Andor is arguably one of the best entries into the Star Wars canon both for its characters and the accomplishment of the show’s production. Although Cassian is the central protagonist, there is a slew of interesting and important characters to get familiar with. Without further ado, here’s our ranking of the best characters in Star Wars Andor.
10. Syril Karn
Although he claims to do his job at Preox-Morlana to uphold justice, Syril Karn is a self-righteous villain fueled by pride and selfish recognition. This might make him appealing to some fans, but there are those who also despise his one-dimensional nature and ego-driven obsession with Cassian that is laced with revenge. Syril is a bit of a disappointment after proving how incapable he is as a leader and combatant, but there still may be time for him to develop into more of a serious threat to the rebels.
9. Saw Gerrera
Saw is a character that benefits from the audience knowing what lies ahead in the timeline of Star Wars, but his design and chosen actor create a compelling character on-screen. Irrefutably a hardened soldier with excellent battle skills, the rebellion would not like to see someone like him on the enemy side. He could easily be ranked higher if he had more of a major role in this first season, and he could also lead his own spin-off series. As a devoted member of the rebellion, Saw produces results and contributes to major victories against the empire, making him an invaluable hero.
8. Kino Loy
Kino Loy doesn’t appear until the last half of the season, but he makes a strong impression with his authoritative responsibility by controlling his fellow prisoners on Narkina 5 and keeping things in order. He comes across as a no-nonsense guy with a charismatic and dominating personality, making him respectable and intriguing. In a tragic turn of events, Kino’s unable to swim and initially escape from Narkina 5, leaving audiences questioning if and when we’ll be able to find out more about his past and future.
7. Bix Caleen
Bix Caleen is a character who didn’t have enough time to fully shine in the first season of Andor but played an important role nevertheless while remaining intriguing due to an unexplored background. Her wavering relationship with Cassian steered more to the supportive side, and she showed tremendous empathy to Maarva while doing what she could to help Cassian and her people of Ferrix from the Empire.
She’s also intelligent, a skilled mechanic, and tough enough to hold out against the empire’s torturous methods for as long as possible. If it wasn’t for Bix, Cassian would have never met Luthen, and the rebellion would have taken a whole other turn.
6. Dedra Meero
Dedra is an all-too-important character whose portrayal depicts the cunning of a female leader within the Imperial ranks, and she excels at what she does. She might not be one of the good guys, but her character possesses the necessary skills to rise to the top of whatever organization she belongs to. After realizing the mounting threat of the resistance, she quickly outshines her peers by taking effective countermeasures to try and eliminate them. She’s shrewd and razor-sharp; it’s too bad she enjoys the abusable power in her hands and oppresses the people of the galaxy.
5. Vel Sartha
Vel Sartha is a fantastic character who continues the Star Wars trend of having strong leading women participate in the rebellion in the same vein as Mon Mothma and Princess Leia. She’s quite the understated leader, but she was still responsible for seeing Luthen’s operation through and handling the small rag-tag band of rebels during an extended period of time.
On top of all that, she’s Mon’s cousin and masquerades as an innocent Chandrilan civilian. There are hints of a romantic relationship with her fellow rebel constituent, and Vel is someone who can definitely expand into a more complex character worthy of her own story.
4. Maarva Andor
If it wasn’t for Maarva’s compassion, Cassian Andor would have remained on his home planet and might not have survived the primitive and dangerous ways of his homeworld Kenari. On her new planet, she became a respected member of the Daughters of Ferrix and remained dedicated to her husband Clem. She also supported the rebellion and held fast to her desire to become a member. Her flashback scenes and emotional connection to Cassian help keep the story grounded in the human condition.
3. Mon Mothma
Mon Mothma is as integral to the rebellion’s success as Luthen not simply because she bankrolls it, but because she genuinely cares about the people. She’s been pursuing the political route as a senator to make positive changes, but with each passing day, she sadly discovers how other senators refuse to listen to her council and are caving in to pressure from the Empire’s tyrannical control.
Her mental fortitude is also respectable since she has to deal with everyone, from her unappreciative husband and troubling daughter to the eyes of the empire watching her every move. She’s a great addition to the Star Wars canon and deserves more development and exploration into her front-line political battles against the Empire.
2. Luthen Rael
Luthen is the man with the balls to sacrifice everything for the rebellion and gives it the legs it needs to stand against the uncontested might of the empire. He masterfully leads a double life like Mon but takes it one step further by choosing to get his hands dirty. He possesses the complete skill set of a master political strategist that can hold his own in blaster battles and spaceship dogfights. In addition to launching the grandest and most elaborate heist, his need for Cassian’s skills helps set Cassian on a path that is arguably better than the selfish, destructive path he was on.
1. Cassian Andor
As the titular character of his show, Cassian succeeds at being interesting, complex, tragic, relatable, dastardly, and noble all at the same time. Being a hero of the Star Wars galaxy is no easy task, especially when you’re not wielding a lightsaber, but Cassian takes fans into the nitty gritty world of normal people caught up in the struggle between the rebellion and the empire. Choosing not to live like a sheep and accepting the authority of the empire, Cassian lives up to a greater cause and makes the season worth every minute.
That does it for our ranking of the top 10 best characters from Star Wars Andor. This series is proof of the darker and edgier style that the Star Wars franchise needs to remain relevant, and hopefully the success of this show continues this trend. Be sure to check out our other articles that explain all the info you need on the show, like how Andor fits into the Star Wars timeline and stay on the light side.
Published: Nov 24, 2022 09:00 am