Andor “Messenger”

As the previous episode showed Luthen’s plans can be quite fallible, the trend here continues as I find myself realizing that Luthen actually has something in common with Dedra.

Essentially, Cassian calls Luthen out for his stubbornness and, of all things, short-sightedness.  Luthen is many things, but he seems to sometimes forget that the Rebellion is made up of people, and as much as Luthen is no-doubt instrumental in bringing the Empire down, something he accurately predicted he would not live to see, he doesn’t really know how to deal with people except as chess pieces in his personal war.  Sure, he went to check on Bix an episode ago, but he didn’t do that good a job of it.

Here, basically, Cassian can say he knew the Ghormans weren’t ready to sign on with the Alliance, and besides, Luthen seems uninterested in going to Yavin where the Rebels are building a massive base, but also something Luthen lacks: a community.

True, anyone who has seen the original trilogy–and why would you watch Andor if you hadn’t?–Yavin is where Luke, Han, and the Rebels would launch an attack that would destroy the Death Star, but the thing I see here is a community.  Cassian and Bix have a nice house.  Vel and Wilmon come for visits.  Bix thinks a woman who might be a Force healer is offering good advice.  It’s a military encampment in many ways, but these are people working together towards a common goal.  Luthen won’t go there.  Later episodes will say he isn’t even wanted there, and these people talk to Saw Gerrera.

But there’s a human touch there.

And ironically, this means Luthen and Dedra have something in common.  Both plot to bring down their enemies, using other people as chess pieces, but in Dedra’s case, it is far too personal as Syril is actually maybe somewhat sympathetic to the Ghormans.  Syril isn’t as pro-Empire as Dedra.  He cares for law and order, but that’s for law-breakers like Cassian Andor.  Is Syril down with destroying an entire civilization of people just to get some energy source?  I don’t rightfully know, but Dedra certainly is, and even though Syril is on a mission for Dedra, he doesn’t even seem to know why.

Dedra’s life may be sadder and more tragic in the end.  She believed in the Empire, and those guys are evil.  But she and Luthen both are people who will, in the end, end up alone and forgotten because they forgot about the human touch that the people they use clearly still have, even a twerp like Syril.