Luthen Rael

Luthen Rael was the name adopted by Lear, a human male spymaster who led a covert network during the time of the Galactic Empire. Lear was originally an Imperial Army trooper sergeant forced to commit atrocities before he deserted in around 18 BBY, in the process rescuing a young war orphan whom he named Kleya Marki. A decade later, he was an antique dealer who owned Galactic Antiquities and Objects of Interest on the galactic capital of Coruscant, though the gallery was a front for his spy network. Alongside Marki, Rael secretly collaborated with others, such as Senator Mon Mothma and militant Saw Gerrera to oppose the Empire.

By 5 BBY, Rael had built a network of many operatives and had tasked the rebel Vel Sartha with leading an infiltration team to rob the Imperial garrison on the planet Aldhani, where the quarterly payroll for an entire sector was being kept. Days before the operation, Rael received word from a contact on the planet Ferrix and traveled to meet them. There, Rael recruited the human Cassian Andor, rescuing him from Preox-Morlana security forces. Rael then sent Andor to join the Aldhani team. The operation was successful, and Rael celebrated the victory back on Coruscant.

Following the conflict on Ferrix, ISB Supervisor Dedra Meero became interested in the mystery individual who had aided Andor, identifying them as a rebel leader responsible for the theft of several pieces of valuable Imperial technology across the galaxy. Code-named "Axis" by the ISB, Rael became a high-priority target for Meero. Rael continued his operations, attempting to work with various scattered rebel groups across the galaxy, including Saw Gerrera's Partisans and another group helmed by Anto Kreegyr. The rebel leader attempted to recruit Gerrera to support Kreegyr's attack on the Spellhaus Imperial power station but eventually learned from his secret mole inside the ISB, Lonni Jung, that the Empire had learned of Kreegyr's plan and had set a trap for his forces. However, rather than save Kreegyr's men and raise suspicion of Jung's secret allegiance, Rael decided to sacrifice Kreegyr's group and preserve Jung's safety inside the ISB.

In the wake of Andor's disappearance upon completion of the Aldhani heist, Rael had Sartha and her partner Cinta Kaz track him down. When Andor returned to Ferrix for the funeral of his mother Maarva, Rael traveled there as well. After an uprising began, fueled by passionate posthumous remarks from Maarva, Andor followed Rael to his ship and pledged himself to the rebellion.

After Mothma established the Alliance to Restore the Republic on Yavin 4, Rael was left alone on Coruscant. When Meero finally tracked him down in 1 BBY, Rael attempted to commit suicide rather than be captured. Despite Imperial authorities medically stabilizing Rael for future interrogation, Marki eventually assisted in allowing his death.

In the end, Luthen Rael would not live to see the culmination of his life's work as he himself correctly believed. Nevertheless, the rebellion Rael helped to create ultimately proved to be a success when the Empire that he despised so passionately was eventually defeated.

Biography

Early life

Imperial service

Lear^[11] was a human male^[4] from Fondor,^[1] a world^[12] in the Colonies region of the galaxy.^[13] Following the dawn of the First Galactic Empire at the end of the Clone Wars in 19 BBY,^[14] Fondor would become home to many Imperial-loyal citizens,^[12] with Lear himself joining the Imperial Army as a trooper and arising to the rank of sergeant in time.^[11] In around 18 BBY,^[15] Lear's service took him to a planet where he served as a swamp trooper and was ordered to carry out a massacre. Experiencing a crisis of conscience during the operation, Lear retreated to his detachment's starship, aboard which he discovered a survivor—a young girl who later took on the name Kleya Marki—stowing away.^[11] Lear decided to desert the Empire, going on the run and taking Marki with him.^[16]

Beginning the fight

Lear—taking on the name "Luthen Rael"^[11]—would find himself opposed to the Galactic Empire and sought to see the regime overthrown.^[10] At one point between 18 BBY and 15 BBY^[17] they planned one of their first attacks against the Empire on the planet Naboo. Disguised amongst restaurant-goers overlooking an Imperial transport convoy atop a bridge, Rael ensured the young Marki understood what she would leave behind as a consequence and explained the importance of being able to make decisions on her own. Marki accused Rael of using her as an excuse to potentially back out, but Rael insisted he only wanted to ensure her safety. When Marki was adamant about opposing the Empire, Rael handed her the detonator and told her to detonate the explosives planted on the transports. Marki hesitated, but when she reached for the switch. Rael stopped her at the last second and pressed it himself.^[11]

