Who is Luthen Rael in Star Wars: Andor? There’s always some huge names joining the Star Wars cast these days, but we were especially stoked to see MCU actor Stellan Skarsgård join the Star Wars series Andor, and his character, Luthen Rael, is a fascinating one indeed.
Star Wars characters are rarely black and white, and there’s always a degree of moral ambiguity to them, and Luthen Rael’s plan for bringing down the Galactic Empire, led by Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, certainly suggests he sits firmly in that grey area.
So, is Luthen a new Star Wars villain in disguise or just a very ruthless, misunderstood hero working for the Rebellion? We’ve got Luthen Rael explained for you right here, so you can learn all there is to know about the character.
Luthen Rael explained
Luthen Rael is essentially the leader of the early version of the Rebellion against the Galactic Empire. What’s most impressive is, he does it all from Coruscant, the centre of the Galactic Senate, where he colludes with Mon Mothma.
By running a luxurious antiques store on the planet in Andor, Luthen is able to hold meetings with the Senator and keep an eye on the comings and goings of the Empire. Plus, there’s lots of Star Wars Easter eggs in Luthen Rael’s collection that are cool to look at, too.
He is the character who initially enlisted the help of Cassian Andor, and as the sci-fi series has progressed (particularly in Andor episode 10) we have seen the darker side of Luthen Rael come to the surface. He is a man hellbent on bringing Emperor Palpatine and the Empire crashing down, and he doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process.
Luthen runs a series of spy networks throughout the galaxy and he has plenty of Rebel allies hidden away including Saw Gerrera who we saw in Andor episode 8. He organised the heist on Aldhani in Andor episode 6, but is now hunting Cassian down to conceal his secrets while pulling the strings of the likes of Lonni and flying around in his super cool Star Wars ship.
It remains to be seen what Luthen will do next, but we’re sure there will be fireworks wherever he goes in Andor season 2. Until we know more, check out our Andor season 1 recap, as well as our guide to Luthen Rael’s ship, and does Luthen Rael have a lightsaber? Or take a look at the other characters in the Andor cast, like Dedra Meero and Syril Karn, or take a look at our list of the best Star Wars cameos, and the best Star Wars droids.