The Big Picture

• Luthen Rael's complexity sets Andor apart from other Star Wars properties, portrayed by Stellan Skarsgård in a double life spy role.
• Skarsgård's character is instrumental in Cassian's progression from criminal to rebel, forging a symbiotic relationship with Mon Mothma.
• Andor Season 1 special features dive into nuanced characters like Luthen and touch on real-life issues, a rare find in the streaming age.

Over a year after the season finale of Andor, viewers can get a closer look at its fascinating characters. In a featurette found on the physical release of Season 1, Tony Gilroy and Stellan Skarsgård discuss master spy, Luthen Rael, via X (formerly Twitter). Skarsgård’s character is instrumental in Cassian’s (Diego Luna) progression from a criminal to a rebel who will fight the Empire at any cost. Luthen’s complexity is one of the many elements that separates Andor from other Star Wars properties. Being part of a rebellion takes sacrifice, as Skarsgård portrays in the show.

“[Luthen is] a rebel spymaster in the prime of his career,” the Rogue One scribe explains in the featurette, “keeping himself incredibly low-profile.” The character goes to extreme lengths to keep the rebellion turning. As he forges a symbiotic relationship with Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), he keeps his own shop as a cover. Skarsgård notes that these extreme lengths to maintain his identity allowed the actor to embark on an unprecedented experience.

“He lives a kind of double life. He actually is two characters, in a way, which makes him a lot of fun to play. You shift in a scene between two characters. I’ve never done that before,” Skarsgård says. In the middle of scenes, Luthen vacillates between his public persona and the spy that is feeding a rebellion. For someone as accomplished as the Dune actor, no one could be better for the role.

‘Andor’ Will Be Released On Blu-ray

This dive into Luthen’s character will be just one featurette on the physical home release of Andor Season 1. Other special features include a closer look at Andy Serkis’ tragic character portrayed in the episode “Narkina 5.” Like many other episodes, it uses sci-fi as a metaphor for real-life issues -- this one being the prison industrial complex. The nuanced series lends well to special features that have become less and less common in the streaming age.

There was a time when fans would be readily awaiting a physical release from one of the most profitable sci-fi franchises of all time. Instead, viewers had to wait a year and a half before adding it to their collection. Andor is an outlier for many modern television series. Disney+ is thankfully allowing it to be released on Blu-ray, unlike other streaming platforms. Thankfully, fans can still purchase Andor Season 1 when it releases on SteelBook on April 30.

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