As terrified civilians screamed and fled the restaurant, Rael declared that they had made their choice, and the two stood to leave.^[11] In 15 BBY,^[17] Rael started laying the foundations for a counter-Imperial movement. Rael would eventually conclude that his fight would condemn him to a joyless life but resolved to nevertheless continue it. All the same, everyday he was faced with his decision and the weight of his actions.^[10] By 5 BBY,^[18] Rael had managed to form and run an extensive spy operation with Marki, who became a dedicated rebel working for him^[8] as his second-in-command.^[19] In that capacity,^[20] she worked as an emissary, messenger, and enforcer for the cause^[8] and found herself without time to rest.^[20]

As a cover for his rebel activity, Rael had established himself as an antiques dealer and operated the Galactic Antiquities and Objects of Interest gallery^[11] on the upper levels^[21] of the galactic capital of Coruscant,^[9] of which Marki was the concierge.^[8] In that capacity, Rael forged connections with the galactic elite, which helped to maintain his cover and gave him access to Imperial loyalists.^[22] He became a prominent figure in the upper Coruscanti antiques circle.^[21]

Several years before^[20] 5 BBY,^[18] Rael recruited up-and-coming Imperial Security Bureau employee Lonni Jung to his cause and took an oath of loyalty with him.^[10] By 5 BBY,^[18] Jung had been promoted to ISB Supervisor and was providing Rael with intel from the ISB Board.^[10] The rebel leader worked closely with Senator Mon Mothma, who was providing him with a supply of one hundred thousand credits every month, pulled from her family funds.^[20] Rael also worked with Partisan leader Saw Gerrera whom he supplied with weapons and gear, as well as Ferrix-based Bix Caleen who was providing him with stolen tech from Ferrix's scrapyards. Rael kept tabs on forming rebel groups around the galaxy, including Neo-Separatist Coalition leader Anto Kreegyr, whom Rael observed, at some point, from within the same room without Kreegyr's knowledge.^[4]

Meeting Andor

That year, upon being contacted by Bix Caleen of the planet Ferrix's Caleen Salyard about the sale of an Imperial N-S9 Starpath Unit under the possession of Cassian Andor, Rael traveled to the world^[3] with his modified Fondor Haulcraft to meet with Andor.^[23] During that visit, an agent of the Imperial Intelligence managed to take a picture of Rael^[24] as he was disembarking a shuttle ferry in Ferrix Terminal;^[23] the picture was later identified as possibly depicting "Axis," although his face was not shown.^[24] Andor claimed that he had stolen the Starpath unit from the Imperial naval base in Steergard, while Rael revealed that he had come to recruit the man, rather than to pursue the device. During their conversation, the two were ambushed by Preox-Morlana Corpos who were pursuing Andor as he had recently killed two of their number on the world Morlana One. With the help of an angered and close-knit Ferrix community, Rael and Andor worked together to defeat the Pre-Mor forces. Mounting a speeder bike, the two then covertly departed Ferrix aboard the former's ship.^[23]

A fledgling rebellion

The two traveled to Aldhani, where Rael offered Andor a job, upon the completion of which he would pay Andor 200,000 credits, providing his Kuati Signet as a down payment with the expectation of his trinket to be returned after the job was done. Andor was to join a group of rebels on a mission to attack the Galactic Empire's Aldhani Garrison. Rael successfully persuaded Andor that this was a chance to truly hurt the Empire, with Andor taking on the alias "Clem" for the purposes of the mission. Rael then negotiated with the Aldhani rebel leader Vel Sartha, telling her that "Clem" was critical support for the vulnerable group and that she could use him as a replaceable member. Sartha eventually relented and allowed Clem to join.^[9]

Rael then departed for Coruscant, changing his attire and donning a wig. In his gallery, Rael met with Senator Mon Mothma, under the guise that she was buying a gift for her husband. In reality, Mothma was secretly leading anti-Imperial efforts alongside Rael. While Marki kept her driver preoccupied, Rael took Mothma to the back room to talk privately. Though the Senator assured him that his money was in place, she confided that the Empire was increasing the number of spies on her at both the Senate and the bank, keeping her from pulling funds like she'd normally do. As Rael asserted he needed the money to support his operatives, Mothma admitted that she was going to bring someone else into the rebels' inner circle. Rael advised against this, believing adding a supposed ally was a huge risk, but Mothma stood by it, reminding him that she'd be the first to fall. Rael then concluded their conversation by giving her one of his artifacts on loan for her husband, expecting her to return it.^[9]

