The Millennium Falcon Is No Longer Star Wars’ Coolest Ship
With all due respect to Han Solo, the Millennium Falcon has been de-throned as the unofficial coolest ship in the Star Wars universe. While many attempts have been made over the years to come up with a craft that could rival the Falcon in terms of outlaw accouterments and style, no other vessel has come close until the Fondor. The Fondor is so good at shaking Imperials—a crucial prerequisite for any scoundrel worth their weight in spice—that it makes the Falcon look like Playskool’s My First Freighter.
“One of the inspirations was that Luthen’s ship is what the Aston Martin is to James Bond. It has all these hidden weapons and gadgets, so it can pass as a normal freight ship. That became the starting point.”
-Mohen Leo, VFX Supervisor for Andor
In a recent interview with Variety, Andor’s VFX supervisor, Mohen Leo, discussed how his inspiration for one of the most kickass ships in Star Wars history came from an unlikely place: the world of James Bond. Specifically, 007’s iconic tricked-out Aston Martin. A detail that makes sense when you remember that Rebel spymaster Luthen Rael is piloting the Fondor.
With Luthen serving as the closest thing Andor has to James Bond, it only stands to reason that he should have a “car” like Bond’s, complete with plenty of surprises for any TIE fighters stupid enough to get too close. “One of the inspirations was that Luthen’s ship is what the Aston Martin is to James Bond. It has all these hidden weapons and gadgets, so it can pass as a normal freight ship. That became the starting point,” revealed Leo.
Just like the Millennium Falcon is a smuggler’s dream with all of its hidden compartments and souped-up hyperdrive, the Fondor is the perfect vehicle for a spy like Luthen.
The sequence took six months to complete from pre-production to post and is one of a myriad of reasons why Andor has been nominated for an Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Season Or A Movie Emmy.
As per the Star Wars wiki Wookiepeedia, Luthen Rael’s Fondor is a modified Fondor Haulcraft featuring such beefed-up security as a hidden laser cannon turret that pops out of the ship’s roof, a rear-mounted projectile launcher and twin lasers that pop out of the right and left sides of the craft, making the Fondor look a bit like Darth Maul’s infamous double lightsaber.
The side lasers work much the same way as Star Wars’ iconic laser swords, shredding TIE Fighters like paper during one of Andor‘s best sequences, where Luthen has to evade a Cantwell-Class Arrestgor Cruiser, first seen in Solo: A Star Wars Story along with a group of TIE Fighters.
The sequence took six months to complete from pre-production to post and is one of a myriad of reasons why Andor has been nominated for an Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Season Or A Movie Emmy.
The Fondor’s Secret Weapon
The Fondor’s best secret, by far, however, is the droid mod that Luthen had installed in it. The mod is an artificial intelligence that serves as a navigator, a copilot, and even a gunner if need be.
The mod serves roughly the same function as the three droid brains that help to run the Millenium Falcon, minus the occasional bouts of infighting that come from three distinct personalities running one ship.
All in all, as much as it pains us to say it, the Fondor runs circles around the Millenium Falcon… at least theoretically. Given that Andor takes place at a time when Han Solo is still bumming around the galaxy, looking to prove his ship’s superiority against anyone willing to challenge him, it’s entirely feasible that the Falcon and the Fondor could cross paths at some point. To borrow a catchphrase from the biggest sci-fi franchise that isn’t Star Wars, Disney, Make it so!
