How the planet Gorman was created in Andor, from costumes and scenery to music - only to destroy
Andora executive producer and production designer Luke Hull was brought into the writing team early on. Working alongside creator Tony Gilroy, Hull knew how important Planet Gorman was to the show's second season and the world of Star Wars.
Until now, Gorman has been known to fans as the place where the Empire inspires a new wave of Rebel response that leads to a massacre - two years before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope - and strengthens the Rebel Alliance. Hull was tasked with building what was up to this point a little-known planet.
His concept was laid out early: Gorman would be a large city, rich in history and culture, and it would need a community with political influence in the Senate. It will be an economy with one product - Gorman twill, known as the best in the galaxy, and spun by spiders, or gollectipods, placed in webs on the planet.
Hull looked to older architecture as a basis because it gave Gorman a sense of history, and was inspired by the buildings of Milan and Turin. To "retain the Star Wars form language," Hull incorporated the familiar circles and domes into his designs. In terms of materials, he liked the idea of using travertine tiles, marble and dark wood.
“Marble had already been used on Naboo, but we wanted to do it a little differently,” he says. “The cafe has a marble mosaic with spiders on the wall, but most importantly, there is wood, and this speaks of wealth.”
The highlight of the design was the central square of the capital, Palmo, which, according to Hull, had "an architectural logic like a ribcage." The central square was supposed to serve several purposes and connect different parts of the city. Inside it, the square would have different locations, such as a cafe and the lobby of the Imperial Officer Corps. Hull says he started with the Gorman massacre, which took place in the square, and "worked from it."
“We had to build on what happened,” he says.“So the area had to be a paddock. At first you think it's a glamorous city center, but in reality it becomes a killing field that gets quite scary. A hotel, a cafe - everything takes on a different, ominous look when they start erecting barricades, preventing people from entering."
White became an important color in the show, and Hull used it strategically. “The white in the IOC conference room is stark and laboratory. It’s warmer and creamier in Gorman.” Hull avoided black and gray to maintain a sense of "richness and materiality".
Costume designer Michael Wilkinson took inspiration from Hull's aesthetic. He started with a color palette and was inspired by clothing from Northern Italy. Classic greys, navy blues, warm browns and crisp ivory reflected the conservative, classic nature of the Gorman culture.
“Ghorman is a cultural planet that prides itself on its tradition of fine textiles and elegant urban lifestyle,” explains Wilkinson. "Ghorman clothing is noble, with a refined sense of tailoring - well-tailored, practical and timeless."
He also wanted to emphasize Gorman's humanity in the face of brutal, inhumane Imperial forces: "Unlike the strict black and white uniforms of the ISS, Gorman's clothes seem individual, heterogeneous. It is layered in an expressive manner, with an appreciation for fine fabrics such as silk and velvet.”
The character of Cyril Carne (Kyle Soller) develops to reflect Gorman's wealth. "We see him being influenced by Gorman's culture as his clothing becomes more sophisticated and he adopts details like the velvet scarf, beret, beautiful, rich brown wool coat and pointed Gorman trench coat," Wilkinson says.
When Cassian (Diego Luna) dressed as Ronnie Goudge, a journalist from the MidRim Network, Wilkinson realized that his costume had to be a million miles from Varian Skye, Cassian's other disguise on Gorman.Goudge's persona was that of a suave textile designer, dressed in a tailored suit and flowing cape.
“I wanted Ronnie to have the swagger and natural ease of a classic war correspondent: to fit in everywhere, with the feeling that he had traveled the entire galaxy,” he says. “Natural fibers that are suitable for any climate, practical clothing - a large coat with many pockets and leather inserts. His colors are neutral and his clothes are worn; they contrast with the neatness and austere, deep tones of the urban Gorman citizens.”
In his color palette, Wilkinson used green "as the color of revolution" since the Gorman flag is green, and designed special badges and armbands for local protesters "that had a homemade look using green and the abstraction of the Gorman planet symbol."
They also created an "adjacent style" for revolutionaries, drawing inspiration from references to World War II. “Cloaks and berets, armbands, fedoras, jersey tucked into trousers, scarves—all these elements helped us reveal the determined, courageous nature of these urban resistance fighters.”
As for the music, composer Brandon Roberts picked up where Nicholas Britell left off after the first season. As with Hull and Wilkinson, he knew Gorman's sound needed to be defined from the start.
“You heard this in the reel-to-reel film that was shown during the meeting of the emperors. You get a hint of an almost Viennese feel, and that became the vibe for Gorman,” says Roberts. And Britell's work with Gilroy on Gorman's
national anthem was influential, as Roberts "tried very hard to incorporate parts of that melody into the score."
To create a unique sound for Gorman, Roberts used dulcimer and hammer dulcimer. As things get darker, the score progresses: "The waltz turns into this dark, low-voltage pulse that builds until the first shot is fired" in the carnage scene.
Roberts brought dissonant strings and horns to the K2 battle droids.To give them an industrial sound, Roberts dropped chains on trash cans in the drum section, "creating this whole very industrial-sounding percussive vibe."
He adds: “This brings us to the moment when Cyril looks around and we see this frozen moment of beauty where he sees everything and absorbs everything.”
When it came to the carnage, Roberts built up the tension slowly until the K2 droids showed up and the sequence went into full swing with action and music. “We have removed all the stops. We had a drummer, four percussionists and a ton of electronics all working simultaneously,” says Roberts. “And then all of a sudden you get these hard hits that die down when you go back inside.”