It's not unusual for science-fiction or fantasy movies to use real-world locations as setpieces for stories. But, we love seeing an example of this phenomenon with an automotive connection. In episode 4 of the Star Wars series Andor, the McLaren Technology Centre stands in for a terminal at the Coruscant Spaceport.
The tweet below has the perfect side-by-side comparison of the locations. The curved glass wall is the most prominent similarity, but there are several other parallels. The pillars with thicker, donut-like elements on them are also the same. The designers transform the balcony on the left of the McLaren image into the arrival and departure display board in the Star Wars world.
Real-life locations from Episode 4 of #Andor:
— The Sietch of Sci-Fi (@TSoS_) September 29, 2022
Coruscant Spaceport - McLaren Technology Centre, Woking, England
Coruscant Apartment - Brunswick Centre, London, England
Thanks to @jelof21 and @awwhellsbells for pointing these two out! pic.twitter.com/UxhwlWN8U5
Motor1.com reached out to McLaren about Andor copying the location, and apparently, it was a surprise to the company. "Thanks for reaching out – don’t actually think we had any involvement in this one," a press representative told us.
Even if no one from the Andor production team actually visited the McLaren Technology Centre to create this setpiece, plenty of photos were available to them as inspiration. The gallery below offers a look inside the beautiful building.
Gallery: Inside the MTC
In 2021, McLaren signed a leaseback deal for its headquarters. The deal with the American company Global Net Lease reportedly secured the automaker £170 million in funding. McLaren allegedly agreed to pay the money back over the course of 20 years.
Star Wars has a long history of using real-world things as inspirations for designs in a galaxy far, far away. The tweet above even shows another example from the same episode of Andor.
Another instance of this creative reinterpretation happened in the Book of Boba Fett series. It garnered quite a bit of discussion (and some derision). Floating bikes in the style of 1960s Vespa and Lambretta scooters went after a vehicle with cues from various full-sized American cars from the same era.
The Andor series is a prequel to the movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The primary protagonist is the character Cassian Andor who becomes an important part of the growing rebellion against Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire. At this time, the series is supposed to run 24 episodes across two, 12-episode seasons.
