It’s less the look of the Haulcraft that’s meant to call to mind the British sports car that first zoomed onto the silver screen in 1964’s “Goldfinger.” Rather, Leo said the vessels are alike in that both are souped up with secret compartments and add-ons. “In talking with [series creator Tony Gilroy], one of the inspirations was that Luthen’s ship is what the Aston Martin is to James Bond,” Leo explained. “It has all these hidden weapons and gadgets so it can pass as a normal freight ship. That became the starting point.” Plenty of famous cinematic vehicles have had lots of modifications over the years, from the Mystery Machine to the cars of Fast & The Furious, but the Aston Martin seems like a good comparison because both Bond and Luthen are spies whose lives could be in danger if they don’t hide their weapons and tools.
Luthen’s ship features a host of memorable additions, including an intelligent droid mod that helps him with tasks, serves as a copilot, and can even make up fake transponder signals to help the ship avoid detection. The Haulcraft also features plenty of secret compartments, an extra-strong engine, and small missile-shooting capabilities. By the end of “Andor” season 1, it still doesn’t feel like we’ve seen everything the craft can do, but audiences were treated to one of the most unique secret weapons in “Star Wars” to date: massive, two-pronged red laser beams that come out of both sides and act like a double light saber, cutting entire enemy ships to shreds.