Who Is Luthen Rael?
Image Source: Spoiler Time
Luthen Rael is a character in the Star Wars universe introduced in the Disney+ show Andor. He is played by Stellan Skarsgård and is a leader of the burgeoning Rebellion in 5 BBY. Rael is an intense and dedicated leader who will do whatever it takes to make the Rebellion successful.
We don’t know much about Rael’s early life. All we know is that he has been working against the Empire for fifteen years, so pretty much from the beginning of the Galactic Empire. He has a loosely connected network of Rebel cells. The Empire doesn’t know who he is, but the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) has dubbed him “Axis” as they believe most of the Rebel activities revolve around him.
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Rael has a front for his illegal activities. He poses as an antique dealer at a shop he owns called Galactic Antiquities and Objects of Interest. He uses the shop to communicate with (and monitor) other Rebels, such as Senator Mon Mothma. Rael has an employee at the shop, Kleya Marki, who is also involved in the Rebellion. She acts as a liason, enforcer, and advisor to Rael.
Image Source: Le Temps
When Rael first meets Andor, he is trying to recruit Andor to the cause. Andor is hesitant, so, instead, Rael offers him a job. He offers to pay Andor 200,000 credits if Andor successfully pulls off a heist on Aldhani. Andor does complete the mission, but instead of reporting back to Rael, he takes his money from the heist and leaves. As a result, Rael considers Andor a loose end that must be eliminated.
Rael’s personality is best summed up in a speech he gives to one of his moles:
“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 every day 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.”
Rael is an interesting character. Unfortunately, due to the sensitive nature of his position, he doesn’t reveal much about himself to the other characters or the audience. On a positive note, it’s that air of mystery that makes him so intriguing. Hopefully viewers will learn more about this character in the future.
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Source: Wookieepedia
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