Aldhani heist followup

Following the successful completion of the heist on Aldhani, which he learned from a client in his shop, Rael went into the back room to have laugh in private at the mission's success.^[26] Later on, Mon Mothma returned to the gallery under the guise of returning the sword he loaned her in order to confront him over the Aldhani incident. Rael shamelessly stated that the heist's true purpose was to provoke an overreaction from Emperor Palpatine so the Empire would crack down harder, even if it meant the people, who have long been blind to the Empire's oppression, would suffer. He forewarned her that if she wasn't willing to risk her conscience, she should abandon the cause. Mothma then ended her visit without purchasing anything.^[25]

Rael then turned his attention to the matter of Cassian Andor, who had gone into hiding after the heist, and judged him to be a loose end that risked compromising his anonymity. Marki then delivered the orders to Sartha to find and eliminate Andor.^[25]

Some time later, Marki advised him to sever all remaining loose ends along with Andor, including the frequency connection with Caleen on Ferrix—now occupied by the Galactic Empire. Rael agreed and reluctantly shut down the connection.^[4]

Planning new missions

Rael departed Coruscant the same day and traveled to Segra Milo where he met with Saw Gerrera to discuss a new mission. He asked Gerrera to meet with a connection of his, Anto Kreegyr, who had been probing the Imperial power station in Spellhaus and had found some weak spots which Gerrera's rebels could exploit to destroy it. Gerrera refused to risk the safety of his men for someone he did not know, to which Rael protested that he was trying to make Gerrera join the greater rebel movement and finally start working with others. Gerrera ultimately rejected the offer and Rael left empty handed.^[4]

Imperial Security Bureau mole

Luthen Rael met with Imperial Security Bureau Supervisor Lonni Jung, secretly a spy for the rebellion, in the lower levels of Coruscant after Jung had requested a meeting using various methods of subtly communicating with Rael. At the meeting Jung told Luthen that a new ISB supervisor, Dedra Meero, was rapidly climbing the ranks in the ISB and that she was slowly connecting various attacks against the Empire as part of a galaxy-wide rebellion.^[10] In pursuit of Rael, Meero and the ISB had dubbed the man "Axis" due to his theorized centrality to the growing and organized rebellion. They hoped to locate Andor so as to track down Axis.^[4]

Jung also informed Rael that the ISB had uncovered a planned attack by Kreegyr against Spellhaus. Rael thanked Jung for the information but asked why Jung had requested a meeting. Jung confessed he was planning to leave the ISB and the rebellion, as his newborn daughter had made him reconsider his dangerous high-risk life as a double agent. Rael informed Jung that leaving was impossible, and that Jung's position within the ISB was too valuable to allow him to leave. Jung tearfully confronted Rael, stating that Rael did not actually appreciate Jung's sacrifice for the rebellion and asked Rael what he was sacrificing for the rebellion. After pausing, Rael launched into a monologue about how he had sacrificed everything in his life for the rebellion, shocking Jung into silence. Rael finished by insisting that Jung stay within the ISB as his mole, saying "I need all the heroes I can get."^[10]

Return to Segra Milo

Meeting with Gerrera

After declining Jung's resignation, Rael headed to Segra Milo again to warn Saw Gerrera and his Partisans of the trap laid on Spellhaus. By that time, Gerrera had changed his mind and agreed to join Kreegyr in the Spellhaus power station raid, saying that he would bring air support to the raid, only to be met with resistance from Rael. Rael went on to warn Gerrera off, even though he admitted that he did not know what Gerrera would do with the information and that the situation was not ideal for the two. Gerrera went on to challenge Rael on his choice, asking Rael what he would do if he himself took Kreegyr's place. Gerrera then began to suspect that Rael had a source either in Kreegyr's group, the ISB or the Partisans he was determined to protect and pressed for a name. Rael then played on a panicked Gerrera, saying that Benthic was his informant within the Partisans. Amongst the confusion caused, Rael then pulled out his pistol to make Gerrera pause and listen to him. Rael then explained that if Kreegyr would be sacrificed, the ISB would become ignorant and boastful, whilst if Rael and Gerrera warned Kreegyr, the ISB would begin to become more paranoid. Gerrera was successfully persuaded by Rael, making a difficult choice.^[20]

