Andor's Top 10 Characters Ranked: From Cassian To Luthen Rael

Andor is a prestige drama disguised as a Star Wars show, and its complex, three-dimensional characters reflect that. Tony Gilroy didn’t approach Andor as an extension of the Star Wars universe; he approached it as a timely tale about the cost of revolution, using the Rebellion’s struggle against the Galactic Empire to tell the story of every overthrown fascist dictatorship throughout history.

Gilroy and his writers created some exciting new characters, like cold-hearted Imperial go-getter Dedra Meero, and brought some depth to previously one-dimensional Star Wars characters, like Mon Mothma. From Luthen Rael to Bix Caleen, Andor’s best characters are just as iconic and well-rounded as Luke Skywalker or Han Solo or Leia Organa.

10 Maarva Andor

There are a lot of morally gray characters in Andor, but Maarva is a genuinely good person to restore your faith in humanity. Cassian’s adoptive mother took him in out of the good of her heart and raised him as her own son.

Maarva solidified her place as an iconic Star Wars character in Andor’s season 1 finale. Her holographic speech at her funeral is a rousing tirade against the Empire that still holds up as one of the show’s most memorable moments.

9 K-2SO

K-2SO is one of the familiar characters from Rogue One who gets an origin story in Andor. In Rogue One, K-2 was Cassian’s right-hand man — essentially his cybernetic sidekick — but when he meets him in Andor, he’s a ruthless Imperial droid doing the Empire’s fascistic bidding.

It’s not uncommon for the droid to be one of the most lovable and memorable characters in a Star Wars story; that’s been the case since we saw the original film through R2-D2 and C-3PO’s eyes. Unlike HAL 9000 and the Terminator, Star Wars’ A.I. characters all have quirky personalities.

8 Kleya Marki

Luthen’s assistant at the antique store, Kleya Marki, turned out to be a much more significant character than she initially seemed. As a covert communications officer, Kleya plays a crucial role in Luthen’s secret double life with the Rebellion. But she didn’t become a truly great character until Paper Moon-style flashbacks revealed the heartbreaking origins of their relationship.

7 Syril Karn

When we were first introduced to Syril Karn, he wasn’t very likable. He had mommy issues, he was a pencil pusher for the galactic dictatorship, and he was simping for an ISB officer. But as time went on, we saw a more complex side to Syril that made him a bit more endearing.

He had a complicated relationship with his mother. His conscience got in the way of his romance with Dedra. And to top it all off, in his final moments, he realized the arch-nemesis he’d been chasing for years didn’t even know his name.

6 Bix Caleen

Very few characters in Andor have had to go through as much horror as Bix. She was subjected to a high-tech torture device. She was assaulted by an Imperial footsoldier who broke into her home. Through Bix’s story, we saw how the Empire’s rule affected the average citizen (and it wasn’t pretty).

But Bix endured all this terror and came out on the other side. Bix raising her and Cassian’s baby gave Andor a hopeful ending befitting of the Star Wars saga.

5 Kino Loy

Star Wars gave Andy Serkis more to do as a supporting character in a couple of episodes of Andor than as the big bad of three whole movies in the sequel trilogy. Kino Loy is the tough-as-nails prison ringleader keeping all the inmates in Cassian’s cell block in line.

Kino has more of a character arc in these small handful of episodes than Supreme Leader Snoke had in an entire film trilogy. His turn against his captors, his reluctant friendship with Cassian, and his heartbreaking final moments made Kino a character to remember.

4 Dedra Meero

Aside from Asajj Ventress and a few forgotten relics of the Expanded Universe, Star Wars has a serious dearth of strong female villains. Thankfully, those days seem to be over, because Dedra Meero — one of Andor’s main antagonists — is one of the most complex, three-dimensional villains to come to television in a while.

Dedra’s ruthless ambition trumps her conscience. From the occupation of Ferrix to the suppression of Ghorman, Dedra keeps doing more and more horrible things to advance her Imperial career. By the time she finally reaches the top, she realizes there’s nothing left of her soul.

3 Mon Mothma

Ever since she was introduced way back in Return of the Jedi, Rebel leader Mon Mothma has been little more than a mouthpiece for exposition. When she reappeared in Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One, Ahsoka, and the animated shows, she didn’t do anything of substance.

But when Andor came along with a major story role for Mon, she was expanded into one of Star Wars’ most complex characters. She’s a politician working the system from the inside; she hates the Empire, but she has to remain diplomatic (at least in the public eye).

2 Cassian Andor

When a series based on Rogue One side character Cassian Andor was first announced, it seemed unnecessary. We already knew his fate, so what was the point in exploring his backstory? But Tony Gilroy and Diego Luna spent two seasons turning Cassian into one of Star Wars’ most beloved antiheroes.

Cassian is one of many ground-level Rebel spies who had to make the ultimate sacrifice to pave the way for the Rebellion’s victory. He’s a prime example of how the Empire created its own rebels by pushing ordinary people like Cassian to the brink.

1 Luthen Rael

Andor himself is a great character, but Luthen Rael stole the show. Luthen presents as a mild-mannered Coruscant antique dealer, but he’s living a secret double life as a Rebel badass. Stellan Skarsgård nailed that dichotomy with a rich, layered performance as a revolutionary doing bad things for good reasons.

Luthen’s powerful monologue about burning his life for a sunrise he’ll never see solidified him as Andor’s greatest character. Luthen embodies the spirit of the Rebellion, but he’s not a goody two-shoes like Luke Skywalker; he’s not afraid to make the tough calls or the necessary sacrifices.