All the Potential Moles in Andor Ranked From Civilian to Definite Spy
Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Episodes 1-9 of Andor.Star Wars isn’t exactly a franchise known for its moral complexity. Its stories are almost always clean-cut tales of good versus evil, a dichotomy that is perhaps best symbolized by the Jedi and the Sith. Even when dabbling in the moral gray, such as in The Mandalorian or even in Rey’s (Daisy Ridley) arc in The Last Jedi, the franchise’s films and TV shows always make it pretty clear who are the good guys and who are the baddies. But even in such a black-and-white universe, things aren’t always what they seem. Most importantly, people aren’t always who they seem. There’s always a General Hux (Domnhall Gleeson) leaking information to the Resistance or even a Senator Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) working in the shadows to take over the Republic. Star Wars is full of wolves in sheep’s clothing, and rebels and Empire followers alike are better off being careful with who they trust. Nowhere in the franchise is this truer than in Disney+’s Star Wars spy thriller Andor.
As is usually the case with both spy and war series, Andor is full of people ready to sell off close friends and alleged allies, from Lieutenant Gorn’s (Sule Rimi) helping hand in the Aldhani Garrison attack to Timm’s (James McArdle) betrayal of Cassian (Diego Luna). With three episodes still on the way, it’s pretty unlikely that these will be the only cases of treachery that we will see on the show. Rebels and imperial forces alike probably have a ton of sleeper operatives just waiting for the right time to deliver a killing blow to the other side, or just your regular, run-of-the-mill spies collecting data and reporting back to their superiors. But who exactly might these traitors be? Here, we take a look at all the possibilities, from the least to the most likely. Trust no one!
10/10 Syril Karn or Dedra Meero
Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) is a devoted servant of the Empire. As a supervisor in the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB), she can sometimes get in trouble for going beyond her job description, but no one can accuse her of not having the Empire’s interest at heart. Likewise, if Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) got canned from his job at Pre-Mor, it wasn’t because he allowed criminals and possible rebels to roam free, but because he went in way over his head in his attempt to capture an elusive rufian named Cassian Andor. It is clear for anyone watching Andor that both Syril and Dedra haven’t got a single rebellious hair in their heads. Or do they? Though it would be weird if the show made the two of them spies, it isn’t impossible for at least one of the Empire’s most overeager followers to be in on a plan to gain power in order to further the Rebel cause. Now that Andor is signaling a romantic subplot between Syril and Dedra, this becomes even more likely: we all know that, in spy tales, love interests can never be trusted.
9/10 Major Partagaz
Dedra’s superior at the ISB is instrumental in keeping civil unrest in the Empire under control. Much like his subordinate, he doesn’t seem like a Rebel-friendly kind of guy. But a man in his position has access to a whole lot of information. What better job for a spy to have than one that involves questioning military personnel about every little detail of their security plans? Just ask Lieutenant Gorn! Then there’s the matter of age. Unlike Dedra, Jung (Robert Emms), and other members of the ISB staff, Partagaz (Anton Lesser) is an older man, who likely started his military career during the Republic. Does his allegiance truly lie with the newly-formed Empire or is he just playing the long game?
8/10 B2EMO
The Andor family’s loyal droid had a hard time when their home was taken by imperial guards. But is it possible that we are yet to find out the true extent of his trauma? As Rogue One’s K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) has shown us, it is quite possible to tamper with a droid’s programming in the Star Wars universe. To some extent, droids also have a will of their own and, therefore, can be persuaded to change sides. Perhaps B2EMO (Dave Chapman) has undergone some light hacking and is being used to keep tabs on Maarva (Fiona Shaw) or even secretly do her harm. Perhaps this is why her health has been on a steady decline ever since Cassian left Ferrix. In Episode 7, there is also a shot that suggests something might be off about B2EMO: while Cassian talks to Maarva about leaving the planet for good, the droid is shot from behind, at a safe distance from the pair, almost as if he was listening to a conversation he shouldn’t be listening to.
7/10 Eedy Karn
The woman responsible for making stone-cold Pre-Mor operative Syril Karn a sympathetic character, Eedy Karn (Kathryn Hunter) is one of those moms that no child can please. She’s constantly complaining about everything her son does, not to mention intruding in his private life. After her son lost his position at Preox-Morlana, Eedy pulled all the strings she could find to get him a new job, preferably one with a good paycheck and a certain level of respectability. Money and appearances are everything for a person like her. However, this concern with looking proper could be the perfect disguise for a Rebel sleeper agent. Eedy could be simply trying to keep herself above suspicion. Working for the Rebels would also explain her intrusion in her son’s private business in a way that makes her a little more likable: maybe she’s just digging for intel.