Encounter with the Empire

While leaving the planet on his Fondor Haulcraft, Rael had a conversation with Kleya Marki on the current situation regarding the rebellion via transmission, where the two disguised the true meaning of their conversation by making it sound like they were discussing about their own antique shop if their transmissions were intercepted. After Rael implied that Andor could not fall into the wrong hands, the transmission between the two was abruptly cut off by an incoming Cantwell-class Arrestor Cruiser.^[20]

The bridge of the Arrestor Cruiser made contact with Rael's Haulcraft, identifying the cruiser as the Segra-Milo Imperial patrol. After identification was requested by the cruiser, Rael immediately told his Droid Mod to retrieve an active transponder identification, his preference being Alderaan. Without waiting for the Haulcraft's identification to be scanned, Captain Elk of the Arrestor cruiser ordered his crew to activate the tractor beam. Reacting quickly, Rael ordered his Droid Mod to rev the Haulcraft's portside thruster as a decoy burn, buying time for himself to begin activating countermeasures pre-placed on his own ship to fight back against the increasing tractor force emitted from the cruiser. Rael's decoy burn successfully fooled the cruiser into thinking that his engine was overheating, to which the captain of the cruiser ordered the cruiser to prepare a boarding team to board the Haulcraft. The Captain Elk then demanded for Rael to power down his stabilizers, to which Rael responded by saying that he had to manually deactivate his stabilizers, buying yet some more time for the Haulcraft's countermeasures to fully charge.^[20]

By the time, the fake transponder signal had successfully fooled the crew of the cruiser into thinking that his Haulcraft was indeed from the Alderaan trade alliance, and a crew member asked if the planned boarding was to be cancelled after identification. The captain decided to go on with the plan, stating that it would be good practice for his crew. Rael then suddenly engaged reverse stabilizers, momentarily shocking the crew of the Imperial cruiser. Captain Elk then immediately demanded for the tractor force to increase to Level 5, raising his voice in frustration. Elk then proceeded to give a final warning to Rael to power down or to risk full consequences.^[20]

Seconds later, the Haulcraft's countermeasures had finished charging. With a flick of a switch, Rael's Haulcraft dispensed bursts of shrapnel from the stern of his ship, taking advantage of the increased tractor force emitted by the cruiser to suck the shrapnel right into the tractor beam generator. The frontal tractor beacon disintegrated and set the Haulcraft free, to Captain Elk's frustration. Elk immediately demanded the cruiser's air wing to be deployed, raising his voice even more.^[20]

Three TIE fighters and one TIE boarding craft were deployed into battle, lasers firing. Expertly piloting his Haulcraft, Rael quickly turned his ship, and with an automated targeting system, a retractable laser turret fired two shots, destroying the TIE boarding craft. The laser turret immediately destroyed another TIE fighter. For the remaining two TIE fighters, Rael spun his ship in arcs, activating twin laser beams on the port and starboard side of his Haulcraft, each destroying a remaining TIE fighter. Rael then quickly jumped into hyperspace, leaving the crew of the Imperial cruiser in shock.^[20]

Return to Ferrix

Rael later traveled to Ferrix once more after hearing that the funeral of Cassian Andor's mother Maarva Carassi Andor would be held. He hoped that Cassian Andor would attend the funeral, so that he could find him, kill him, and prevent him from spilling his secrets to the ISB. He met up with Sartha there, who informed him that there had been no sign of Andor, but that the ISB were looking for him. Rael expressed his hope that the ISB would locate Andor, allowing them to kill him when they had the chance.^[27]

Rael hid amongst the crowds of Ferrix on Rix Road while Maarva Andor's funeral began, still hoping to spot Andor. Unbeknownst to him, Andor had spotted him in the crowd first. Rael then bore witness as the funeral procession ended with the droid B2EMO presenting a hologram recording of Maarva that she had made before her death, in which she urged the people of Ferrix to not ignore the evil around them any longer and to rise up and fight the Empire. Rael then watched as the message inspired the people of Ferrix to start an all out riot against the Imperial forces on the road and on the planet.^[27]

