Already the apparition of Luther Rael (Stellan Skarsgard) led many fans to speculate that he is an underground ex-Jedi Knight. But let’s be honest: just because he likes to wear his habit like so many Jedi? That would be a very poor choice of clothing to hide the fact that you are one of the few survivors of Order 66.
But the evidence piled up. Luthen possesses one of the crystals the Jedi use to make their lightsabers. And the fact that he changes not only his clothes but also his hairstyle in public suggests that he must hide his true identity. That the artifact dealer knows so much and has so many things in his shop that are closely related to Jedi history is another clue. But the most recent two episodes of “Andor” on Disney+ have solidified the theory.
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First came the monologue, then the action
In the tenth episode of “Andor”, title: “One Way Out”, Luthen Rael explains in a long monologue to the ISB supervisor Lonni Jung (Robert Emms), who works for him as a spy, what he has sacrificed for the revolt. We learn that he has been fighting the Empire for 15 years – and so exactly since the beginning of the Emperor’s reign. Who knew from the first moment that the Emperor had to be fought? The few Jedi who survived the famous Order 66! So it is entirely possible that Luthen is a survivor of Order 66, which is no coincidence that it was exactly 15 years ago.
And now comes the latest episode “Daughter of Ferrix” in which we get to know another side of Luthen. When caught under Imperial control, he not only keeps his cool and seems to be in control of the situation at all times. In the end, to everyone’s surprise, he outsmarts the huge Imperial ship and the tie-fighters it sent with his small vehicle. He also uses a weapon that looks like two huge lightsabers mounted on his starship.
It’s not even the only clue in this episode. What is the mysterious object he found while visiting Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) is briefly removed when looking for weapons? Doesn’t it look like a lightsaber? In any case, there must be a reason why the scene is in the series.
So is Luthen a Jedi or not?
Since there are also smaller dialogue snippets, especially from Vel (Faye Marsay), there is now a lot to suggest that Luthen Rael himself was really a Jedi Knight or at least was very closely associated with the Jedi and knows their history and work very well.
So far, the main argument against it is that “Andor” tries very hard to show how the rebellion came about in the middle of society. We see that ordinary citizens become freedom fighters as the injustices caused by the empire become greater and greater and at a certain point looking the other way is no longer an option. It is a parable of rebellion against all forms of fascism. Now to show that a (former) Jedi orchestrated all this might lessen the impact of this message.
Will the last twelfth episode of the first season of “Andor” already have an answer to Luthen Raels for us? We will know on November 23. Then the season finale of “Andorto stream on Disney+.