Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Episodes 1-8 of Andor.
The latest episode of Andor is a rather bleak one, as it finds Cassian (Diego Luna) being thrown into an Imperial prison on Narkina 5. Not only does this episode underline the horrors the Empire is capable of to keep its mighty war machine, but it also underlines how important of a figure Cassian is becoming. His home planet of Ferrix is currently under Imperial occupation, and the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) — led by the dogged Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) — is leaving no stone unturned. But the episode also reveals just how important another major player in the series really is.
During a meeting with other ISB officers, Meero brings up Cassian's recent activities and says that he was helped by a mysterious figure known as "Axis." Viewers will know that this refers to Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård), who helped Cassian escape corporate security on Ferrix and in return asked him to participate in the heist on Aldhani. But apparently Luthen's activities extend beyond that. Meero says that Axis is responsible for coordinating multiple Rebel operations, which has led to the theft of Imperial technology.
A Key Role in the Rebellion
This revelation proves that Luthen is a far more influential figure than he's let on. While he supports the Rebellion by running an art gallery that doubles as a way to pass on information to Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly), his role as Axis showcases that he has a hand in various Rebel operations. And it's a fitting code name too: an axis refers to the invisible line around which an object spins. In effect, Luthen is the center of the Rebellion, which makes him the most persistent thorn in the Empire's side.
Luthen visits one of the Rebel cells later in the episode, and fans of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will instantly recognize them as the Partisans. He attempts to bargain with their leader Saw Gerrera (Forest Whittaker) for Imperial parts. However, Luthen runs into a wall as Gerrera refuses to work with other Rebel cells. His reasoning: one of the Rebel leaders, Anto Kreegyr, is a former Separatist. The Separatists invaded Gerrera's home world of Onderon and killed his sister Steela, which led to his radicalization. Given Gerrera's ruthless tactics in Rogue One and Star Wars Rebels, it's unsurprising that he doesn't play well with others.
Surprisingly, Luthen holds his ground, revealing the reasons he became Axis to Gerrera. "Oppression breeds rebellion," he says, calling himself a "coward" because he's scared of the Empire's growing power. It explains his impassioned speech to Mothma in the previous episode, and why he's working so hard to support the Rebellion. With the Empire growing more ruthless in its oppression, the only option left for the Rebels is to take the fight to them. And they stand a better chance together than they do apart.
A Continued Inspiration to the Rebels
Luthen's actions as Axis may continue to inspire the Rebellion in the future, particularly when it comes to their more covert operations. During Rebels, a mysterious figure known as "Fulcrum" would supply the crew of the Ghost with intel in their missions against the Empire. Like Luthen, Fulcrum works in the shadows and has a passion for fighting against the Empire. And it, too, is a meaningful name, as a fulcrum is the tipping point used for a lever. Archimedes infamously said, "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." The same could apply to the balance of power in the galaxy, as both Axis and Fulcrum are working to tip it out of the Empire's favor.
The identity of Fulcrum also has connections to various characters in the Star Wars universe. Ahsoka Tano proposed the idea to Bail Organa, naming it after a subspace frequency her former master Anakin Skywalker used. When Tano was presumed dead, former ISB agent Aleksander Kallus (David Oyelowo) would take up the mantle after defecting from the Empire. Cassian himself has even held the position of Fulcrum at one point in his life — and with Andor gearing up for a second season, perhaps the series will reveal how he gained the title.
Even though Luthen worries that Cassian may be the Rebellion's undoing, in the end the two men have more in common than they probably know.