Rael left after the riot began and returned to his ship, slightly rattled. He then discovered Cassian Andor waiting for him in the ship. Andor accused Rael of coming to Ferrix to kill him, which Rael admitted. Andor gave Rael his MW-20 Bryar pistol and told him to either shoot and kill him or allow him to join his efforts. After picking up the blaster and thinking, Rael discarded the blaster and chuckled.^[27] Rael succeeded in recruiting Andor for^[7] the then-informal^[28] Rebel Alliance.^[7]

Wedding drama

In 4 BBY, Rael attended the wedding of Stekan Sculdun and Leida Mothma after he had been contacted by Stekan's father Davo Sculdun about providing a Chandi Merle artifact for the couple as a gift. Rael worked with Sculdun to deliver the artifact and keep it as a surprise, arriving at the Mothma Estate on Chandrila for the event alongside Marki. Mothma was concerned to see Rael in attendance, but Rael insisted that he was working with Sculdun in a curating capacity.^[29]

As the three-day wedding went on, Mothma spoke with Rael one evening about how her friend Tay Kolma, who had been helping her with the charity foundation used as a disguise to move money for the rebellion, was beginning to have doubts about his role in helping her. Rael and Mothma agreed that Kolma was growing into a serious problem.^[30] On the final day of the wedding, Kolma attempted to leave the festivities early, and Rael sent one of his agents, Cinta Kaz, after him. Posing as his driver, Kaz had Kolma killed to eliminate the security risk he posed.^[31]

Ghorman interest

By 3 BBY, Rael had moved Andor and his partner Bix Caleen into a safehouse on Coruscant. Some time afterwards, he met with Jung in the Undercity for inquire about his three months of silence. Jung told him that he just confirmed that Dedra Meero was secretly running Ghorman while her colleagues were led to believe she'd been put out to pasture since the incident on Ferrix. This information confused Rael, given Meero's talents as a hunter, nor why the Empire was choking Ghorman with propaganda, and ordered Jung to find out the Empire's endgame.^[32]

Rael then signaled Andor with a beacon visible from the safehouse for a meeting and ordered him to Ghorman to assess the local rebel group known as the Ghorman Front. Meanwhile, he sent Andor's friend Wilmon Paak to the Partisan base on the planet D'Qar to help Gerrera's forces.^[32] Rael received updates from Marki about Andor's mission via the fractal radio. With Andor gone, Rael visited Caleen, who he had prohibited from joining Andor on the Ghorman trip, to check on her mental and physical state. When he discovered Caleen was self-medicating with sleeping drops to cope with her trauma, Rael warned her that her methodology was not the answer to her problems.^[33]

Upon his return to the gallery, Rael was informed by Marki that she overheard Davo Sculdun through their listening device hidden in the Tinian Codex, having discovered one of his antiques is a forgery and that he was planning to re-examine his whole collection, thus risking the discovery of their bug. They soon got into an argument, as Rael blamed Marki for talking him into installing the device in the first place, and that they had too many radios, frequencies and messages to keep track of. Marki put an end to the argument and insisted they remove their listening device at the Senate Investiture.^[33]

On Ghorman, Andor spoke with Ghorman Front leader, Carro Rylanz, and soon after, met Rael at Port Steergard to communicate that the rebels were not ready to successfully combat the Empire. Although Rael shared Andor's perspective on the Front's shortcomings, he nonetheless felt that Ghorman was an important planet to be in rebellion, saying that such a wealthy and significant planet would do wonders for their efforts. As Andor refused to involve himself, Rael pivoted his plans. Contacting Marki, he cryptically informed her of Andor's unwillingness and, using a disguised turn of phrase, requested a second "shipment" for their needs. Sartha and Kaz were soon deployed to assist the Front in their operations.^[22]

The night following Andor's return to Coruscant, Rael was unexpectedly confronted at his gallery by Andor, who had learned of his meeting with Caleen. Withstanding Andor's anger, Rael told him the cover story he would use when he departed was that he was retrieving a Darvian Medallion, before admitting that how both Andor and Caleen had disappointed him. He then mocked Andor for not being committed to the rebel cause, reminding him of how soft he was on Ghorman as well as being overprotective of Caleen, who needed to pull herself together or become a liability. Andor retorted that their relationship is best handled with Caleen left out of it, before departing.^[22]

