Why Luthen Has A Blue Kyber Crystal In Andor
Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Andor episode 4
Star Wars: Andor has begun to build the relationship between Luthen Rael and Cassian Andor, resulting in the reveal that Luthen owns a blue kyber crystal. Not only does this particular crystal serve as a major reference to The Knights of the Old Republic games, but it also thematically ties to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Used to power weapons of both the light and the dark such as lightsabers or the Empire’s Death Star, it’s pretty significant that the crystal is revealed to be one of Rael’s most prized possessions.
In Star Wars: Andor episode 4, Cassian has escaped the planet of Ferrix thanks to Luthen. While he doesn’t yet know Rael’s full story, he soon learns that Luthen wants to make significant moves against the Empire and is looking to create pockets of resistance to strike back against their oppression. As such, Luthen reveals that he sees potential in Andor to become a key agent in the fight against the Imperials, offering him a job with a crew that intends to steal the quarterly payroll for an entire Imperial sector. However, Andor still has his reservations.
Serving as a down payment and a symbol of trust, Luthen gives Cassian a necklace containing a blue kyber crystal, a Kuati signet he claims is a sky stone from the ancient world. Rael goes on to say that the kyber « celebrates the uprising against the Rakatan invaders. » This is a reference to the iconic Knights of the Old Republic games, a race of Force-users of the dark side who took over the galaxy and also encountered the early Jedi (or Je’daii) on the planet Tython. The blue kyber crystal holds great value to Luthen who does want the crystal back when the job is finished, its symbolism of rebellion likely being a key reason why.
The blue kyber given to Andor also creates strong thematic ties to Rogue One which begins with young Jyn Erso being gifted her mother’s white kyber necklace. The necklace also carried the inscription « Trust in the Force », the same last words Jyn would hear from her mother Lyra. As such, Cassian’s journey to become a hero of the Rebellion now carries a major similarity with Jyn’s, both of which culminate in the two of them giving their lives to give the Rebellion a fighting chance against the Death Star.
Luthen giving Andor his kyber crystal is seemingly a brief moment where Rael is simply trying to gain a degree of trust. However, the significance comes from what kyber represents in the Star Wars galaxy and its vast potential. Likewise, it’s also a very dynamic way to tie this prequel series and its themes to Rogue One itself. Although Luthen will probably want his token of trust back when Andor completes the job, the kyber crystal is likely a key element that will motivate Cassian to join the Rebel cause in full as Star Wars: Andor continues.
New episodes of Andor release on Wednesdays on Disney+.
