Recruiting a New Apprentice
In both Revenge of the Sith and “Reckoning” (Andor 1.3), a duplicitous old man who has been waging a long shadow war against his enemies seeks out a talented and disaffected young man as his latest protégé.
In Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine is seeking “a new apprentice, one far younger and more powerful,” to take the place of Count Dooku. He offers Anakin Skywalker, a gifted Jedi resentful of the strictures of the Jedi Order, “A life of significance, of conscience.” Although Anakin is startled that Palpatine somehow knows about his secret marriage to Padmé and threatens Palpatine with a lightsaber, intending to turn him over to the Jedi Council, he ultimately decides to become his servant.
Likewise, in “Reckoning,” Luthen Rael goes to the planet Ferrix not so much to obtain a coveted Imperial Starpath Unit but to recruit the man who stole it. He asks Cassian Andor, a skilled thief resentful of the oppression of the Empire, “Don't you want to fight these bastards for real?” Although Andor is startled that Luthen somehow knows about how his adoptive father died and threatens Luthen with a blaster, he ultimately decides to become one of his operatives.
But although these old men offer these young men the opportunity to tap into the full extent of their talents and channel their anger into action, their interest in them is disingenuous. While Palpatine claims to want to help Anakin save Padmé, he only cares about what Anakin can do for him. As seen in Return of the Jedi, when Palpatine challenges Luke Skywalker to kill his father and take his place (just as Anakin killed Dooku and took his place), all Palpatine’s apprentices are expendable once a younger and more powerful one is available. Similarly, although Luthen says it would be “a waste of talent” if Andor were captured by the Empire, he too is disposable if he becomes a liability. When Andor disappears after the heist on Aldhani, Luthen orders his other operatives to find and kill him.
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Characters: Anakin Skywalker / Cassian Andor / Luthen Rael / Palpatine
Shows: Andor
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Concepts: skill / teachers and students / treachery
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