Stellan Skarsgard may be returning as Baron Harkonnen in the upcoming Dune sequel, but he’s also found a great new character in the Star Wars universe in the form of Luthen Rael from Disney+’s Andor.
The second season of Andor is currently in the works, and Skarsgard is expected to return again. We don’t know exactly where Luthen ends up by the time of A New Hope, but Skarsgard did tell io9, “I’m satisfied where it goes, yeah… It’s such good writing and it’s Tony Gilroy, I really like to say his lines.”
Though the Rebel Alliance has all kinds of figureheads including Mon Mothma, Luthen is an interesting addition to the faction as he is still very anti-Empire, but he has no qualms about using their very own tactics and methods against them. He’ll outright sacrifice others if it means that the Rebellion can succeed.
His character is pretty much summed up in this dark monologue from the first season:
Like I said, Luthen’s fate is pretty much up in the air, but as of now, fans theories are flying wild about where he ends up. Personally, I like the fan theory that Luthen is actually Palpatine’s brother which could add to the twin theme of Star Wars—one being light and the other dark.
I also like the idea that if Luthen was a Palpatine, that would also make him Rey’s grand-uncle; justifying Rey’s past despite being related to the Emperor. Kind of like the same situation in Avatar: The Last Airbender where Zuko’s grandfathers were the Avatar and the Fire Lord.
Then again, it’s just fan theories.
The next season of Andor still has no release date, but a 2025 release is expected.
