Star Wars strikes back – thanks to the Highlands

The Herald Scotland

a day ago

There was no real clamour in the fanbase to paint the backstory of this rather ordinary rebel hero. Cassian had no lightsaber, no Force powers, and he was no Jedi. But this unremarkable rebel, it transpired, was just what the franchise needed – alongside a grounding in the landscapes of the Scottish Highlands.
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When Andor premiered in 2022, it made the galaxy feel real again. This authenticity of Andor was apparent in its weighty themes – from the authoritarianism and the dangers of emergency legislation to a technologically enhanced prison-industrial complex – but also in its production. Unlike other recent Star Wars series – such as The Mandalorian or Ahsoka, which rely heavily on virtual production technology and enveloping video walls – Andor was filmed largely on location. This decision gave the series a tactile realism that digital backdrops often lack. It marked a return to the grounded, politically-charged storytelling and practical filmmaking that defined the original Star Wars trilogy.
Central to this endeavour was the decision to film key scenes in the Scottish Highlands. The glorious Glen Tilt and the Cruachan Dam and surrounding area of the stunning Pass of Brander became the setting for Aldhani, a planet that is central to Andor's storytelling.
The planet's sweeping valleys, rocky mountains, and sacred rivers were brought to life using these Scottish settings. These landscapes certainly look like they could be in a galaxy far, far away – but they didn't just serve as neutral backdrops. As places steeped in history, culture, myth, and folklore these settings told in their own right, echoing the themes of power, colonisation, exploitation and resistance that run through Andor.
Glen Tilt, a dramatic glen carved by glacial erosion, has long been a site of scientific and social significance. It was here that James Hutton developed his theory of deep geological time, and where 19th-century legal battles over public access helped shape Scotland's right-to-roam laws. These histories resonate with the plight of the Dhanis, the indigenous people of Aldhani, who are displaced by the Empire but walk back to their sacred valley to witness a celestial event known as 'The Eye.'
Cruachan Dam (Image: PA)
The Cruachan Dam, meanwhile, doubles as the Imperial garrison. Its brutalist architecture – cold, concrete, and imposing – mirrors the Empire's oppressive presence. From a certain point-of-view the dam resembles Darth Vader's mask, a visual metaphor that underscores the Empire's domination of place and space. Yet this imposing, unnatural barrier is also a symbol of hope for the resistance.
In Andor, a young rebel on Aldhani, Karis Nemik, compares Imperial control to a dam: 'It breaks, it leaks,' he says, predicting that rebellion will eventually flood the banks of Imperial tyranny. The Cailleach Bheara of Celtic folklore – a supernatural goddess who, legend has it, caused a flood atop Ben Cruachan to form the loch and river below – might well agree.
I recall watching the teaser trailer for Andor in 2022. My eyes widened at the shot of rebels covering guns in places that looked familiar, and the scream of the TIE fighter as it careered low across the Cruachan Reservoir – a place I did know. In a following full trailer, which features a looming Imperial Star Destroyer gliding ominously over Glen Tilt, Cassian says the words 'You just walk in like you belong.' So I did.
Visiting these places as part of a walking research project – using methods that foreground sensory experience and memory – revealed to me how deeply the Scottish setting is woven into Andor's narrative. These landscapes, with their romance, unpredictable weather and spectacular shifting of light, contributed to a powerful sense of place.
Watching clips of Andor on location, I could hear these screaming TIE fighters, the march of Imperial boots, and the ritual chants of the Dhanis echoing in the glens. This wasn't just a viewing experience – it was anamnesis, an act of embodied remembrance of a place to which I had never been.
The Highlands where Andor has been filmed (Image: PA)
Wildlife, too, played a role in this sensory engagement. At Glen Tilt, I encountered red squirrels –hardy survivors in a country increasingly dominated by invasive grey squirrels. Their presence mirrored the Dhanis' own struggle to maintain an identity, or even just a presence, in the face of Imperial occupation. Similarly, the migration of Atlantic salmon up the River Awe in the shadow of Ben Cruachan evoked the Dhanis' pilgrimage to their sacred site, reinforcing the connection between nature and narrative.
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Authenticity emerges from this intersection of storytelling and place, and extends to the show's tone and characters. Andor dispenses with Jedi and Sith in favour of bureaucrats, labourers, farmhands and ordinary people navigating the complex everyday. Its aesthetic is at times closer to The Wire than The Phantom Menace, and its commitment to social realism is reflected in everything from its dialogue to its set designs.
Colin Atkinson (Image: Colin Atkinson)
Of course, authenticity is a slippery concept. What feels 'real' to one viewer may not to another. Perhaps, for some, Andor's commitment to a tactile, grounded, lived-in world feels 'less authentic' as a work of science fiction. However, as a Scottish person, and a Star Wars fan, the Highlands – with their landscapes and layered histories of displacement and resistance – provide the perfect stage for this kind of storytelling. And in doing so, they help to bring the galaxy far, far away a little closer to home.
Dr Colin Atkinson is a lecturer in criminology and criminal justice at the University of the West of Scotland