Senate Investiture

The next night, Rael, accompanied by Marki, attended Davo Sculdun's party in honor of the year's Senate Investiture. While mingling among the guests, Rael allowed Strang to examine his ring, whom identified it as Carvian. He then spotted Senator Mothma and spoke with her privately, with Mothma inquiring about the status of her cousin Sartha. Subsequently, Perrin Fertha and Runai Sculdun summoned them both to join their private tour of Sculdun's collection. They walked in as Sculdun was showing off the Lost Tairn that Rael procured for him to Director Orson Krennic as well as ISB Supervisors Lagret and Heert. While Mothma verbally sparred with Krennic on the Battle of Carmeen, Rael cautiously eyed Marki, who had solicited Jung's aid in removing their listening device. Fortunately, Marki was able to remove the device before the rest of the group came to observe the Tinian Codex. Later, as they departed the party triumphantly, Rael dryly remarked that they should have killed Krennic when they had the chance.^[22]

Ghorman burns brightly

By 2 BBY, Andor, Caleen and Sartha all left the Axis network to join the growing Alliance to Restore the Republic. Rael sent Wilmon Paak to Yavin 4 to enlist Andor's aid in assassinating Dedra Meero, who had transferred to Ghorman, to put an end to her hunt for him and the Ferrixians. Andor ultimately decided to take the assignment, after meeting with Luthen himself.^[34] Unfortunately, the chaos of the Ghorman Massacre thwarted Andor's attempts to kill her, resulting in the mission's failure.^[35]

Knowing that Senator Mothma planned to publicly denounce Emperor Palpatine for the massacre and that Bail Organa had a team ready to extract her from the Senate, Rael confronted her at the Imperial Plaza. When asked how he knew where to find her, he admitted that Erskin Semaj was his agent, keeping her safe from threats unknown to her. He warned her that Organa's team was compromised, as one of them was an ISB agent serving under Lonni Jung, though he didn't know their identity. Mothma assumed he was trying to manipulate her into trusting only him because he was afraid of what she would say if she got arrested. She then brought up Tay Kolma, whom Rael had immediately eliminated because of the risk he posed. Rael asserted she had to trust his agent, who would identify himself with the code phrase, "I have friends everywhere."^[36] This meeting was the final time that the two would encounter.^[37]

The next morning, Rael met both Marki and Andor by the Senate loading dock. He remarked that how unsure he was that Andor would take the mission before inquiring the status of Paak, whom Andor said had someone he needed to find on Ghorman. Marki then interrupted to ask what their plan was. Rael admitted that it was a mistake to tell Mothma about Semaj, leaving him uncertain whether or not she was going ahead with her speech. As Marki went to speak with Semaj, Rael told Andor that Mothma would be going to Yavin but he himself was going to stay to resolve unfinished business on Coruscant, despite the risk of the Empire finding him. As Andor's own resolve in the rebel cause was shaken, Rael reminded that he was there for many critical events, from Aldhani to Ghorman. Marki then returned to inform them that Mothma had dismissed Semaj from her service, leaving Andor no choice but to go in blind.^[36]

After Mothma made her speech and denounced the Emperor for the Ghorman Massacre before the ISB shut off the broadcast, Andor made contact and identified himself with the phrase Rael passed onto her. Soon enough, Rael's warning came true, as Jung's agent, Beska, identified herself as ISB, and tried to arrest Mothma, but Semaj helped Andor kill her. As the Senate Building went into lockdown, Marki ordered Rael to head to the gallery while she tried to find the others.^[36]

Once Mothma was safely in the Axis safehouse, the Alliance leadership planned for Gold Squadron to retrieve her from Coruscant to escort to Yavin to rewrite the story. As Paak had arrived at the safehouse with an injured leg, Rael had Marki tell Andor he had arranged a doctor for him.^[36]

End of the line

In the year 1 BBY, upon analyzing classified Jedha Working Group read-outs, Meero learned that Rael had recruited a Partisan spy who was later was tortured and killed by the Empire. The man's confession under duress gave away the fact that Rael had a Fondor Haulcraft and an antiquities shop, which allowed Meero to identify the spymaster. Armed with this information, she led a raid to confront Rael at his store on Coruscant.^[16]

