One of the things that we know in the Star Wars Andor series is that Luthen Rael seems to have his hands in everything that has been happening, as it is possible that he is the person that’s looking to mount a huge rebellion on the Empire. Of course, while he did recruit Cassian Andor in that Aldhani mission, Luthen seems to be interested in getting rid of him as he personally went to Ferrix to make sure that he gets killed. So, why did Luthen want to kill Andor?
Luthen wants to kill Andor because he knows that he is a loose end that needs to be taken care of. He knows that the ISB is looking for Andor because they believe that they could use him to get to Luthen. As such, Luthen wanted to cover his tracks by getting rid of Andor.
The thing about Luthen is that, while he is a rebel, he is shown to be someone who isn’t too shy about wanting people killed for the sake of the success of the rebellion. He did the same to Anto Kreegyr, who he thought was a sacrifice that he needed to make to make sure that no one in the ISB would suspect Lonni as a double agent. Now, with that said, let’s look at the reasons why Luthen wants Cassian Andor dead.
Why Did Luthen Want To Kill Andor?
Ever since the start of the Andor series, we already saw that this wasn’t the usual Star Wars series as it was darker and more serious than any of the previous movies and shows that we’ve seen. The thing is that Andor was always going to talk not only about the rise of Cassian Andor as a rebel hero but the cost of the Rebellion itself. And that was something that we saw in Luthen Rael.
Luthen was the very same person that rescued Andor from the attack of the Pre-Mor forces during the early part of the series. He wanted to recruit Cassian in a mission that involved stealing an entire payroll from an Imperial garrison in Aldhani. While the mission was about money, Luthen simply wanted to send a message to the Empire. And recruiting Cassian was important to him because he knew what Andor was capable of.
But the thing is that, right after the Aldhani mission, Luthen asked Vel to find and kill Cassian. Of course, because Dedra Meero saw that there could be a link between the events involving Pre-Mor on Ferrix and the attack on Aldhani, her investigations led to Andor. That was the reason why she interrogated the people who were close to him, as she believed that they could get him to Andor.
But the true reason why Meero wanted to get to Andor was the fact that she believed that there was a person that was running things from behind the curtains. She called this person Axis, as she believed that he was the Axis point of all of the rebel activities happening throughout the galaxy. And we all know that this man called Axis is actually Luthen.
As such, the reason why Luthen wanted to kill Cassian was the fact that he knew that the ISB was looking for him. He knew that if the ISB could get its hands on Cassian, they would be able to find a way to get to Luthen as well. And because Cassian knows who Luthen is, as he was the one responsible for recruiting him, he was a loose end that he needed to take care of.
This also goes in line with Luthen’s personality. He was someone willing to sacrifice people for the sake of the greater good, as that was what he did when he told Lonni that he wasn’t willing to tell Kreegyr that the Empire was going to ambush him. That was the same thing that he said to Saw Gerrera, as they both agreed that Kreegyr’s death was for the greater good because the ISB would have suspected a spy from within their ranks if Kreegyr were to be informed about the ambush.
In that regard, Luthen also saw Cassian as a dispensable part of the greater good. He was willing to sacrifice him for the sake of the success of the rebellion as he knew that he was too dangerous to be left alone due to the things that he knew about Luthen.
Does Luthen Kill Andor?
In episode 12 of Andor, we saw Luthen meeting up with Vel in Ferrix as the funeral for Maarva was about to begin. They both knew that Cassian was going to be there for the funeral of his own mother, and that was the reason why they took the chance to go to Ferrix despite the fact that the Empire was actually active in those parts.
Andor, of course, saw Luthen from afar, and that was the reason why he knew that he was there to kill him. But because of the fact that Maarva’s holographic message prompted a skirmish between the people of Ferrix and the Imperial forces, Luthen never had a chance to kill Cassian. This prompted him to return to his ship and flee the planet.
However, Luthen did indeed get a chance to kill Andor when Cassian himself showed up on his ship after he rescued Bix. Cassian, who lost the will to live after the death of his mother, offered his life up to Luthen. But he also told Luthen that he could either kill him or take him in. And that was when it was clear that Luthen decided to take Andor in, as he had a smile on his face before the episode ended.
Of course, Luthen never killed Andor because we know that Cassian’s story is far from over. According to the timeline, he became an operative for the Rebellion as he was recruited to become a spy for them. That was how he learned all about the Death Star. Of course, he and the crew of the Rogue One went on a mission to steal the blueprints of the Death Star in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which takes place right before the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
As such, Cassian isn’t supposed to die in the Andor series. His death will come at the end of Rogue One when he and Jyn Erso accept their fate after successfully transmitting the blueprints of the Death Star to the Rebels. He and Jyn were both caught in the blast of the Death Star, which fired on Scarif.
Why Didn’t Luthen Kill Andor?
We know for a fact that Luthen wanted to kill Andor. However, at the end of episode 12, it was clear that he had changed his mind and decided to take Cassian in instead of killing him. So, why didn’t Luthen kill Andor?
The reason why Luthen didn’t kill Andor was the fact that he needed more people. It might be true that Cassian was now a loose end, but allowing him to stay close to him at all times would minimize the chance of him getting caught by the ISB. On top of that, Luthen also knew that Cassian had nothing to lose anymore because he had lost his mother and his home.
As such, the logical choice for Luthen was to take Andor in and recruit him into his rebellion. Doing so would allow him to have one more piece to use in the fight against the Empire. And this was a piece that he knew that he could count on to be quite useful, similar to how Lonni became one of his most important chess pieces in this large rebellion game.
