Is Luthen Rael a Jedi? Andor Theory Explained

The Andor series has already introduced a lot of characters that could very well be important to the Star Wars Rebellion, as there are early rebels that have shown up and have resisted the Empire through small efforts here and there. But the man who has been behind almost everything that is related to the Rebellion is Luthen Rael, who is an incredibly mysterious figure that is quite difficult to crack. Still, there are some theories regarding Luthen, and one of them points to the possibility that he could be a Jedi. So, is Luthen Rael really a Jedi?

There is a chance that Luthen Rael could be a Jedi. After all, he possessed a blue Kyber crystal that had only been associated with Jedi. On top of that, he seems to be someone who has been around for a long time and is willing to see the Empire go down no matter what it takes.

While there are a lot of people that have every reason to hate the Empire, former Jedi have more reason than anyone else in the galaxy because they saw what the Empire did to their order during Order 66. A lot of the surviving Jedi saw their friends die and were also hunted down mercilessly by the Inquisitors. So, if Luthen was indeed a Jedi, we wouldn’t be surprised about it.

Who Is Luthen Rael?

We all know that the main character of the Andor series is, of course, the titular character himself. Cassian Andor was always the central figure of the Andor storyline, and that means that this series tells the story of how he eventually became one of the heroes of the Rebellion during the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. 

But the thing about the Andor series is that, while it is about Cassian, there is someone else who seems to have his fingerprints on everything that has been happening in the series. The man we are talking about is, of course, Luthen Rael. So, who exactly is Luthen in Andor?

From what we’ve gathered in the Andor series so far, Luthen is one of the leaders of the early beginnings of a rebellion against the Empire, as he has been in contact with different people that could very well start an all-out rebellion against the Imperial forces. Of course, Luthen was the very same man who recruited Andor in the Aldhani mission when he personally went to Ferrix to rescue Cassian from the Pre-Mor forces that were after him.

Luthen seems to have a knack for knowing how to control everything as he was not only the one behind the attack on the Aldhani garrison but has been in contact with other resistance fighters, including Saw Gerrera and Anto Kreegyr. He also has a contact from inside the ISB, as he secretly groomed Lonni to become his double agent from within one of the most secretive branches of the Empire. There is also the fact that he has been the one in contact with Mon Mothma regarding the funds that they needed to make sure that the rebels had more than enough to use against the Empire.

In that regard, Luthen is clearly the man who has been pushing the chess pieces in this grand game in Andor. But the thing is that he still remains a mystery person that works in an antique shop in Coruscant during the day but is secretly the one supporting the efforts of the different people who are resisting the Empire in various systems all over the galaxy. Still, as to who he is and where he came from, we have no clue. Then again, there are theories as to Luthen’s true nature.

Could Luthen Be A Jedi?

While Luthen Rael’s true identity and nature are still mysteries, fans do have their own speculation regarding him. And this all leads to the possibility that he could be one of the people that have the most reasons to hate the Empire—the Jedi.

Yes, the standing theory right now is that Luthen Rael could actually be a former Jedi Knight during the time of the Galactic Republic. This could be the biggest twist of the series, but there are several clues that point to the possibility that this could be a fact.

During the first time that Luthen met Andor, he was pretty capable for an old man. He knew how to defend himself and was seemingly very aware of his surroundings. This could be due to his experience as a fighter, or it could be due to his connection with the Force.

There is also the fact that Luthen gave Andor a blue Kyber crystal. For those who don’t know, Kyber crystals are what powers a Jedi’s lightsaber. The one that Luthen gave Andor was blue, and that could mean a lot of things in the Star Wars galaxy, especially because Kyber crystals become blue when they are in tune with a Jedi. And the fact that Luthen wanted the crystal back from Andor means that it could be something important to him.

When we see what Luthen does during his everyday life, we see that he is working in an antique shop where he secretly meets with Mon Mothma, a supporter of the rebellion, on a regular basis. In his shop, there are numerous artifacts that could be related to the Jedi.

Episode 10 was what made people truly realize that he could be a Jedi. That was because he gave a powerful monologue in his scene with Lonni when they met in secret and when it was revealed that Lonni was a double agent all along while he was working with the ISB.

In that episode, Luthen tells Lonni: 

“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.”

The fall of the Jedi Order happened nearly 15 years ago, and that means that there is a good possibility that Luthen was around when Order 66 happened and the clones executed the Jedi. There is a good possibility that he could have been a Jedi Temple Guard during that time as he did say that he “shares his dreams with ghosts,” and these ghosts could be the very same Jedi Knights or Temple Guards that he saw dying 15 years ago.

Finally, in episode 11, Luthen goes to Saw Gerrera to meet him about the rebel’s decision regarding whether or not he is willing to join Kreegyr. Before Gerrera met with Saw, one of Saw’s men inspected him for weapons and found something that kind of looked like a lightsaber.

Of course, different lightsabers have different appearances. It is possible that this was the saber that Luthen crafted during the time when he was still a Jedi. It also looks a lot more antique than the other sabers, considering that Luthen himself is already on the older side.

Luthen told the guard that inspected him that he should either give it back or drop it because it was probably too dangerous for him to handle. And we do know that lightsabers are very dangerous in the hands of the wrong person.

So, with all that said, the Jedi have every reason to want to see the Empire fall, as they ended up losing a lot of their friends and colleagues during Order 66. This could explain why Luthen is so hellbent on wanting to destroy the Empire no matter what the costs may be and even if he were to plunge himself into darkness doing so.