In parallel, Jung made a rare request to meet with Rael. Rael rendezvoused with him in a public space and listened as Jung revealed that he had blown his cover in an attempt to learn significant Imperial secrets in classified ISB files. Although Rael was concerned, Jung revealed that he had indeed learned information of great importance to the Empire, saying that the Empire's Energy Initiative was actually a front for the development of a secret weapon, overseen by Director Orson Krennic. Jung said that the Imperial takeover of Ghorman was connected to the project and revealed the Imperial engineer and scientist Galen Erso was also of great significance. He also added that the ISB was close to discovering Rael. Wanting to evacuate his family, Jung was prepared to leave that moment, but Rael chose to kill Jung instead, shooting him with a blaster pistol. His body was discovered and reported to the ISB soon after.^[11]

Meeting with Marki, Rael passed on the information that Jung had told him and instructed her to contact the rebellion. Meanwhile, Rael returned to Galactic Antiquities and Objects of Interest to destroy the fractal radio and protect all of his rebel contacts. It was then that Meero entered the shop. Returning to his facade of the shopkeeper, Rael spoke with Meero until she presented the Starpath unit from Ferrix and revealed that she had finally figured out who he was. Rael attempted to use a Nautolan bleeder to commit suicide, stabbing himself in the chest with the blade, but Meero's team quickly moved in, stabilizing Rael and moving him to Lina Soh Hospital on board of an Imperial ambunaut.^[11]

As Rael was kept on the hospital's 19th floor, Meero locked down the level and planned to interrogate Rael. However, Marki was able to infiltrate the hospital. Planting charges on several Imperial vehicles, Marki entered the premises disguised as a nurse, acquired a hospital uniform, killed several Imperials, and, after setting off the explosives, entered the room with Rael. As he was being kept alive by a machine, Marki disconnected Rael from it. With tears coming down her face, Marki gave Rael a kiss on the forehead as he breathed his last breath.^[16]

Legacy

Alliance reputation

When Marki was subsequently rescued by Andor and the rebels Ruescott Melshi and K-2SO, who had gone to Coruscant after Marki sent a coded signal that Paak had received on Yavin 4. At the safehouse, Andor told Marki that she was helping keep Rael's legacy alive by delivering the intel to the Alliance. Marki initially refused to join the Alliance forces on Yavin 4, but eventually was taken there nonetheless. When Andor imparted the information to Alliance High Command, many of the members were skeptical of the information due to the fact that Rael was the source of it. Senator Bail Organa responded by saying that Rael stayed on Coruscant for too and that the rumors that the ISB was onto him made it more believably that he was fed false information. Furthermore, Rael's paranoid nature and inability to collaborate with the Rebel Alliance made him not objective and therefore, the information may not be accurate. Andor was incensed as Tynnra Pamlo also agreed with Organa, calling Rael a "thorn in their side." Andor angrily asked the rebel leaders if any of them had known Rael and knew how much he had sacrificed to help them. Andor would be dismissed from the meeting with High Command still skeptical about the information,^[6] although the information would be quickly verified from multiple other sources.^[38]

After the meeting, Andor informed Paak of Rael's death. Then, Andor and Sartha drank Revnog and made a toast to Rael, honoring their former leader. Sartha then asked Andor if the information he had brought was real, saying that Mothma had sent her to speak with him about it. Andor said that it was true, and although they both acknowledged how Rael had been manipulative and twisted, the Rebellion would not exist without him.^[6]

Lasting influence

Rael's influence on Mothma may have left^[39] a lasting^[40] impression on the senator. While Mothma had previously been hesitant to engage in a violent rebellion, she eventually came to the decision that active combat was necessary to overthrow the Empire.^[39] After the Ghorman Massacre, when Mothma left the Imperial Senate and formed the unified Rebel Alliance^[28] in 2 BBY,^[41] Mothma became its Commander-in-Chief and chancellor.^[42] Through it all, however, Mothma never lost her compassion and mourned the rebels who died under her command.^[39] Shortly before the Battle of Endor, Mothma tracked down an EX droid before its self-destruct timer went off. During the mission Mothma reflected that, had Rael known, he would have considered the decision to install the timer to be paranoid.^[43] Despite his death,^[16] Luthen's life-long goal would be realized when the Empire was ultimately defeated during the Battle of Endor and conclusively the Battle of Jakku by the rebellion^[44] Rael was indispensable in creating.^[6]

