The series follows Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor, who was first introduced in Rogue One —which is itself a prequel to A New Hope— and it follows the character in his years before joining the Rebellion.
In Rogue One, Cassian was a Rebel fighter who, alongside Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and a ragtag crew, went on a mission to steal the Death Star plans, and Andor shows he was a rebel in a different way until he met Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård).
Warning: This article contains some spoilers for ‘Andor’ Episodes 1-3.
Who is Stellan Skarsgård’s ‘Andor’ Character Luthen Rael?
Stellan Skarsgård’s Luthen is introduced in the second episode of the show’s three-episode premiere, which launched on Disney+ on Wednesday, September 21.
The character is a buyer who works with Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona), a mechanic who sells items of value to people like Luthen and is close friends with Cassian.
Through the three episodes, it is revealed that Luthen has been keen to meet with Cassian for some time, and Bix contacts him when Cassian asks to sell him a NS9 Starpath Unit to earn enough credits to escape his planet Ferrix.
When Luthen hears of the item he immediately travels to meet him. He is the first person from the Rebellion to encounter Cassian, and in their first meeting, he reveals that it is actually Cassian himself that he wants to work with.
Calling him “special,” Luthen offers Cassian a way to escape after he becomes a target for Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) by suggesting he leave the planet with him, and work with him by joining the fight against the Empire.
Details of Luthen’s background have not yet been revealed, but it’s clear the character has a long history of working with the Rebellion and has been traversing the galaxy recruiting individuals he feels will be able to support the cause, like Cassian.
Notable members of the Rebellion in Andor include Genevieve O’Reilly’s Mon Mothma and Forest Whittaker’s Saw Gerrera, both of whom appeared in Rogue One alongside Luna.
Luthen is likely to be the person to introduce Cassian to both characters, and he will also be in the prime position to act as a mentor figure for him during his early days in the Rebellion.
Cassian may have started rebelling under the mentorship of his adoptive mother Maarva (Fiona Shaw), but now he has left the planet they were living in it seems likely that Luthen will take her place as his guide.
The first three episodes of Andor are available to watch on Disney+ now, and the show will air on a weekly basis thereafter.
