Axis and Fulcrum
In "Narkina 5" (Andor 1.8), the Imperial Security Bureau assigns the code name "Axis" to the mysterious Rebel spymaster Luthen Rael. Dedra Meero explains that this name was chosen "because of his centrality to what we believe to be an organized rebel effort to acquire specialized Imperial gear." An "axis" is a line that passes directly through the center of a thing, around which that thing rotates; for instance, the Earth spins on its axis. Naming Luthen "Axis" means that he is at the center of the Rebel effort and it revolves around him. The code name is more apt than Dedra knows: Luthen is at the center of the entire Rebel Alliance, trying to connect disparate Rebel cells such as the ones led by Saw Gerrera and Anto Kreegyr.
The code name "Axis" recalls another code name given to a secret Rebel operative. In "Out of Darkness" (Rebels 1.7), Hera Syndulla makes contact with the mysterious "Fulcrum." Fulcrum, later revealed to be Ahsoka Tano, plays a role much like Luthen: she is a go-between connecting members of different Rebel cells like the Ghost crew with the larger Rebel network. A "fulcrum" is a point on which a thing balances, which means it is often at the center of that thing; for instance, the fulcrum of a playground seesaw is the pivot in the middle.
The names "Axis" and "Fulcrum" both point to the central role these operatives play. The Rebellion secretly revolves around them.
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Characters: Ahsoka Tano / Luthen Rael
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