Andor fans think they’ve figured out a big Jedi twist

Andor episode 10 spoilers follow.

If Andor has taught us anything, it’s that there's only "one way out" from the galaxy far, far away, and that’s usually at the wrong end of the Empire. This wasn’t just hammered home by the chanting prison inmates in episode 10, but by Stellan Skarsgård’s stoic Luthen Rael who delivers one of the best speeches ever heard in Star Wars' 44 year history.

'One Way Out' featured Rael confronting Supervisor Lonni Jung (Robert Emms) as his mole within the Imperial Security Bureau. As the wind billowed through Rael's cape, a seemingly throwaway line reiterated there’s more to the wig-wearing antique peddler from Coruscant.

Andor hasn’t gone as far as confirming Luthen is a former Jedi, but putting the pieces together, we’re not alone in our musings that he’s a former Force-user hiding under the Empire’s nose.

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During this key scene, Rael told Jung that he’d made his mind a "sunless space," suggesting that his life before all this was much happier. Doubling down on his cryptic backstory, Luthen added, "I share my dreams with ghosts," which would be a pretty big wink to the Jedi who perished during Order 66.

However, the big one is the mention that he wakes up "every day to an equation I wrote 15 years ago". With Andor being set in 5 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin), 15 years earlier puts us right at the end of the Clone Wars and a key time for the Jedi Order. While Rael obviously isn’t a former Clone Trooper, it’s less clear what happened to him back then.

There have been many comparisons between Rael and Batman — smiling shop owner by day and vigilante Rebel by night. Even though Rael doesn’t have a Batcave full of gadgets, his store is packed with relics from the Jedi and Sith.

Despite being told Andor wouldn’t have your typical Star Wars Easter eggs, Rael’s collection is a treasure trove of forgotten lore and reestablished canon. We question how Rael came to own these artefacts from this bygone era, with guesses his ties to the Force go much deeper.

During Andor’s current timeline, it’s illegal to own such items, so dealing in them was left to criminal overlords like Grakkus the Hutt.

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The ownership of Jedi and Sith Holocrons would be extremely rare for a non-Force user, while the fact Luthen has keystones from Rebels’ Lothal Mortis mural gives him some major ties to the World Between Worlds and powers of the Force.

A little closer to home, Rael owning what looks like Plo Koon’s Kel Dor breathing mask has led to theories he's a potential padawan of the fallen Jedi. More than just owning this random collection of things, Rael clearly understands their importance too.

When Rael gave Cassian (Diego Luna) the blue kyber crystal as a down payment for his help, he mentioned the Rakatan uprising — who pre-date the Jedi as the first space-faring species in the galaxy.

It’s possible that the blue kyber is from Luthen’s old lightsaber, but if this was the case, he’d be unlikely to hand it over to Cassian so easily. Let’s also remember it’s not just Jedi who own kyber crystals, with fellow Rebellion favourite Jyn Erso being given one in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as a symbol of hope.

Still, we don’t know where Luthen gets his knowledge of all things Je'daii Order and beyond.

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It would take some serious cojones to survive Order 66 and then set up shop at the heart of the Empire’s operations on Coruscant. We know there were a lot of Jedi, however, someone would’ve likely recognised Rael at some point.

There’s an answer to that thanks to Luthen’s treasures containing a Jedi Temple Guard mask, meaning he could be a former member of its ranks. Jedi Temple Guards were known as keepers of ancient traditions, which fits Luthen’s love of the past.

Also, taking a life of anonymity and hiding behind their signature garments might explain his seemingly blatant flaunting of Force memorabilia.

We still don’t know who saved Grogu from the Jedi Temple when Order 66 took place, and while it would go against Gilroy’s promise that Andor won’t bend to fan service, it would be one hell of a way to connect the series to the bigger picture.

Just like The Mandalorian’s Luke Skywalker reveal or Kenobi’s Reva twist, we’re expecting some sort of cliffhanger to carry us over into season two. With just two episodes of Andor season one left, we’ll have to wait and see whether Luthen is another one to add to the growing list of Jedi survivors or he’s just a Rebel without a cause.

Either way, that wig that separates collector Luthen and his "covert" counterpart isn’t fooling anyone – Jedi or not.

Andor streams on Disney+, with new episodes every Wednesday.

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Tom Chapman

Tom Chapman is a pop culture-loving writer and NCTJ-accredited Broadcast Journalist with over seven years of experience covering the small and silver screen. 

Starting his career with a post at Movie Pilot in Berlin, Tom took on freelancing full-time with regular stints at Digital Spy, Screen Rant and Comic Book Resources.

These days, you can still find him covering all things Marvel and Star Wars at Digital Spy, while dipping his toe in bylines at Yahoo! and IGN. 

Tom likes to think his spirit animal is a cross between Gale Weathers and Olenna Tyrell.

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