Selling the Starpath
At the beginning and end of Andor, someone tries to sell Luthen Rael the same stolen Imperial Starpath Unit – but the transaction is not the real focus of the conversation.
In the third episode, "Reckoning" (Andor 1.3), Cassian Andor tries to sell Luthen a Starpath Unit that he has stolen. The anxious and impulsive Cassian is only looking for a payday so he can escape the corporate authorities that are hunting him. However, it turns out that Luthen has been watching him from afar and knows all about him. The meeting is not really about the sale of the Starpath Unit; it is about Luthen's desire to recruit Cassian so he can strike a vital blow against the Empire.
As they make their escape, Luthen tells Cassian to leave the Starpath behind. When the ISB subsequently recovers the Unit from the crime scene, it is the beginning of the trail that ultimately leads Dedra Meero to Luthen.
In the third-to-last episode, "Make It Stop" (Andor 2.10), Dedra comes to Luthen's shop and dramatically reveals that she knows his true identity by pretending to try and sell him the Starpath Unit. However, it turns out that Luthen has been watching her from afar: "I know all about you. It hardly seems fair." Luthen knows that the meeting is not really about the sale of the Starpath Unit; it is about Dedra's desire to arrest him so she can strike a vital blow against the Rebellion.
These perfectly symmetrical bookends highlight how Luthen's face-to-face meeting with Cassian makes him vulnerable; it is the first link in the chain of consequences that eventually leads to his demise. (He later regrets it, telling Kleya that it was a mistake.) Moreover, they invite comparison between the three characters. Cassian meets with Luthen because he is impatient to get away from Ferrix; Luthen meets with Cassian because he is impatient to recruit a team member for his operation on Aldhani; and Dedra meets with Luthen because she is impatient to solve the case of the mysterious Rebel spymaster "Axis" and secure her reputation at the ISB. Just as Luthen's impatience was the first step on the path to his eventual death, Dedra's impatience to arrest him spells the end of her career.
EXPLORE FURTHER…
Characters: Cassian Andor / Dedra Meero / Luthen Rael
Shows: Andor
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Concepts: patience
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