications] at the same time they have refused to produce to Ms. Lively the documents they publicly claimed to have received as part of a deal to withdraw their subpoenas to Ms. Swift and her counsel." The document, filed by Lively's lawyer, Esra Hudson, said, "Good cause exists for this request because it has been a tactic" of Baldoni's "to make Ms. Swift and her fan base central to their media strategy against Ms. Lively." A rep for Baldoni did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. A spokesperson for Lively told Fox News Digital, "Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties are still demanding access to Taylor Swift's private communications despite having already subpoenaed and then withdrawn that subpoena after they 'got all they needed.' "As reflected in today's filing, their intent to drag Taylor Swift into this was evident as far back as August 2024, when the crisis PR firm led by Melissa Nathan included her in their 'Scenario Planning' document … and flagged the 'TS fanbase' as something to take 'extremely seriously," the statement continued. "The ongoing attempts to once again try and use the world's biggest star as a PR tactic in this matter reflects a public unraveling of epic proportions and serves only to distract from the fact that Justin Baldoni's lawsuits against Ms. Lively, Ryan Reynolds, their publicist and the New York Times have been entirely dismissed." Swift was subpoenaed as a witness in the Lively-Baldoni dispute, but Baldoni's team has withdrawn the request, Fox News Digital confirmed in May. A source with direct knowledge of the case told Fox News Digita at the time, "When information is voluntarily received, there is no need for subpoenas." "The ongoing attempts to once again try and use the world's biggest star as a PR tactic in this matter reflects a public unraveling of epic proportions." Representatives for Lively expressed approval of the reversal at the time, saying they will continue to "stand up for any third party who is unjustly harassed or threatened in the process." "We are pleased that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties have withdrawn their harassing subpoenas to Taylor Swift and her law firm," Lively's team said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "We supported the efforts of Taylor's team to quash these inappropriate subpoenas directed to her counsel, and we will continue to stand up for any third party who is unjustly harassed or threatened in the process. "The Baldoni and Wayfarer team have tried to put Taylor Swift, a woman who has been an inspiration for tens of millions across the globe, at the center of this case since day one. "Exploiting Taylor Swift's celebrity was the original plan in Melissa Nathan's scenario planning document, and it continues to this day," the statement added. "Faced with having to justify themselves in federal court, they folded. At some point, they will run out of distractions from the actual claims of sexual harassment and retaliation they are facing." After Swift was subpoenaed May 10, a spokesperson for the pop star denied her involvement in the 2024 film "It Ends With Us" aside from the licensing of her song "My Tears Ricochet," which was featured in the movie's trailer and used in one scene. "Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie. She was not involved in any casting or creative decisions. She did not score the film. She never saw an edit or made any notes on the film. She did not even see 'It Ends With Us' until weeks after its public release and was traveling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history," Swift's representative told Fox News Digital at the time. "The connection Taylor had to this film was permitting the use of one song, 'My Tears Ricochet,'" the spokesperson added. "Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift's name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case." Baldoni and Lively's legal fight is scheduled to go to trial before a New York court in March 2026. On Thursday, Swift was spotted with her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, at the 2025 Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Florida.