6/10 Luthen Rael
Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) had some questionable motives for setting up the raid on the Aldhani Garrison. No one is denying that a revolution needs money to happen, but Luthen has admitted more than once that he wasn’t in it just for the credits. The antiques dealer/Rebel leader was also trying to force the Empire’s hand, furthering its repressive agenda and spreading fear throughout the galaxy. The more the people suffer, the faster they will rebel against authority, or so Luthen says. It’s an odd reasoning, for sure, but nothing that outlandish: in the real world, this line of thinking is called accelerationism. But what if Luthen isn’t just confused about his ideology? As strong as the Empire is, no dictatorship is entirely cohesive. There are always more extremist factions lurking in the shadows, just waiting to make the world a little worse for everyone else. Could Luthen be part of an ultra-fascist group inside the Empire posing as a rebel?
5/10 Vel Sartha or Cinta Kaz
Here’s another romance that could be under the threat of betrayal. As is the case with Syril and Dedra, it is very unlikely that the writers would make both Vel (Faye Marsay) and Cinta (Varada Sethu) imperial spies, but one could just as well be feigning interest in the other just to keep tabs on her. Who the actual liar is, if any, is up for debate, and both women have their fair share of suspicious moments, especially during Vel’s conversation with Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau) after the Aldhani raid. Why was she so unwilling to do as she was told, asking numerous questions she wasn’t supposed to ask about the overarching plan? Didn’t she know what she was signing up for? Not to mention the fact that being related to an opposer as vocal as Mon Mothma certainly makes Vel very attractive to imperial recruiters. As for Cinta, whose orders was she actually following when Kleya said that she was doing what she was told? The Rebels’ or the Empires’? Perhaps she was following Kleya’s orders, and, if that’s the case, is Kleya really to be trusted?
4/10 Leida
If being Mon Mothma’s cousin is already enough to make someone an interesting asset for the Empire, imagine being her daughter. The Galactic Empire never had any qualms with using child soldiers, and young Leida (Bronte Carmichael) has no love lost for her mother. She wouldn’t object to keeping tabs on her. Besides, pretending to be the ever-bored teenager and asking to be excused from every official event taking place in her home is the perfect cover for a girl looking for an opportunity to go through her mom’s top-secret paperwork.
3/10 Perrin Fertha
Mon Mothma’s jaded, bon-vivant of a husband is not to be trusted, according to his own wife. After all, Mothma already has her driver keeping an eye on her. What’s stopping the Empire from getting someone in her home to monitor her activities? Being such a vapid and unethical man, Perrin (Alastair Mackenzie) would only require some nice fabrics and an unlimited supply of Chandrilan Squigs to sell his former sweetheart out to the Empire. But maybe we got him all wrong. Maybe Perrin Fertha isn’t as shallow as we make him out to be. In Episode 8, Mon asks her childhood friend Tay (Ben Miles) if he remembers Perrin at 15, describing him as the Academy firebrand. From the looks of it, Perrin has a past as a schoolyard agitator. It’s always sad and a bit odd when a political and passionate youth grows up to become unmoved by social concerns. But perhaps Perrin hasn’t changed at all. Maybe he’s just keeping his more radical politics hidden from his senator wife.
2/10 Tay Kolma
Mon Mothma’s childhood friend (or old boyfriend, according to Perrin) introduces himself stating that his politics are probably too strong for the senator’s taste. Then he proceeds to be shocked when she asks for his help to unfreeze part of her family’s funds for undisclosed rebel operations. When he finally agrees to help her, he tries to convince her to put her trust in a loan shark. Despite being weird to say the least, one of these things spell spy per se. Maybe Tay Kolma is just naive, or maybe he’s scheming against Mothma for his own financial gain. But let’s consider the timing of his comeback into Mon’s life, right when the Empire is starting to close in on its consented opposition. If it walks like a dog and barks like a dog…
1/10 Kleya Marki
As Luthen Rael’s trusted assistant, Kleya hears and knows a lot. She gives orders to rebel operatives, such as Vel and Cinta, and it’s pretty clear that Luthen trusts her to no end. But, every now and then, the camera frames her as if she’s doing something shady just by listening in on a conversation in Luthen’s shop. It’s a kind of framing similar to the way B2EMO is shot during Cassian’s chat with Maarva. The most recent example was during Episode 7’s discussion between Luthen and Mon Mothma, which Kleya heard from afar, hiding in the shadows as if she wasn’t supposed to. Then there are her conversations with Mon’s driver, said to be a form of distraction. It makes sense since Mothma herself knows her driver is an ISB plant, but maybe Kleya is talking to him about something besides antiques. But the most damning evidence concerning her case is the Ferrix communications channel, which she was about to cut without telling her superior when Luthen came in. Luthen wasn’t aware that there was even a need to cut the Ferrix channel, and Kleya had to convince him to let her go on with the plan – whatever the plan actually is. Soon after Kleya cut communications with Ferrix, Dedra learned about Bix’s (Adria Arjona) attempts to contact the person known as “Axis” and had her tortured for information. It turns out that Kleya was right to cut the channel. If Dedra got to Bix, she could’ve gotten to Luthen’s shop in Coruscant. But, then again, how did Dedra even find out that Bix was using the comm in the first place?
