Luthen Rael is the Biggest Threat to Palpatine's Empire

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Luthen's speech is literally the writer giving us the thesis of the entire show. It is beautifully written, seeped in real historical examples, and ultimately HEARTBREAKING . Luthen's speech is a tragic tale, a man with the self awareness to know his soul is doomed & his sacrifice will be thankless because nobody knows the true depths he will reach for the benefit of millions.

If Saw Gerrera is Rebel Vader, then Luthen Rael is Rebel Palpatine. Think about it.

“I burn my life to make a sunrise I know I’ll never see.” That gave me chills when I heard that.

Luthen’s speech is straight up my favorite dialogue in any Star Wars movie/show.

Luthen Rael is a man of focus, commitment and sheer will in the Rebellion while under the nose of the Empire in a nutshell.

“The arrogance is remarkable.” To me, the delivery of that line by Skarsgård is so brilliant: On one hand, it fits your analysis- how arrogant of The Empire to assume everyone else is stupid. On the other, it feels like he was also describing Cassian- how arrogant of you to think you are that good. Luthen’s curse is his self-awareness; he is the playwright and hero of his own tragedy. I enjoy the interactions between Luthen Rael and Mon Mothma because it showcases two people that, had it not been for a shared belief, would never seek out each other’s company for pleasure. And it’s this ability to put their differences aside for the cause that lies the core strength of this rebellion.

Jesus this show has been so god damn amazing. I 100% believed that we would never get anything even close to this good in the Star Wars universe. I had almost completely lost faith in the brand after the embarrassment that was the Book of Boba Fett. But in my opinion this show is some of the best stuff that the Stars Wars franchise and Disney itself has ever created. The complexity of the characters in the show is incredible and I never realized how badly I wanted that in Star Wars until this show happened.

Here's the thing, Machavelli is surprisingly on point when it comes to politics and populations. What people forget is the whole answer Machavelli stated for if it is best to be feared or loved. Machavelli outright stated that both is preferable, but fear is easier to control and far more universal, and if you put too much in fear you get hated which is something to avoid at all costs.

Sacrificing 50 men for one mole in the ISB. “The hardest choices require the strongest wills”

“Not the individuals who quit after the first 2 episodes bored them” say it my guy.

I really love Andor. But I don’t think I’d be loving and appreciating the show (or the broader SW universe) nearly as much without all these video essays. Thanks for your work!

In that way, as he said "I burned my life for a sunrise I'll never see," I think Luthen shares a lot with other true idealists who believe in a cause to the very end, damn the costs. Captain Pike, as we see in Discovery and Strange New Worlds, for example. Leia, for another. They can't be broken because they accept their fate. Sure, they will keep fighting right to the bitter end, and if they are granted a reprieve they'll take it. But they know what they signed up for.

I love this monologue. "What did you Sacrifice? Calm, Kindness, Kinship. Love. I've given up all chance at inner peace. I've made my mind a sunless space. I share my dreams with ghosts. I wake up everyday to an equation I wrote 15 years ago, from which there's only one conclusion, I'm damned for what I do. My anger, my ego, my unwillingness to yield, my eagerness to fight, they've set me on a path from which there is no escape. I yearned to be a savior against injustice without contemplating the cost and by the time I looked down there was no longer any ground beneath my feet. What is my Sacrifice? I'm condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I Burn my decency for someone else's future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I'll never see. And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude. So what do I sacrifice? EVERYTHING!" btw as a reminder: There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force.

Luthen Rael is one of the most fascinating characters in Star Wars in my opinion. To be honest, his ideology (like in his speech) when it comes to making a rebellion happens to make him one of my favorite Star Wars characters of all time. He truly is the anti-Palpatine and his words and actions say that. Seriously, it was after his speech in the end of episode 10 did it solidify my genuine love for Luthen as a Star Wars character.

Powerful, Alan. This why I think Andor is probably THE best SW “story” it’s also one of finest example of tv dramatics that’s has been broadcast in quite a while. I am…concerned that many do not like the show. I understand younger fans would get bored (I wouldn’t have it enjoyed it too 40 years ago), but adult SW fans who feel the franchise isn’t “big enough” for the serious examination of the sacrifices to conflict or what lies at the heart of a dictatorship or a rebellion is troubling. Gilroy has imo departed a gift to us fans allow to us who follow the way the real world operates when it comes to questioning our engagement in the way our societies do, and should operate. Excellent video essay, keep up the great work, Alan.

The "I think about you constantly" delivery is something only Stellan can pull off. It reminded me of when he said "I've never had a man in here before" in the girl with the dragon tattoo

What a show!! Well written, slow paced, gives everyone a chance to shine and Serkis and Stellan grabbed the opportunity with both hands... Some of the best acting ever on Star Wars "I share my dreams with ghosts"... It's a vision that will haunt me until Luthen faces his unavoidable bad ending 👏🏾👌🏾

Luther is a man that has reached his limit. He knows how to fight, and is unencumbered in his pursuit. He understands the cycles of tyranny. A man who is knowledgeable, has resources, and is totally determined to fight. Much like Kino Loy, the determination in the characters is apparent. This is Star Wars on a whole new level.

Wow, dude. I loved your expositions on the Clone Wars previously and your stuff in general. I’m 50, so for me, the original trilogy is Star Wars. I remember, younger, being so surprised that, in ESB, the good guys didn’t win. It was enthralling because it had a depth to it. The rebels get sacked in their base, many are killed, victory is escaping…the protagonists get hunted down, tortured, trafficked, defeated, and dismembered. What was hopeful was simply the fact of survival. Andor gives me that same experience. But, what is rewarding is that it gives you content worth the exposition. You’re spot on. Most of us live in a world so sheltered and comfortable that if the grocery doesn’t have our favorite cereal or peanut butter in stock, people think it is time to start fortifying their homes and hoarding rice. If political or court decisions don’t match their values, they buy guns and ammunition. The thing that terrifies me all the time is, over the past 100 years reality has improved so fast, for so many, that most of the problems in the world are an apocalypse of productivity. We’re over-winning to such an extent it becomes hard to recognize substantive victory and danger in the confusion of acceleration. People get this sense that there is nothing meaningful to do anymore, and they worry that without a socially validated purpose they’re going to be abandoned as dispensable. People just have got to win…even when there isn’t anything left to fight over or an obvious way to keep score. They have got to have a scoreboard, so they make them up. Suddenly everything about life transforms into a game, and people live life like a MMPORG. But, in life, there aren’t many artifacts of transcendent power. Those few that exist are built and maintained, cooperatively, by enough people to make a mid-sized nation. In life there are seldom true dragons to slay, and the experience brings debilitating PTSD as opposed to unlocking another level of HP and Feats. When you break the economy of a computer game, real people don’t starve. An annoying real person is not a NPC, and people treat each other too much like that. I’m afraid, often, that our ability to enjoy such verisimilitude in our power fantasy is making everyone less socially competent. You’re awesome, and clearly brilliant. The simple and obvious wins in social approval aren’t enough. So, you do what you love, and you take it seriously…even the dolphins…because, you’re right, if the dolphins could figure out how to, they would certainly destroy us in a genocidal war. Human civilization will continue to be catastrophically environmentally destructive. If we’re wise, we will preserve and maintain enough that we don’t throw away something of value. But, a Gaia maintained by humans will, by definition, serve human needs, desires, art, and facticity. Ultimately, making the most of the world for our children means there is less for every other organism. For us to experience freedom and continued development as a species, all the others are going to be forced to occupy whatever niches we think they ought to occupy, to suit our aesthetic. Even the greenest utopia of conservation is going to change everything that is wild into something caged, monitored, controlled, and maybe even appreciated and loved. But, none of nature will look back in gratitude. Would we? It is the fact that you take it seriously that makes it art, and worth listening to. If people take fantasy seriously, they don’t need play life like a game. You are just so right. I feel like…I wish there was some way to can that last statement and have it replayable on demand. Don’t go looking for revolutions. When things get bad enough, revolution will find you. That is such a simple thing to say. But, it was really profound - and, it is a major theme in Andor. These people aren’t heroes. They’re helpless. The revolution found them and the protagonists are simply the ones that haven’t died yet. And the fact that as a viewer you know that Cassian himself dies so early in the rebellion gives the other characters in Andor more weight even as they’re dying one after another. Historical events transform society. Violent chaotic ones can lead to dramatic change, for better or worse. But, sometimes not that much changes. And, no matter what, whomever experiences the violence and chaos doesn’t become stronger for it. Survivors are more cunning. But the wise person, given a choice, would skip it. Let us all hope we continue to have that choice as often and for as long as possible.