Little information about Luthen's network and activities survived the Galactic Civil War, with historian Beaumont Kin mentioning him as an enigmatic early rebel spymaster in his book The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire. Kin was able to recover Rael's name from a single datatape belonging to late Saw Gerrera, and a photograph taken in secret by an agent of the ISB during Rael's first visit in Ferrix in 5 BBY, though the image would only depict Rael from behind.^[24] Rael was also mentioned as a prominent antiques dealer in a historical book's passage about the sky kyber necklace he had once owned.^[21]

Personality and traits

Luthen Rael was a human male with blue eyes, light skin and blond hair, although he frequently wore a grey wig.^[9] The man was skilled at discerning valuable finds and labored to personally traverse the galaxy for pieces necessary to achieve his goals. He was capable of adopting numerous guises and collected a wide range of exotic tools.^[5]

Always enigmatic,^[45] Rael was very cunning and perceptive as he was able to run the spy network and recruit everyone of any use. He was devoted to the cause of fight against the Empire, though he was aware that he would not see the end of the regime. He was ready to sacrifice and kill allies in order to keep his network intact.^[10]

Beyond the antiques dealer persona, other identities Rael was known to have used included "Gered Lambo," a buyer from Coruscant born on 7903 *288 *04, "Farien Xel," a hydroponics professional from Hynestia born on 7903 *340 *01, and "Erwan Mekk," a professor from Bar'leth born on 7903 *164 *06.^[46]

Equipment

As a curator of all manner of exotic tools and ancient artifacts, Luthen’s successful antiquities business made him a wealthy man which he used to finance and establish his intelligence network. His wealth also gave Luthen access to state-of-the-art technology and weapons. Rael flew a cleverly modified Fondor Haulcraft outfitted with an onboard droid Mod, and armed with tractor beam countermeasures, a dorsal gun turret, and beam weapons that projected from port and starboard, allowing it to sever through enemy craft on either side. He also kept a collection of various items in his gallery on Coruscant. He wore a Kuati Signet that had a personal significance as a necklace, and additionally kept a vast array of clothing aboard his ship to allow for a quick change of attire. ^[9] Rael also carried a rapidly collapsible titanium walking stick^[14] and a blaster pistol which he used to engage Pre-Mor corpos on Ferrix^[23] and later kill Jung.^[11]

Behind the scenes

Development

Luthen Rael is portrayed by Stellan Skarsgård. His first name was revealed in the subtitles for the first Andor trailer,^[48] and his last name was first shown in a LEGO set reveal during Celebration Anaheim.^[49]

In the beginning,^[47] executive producer and writer^[18] Tony Gilroy found Rael's secret identity to be tricky and worried that it would be too tacky.^[47] He viewed Rael as a talent scout and one of the "real OG" in the Rebellion.^[50] Costume designer Michael Wilkinson's team developed two vastly dissimilar looks for Rael's work as Axis and persona as an antiquities dealer.^[51] Artist Andrei Riabovitchev created concept art based on Wilkinson's design for Rael.^[52] Artist Chester Carr^[53] and production designer Luke Hull created concept art of Rael and Cassian Andor escaping Ferrix on a speeder bike. Hull also made concept art of Rael looking at his Fondor Haulcraft and art of him and Vel Sartha watching Andor exiting his ship on Aldhani.^[54]

There was a very short list of potential actors for the role. From the beginning, writer Beau Willimon was insistent on having Skarsgård play Rael. Gilroy called the actor to tell him he had a role for him.^[55] Gilroy showed what he had written about Rael to Skarsgård, but he did not reveal everything about him. Skarsgård was attracted to Rael's complexity and ambiguity, and he found his inner conflict interesting. When Skarsgård first put his costume on, he immediately inhabited the role.^[56] When Rael's dual identities were being developed, Skarsgård explained that natural Rael and Coruscant Rael have different hand mannerisms.^[47]

Scenes on Ferrix were filmed in an intricate set in Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire.^[56] According to Gilroy, everything on Ferrix was filmed first.^[57] Scenes on Aldhani were filmed at the mountains in the Scottish Highlands.^[56] According to Faye Marsay, Vel Sartha's actress, the scenes were filmed during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[58] Scenes in Rael's gallery were filmed in a set designed by^[59] production designer^[18] Luke Hull.^[59] In preparation for the scene of Rael and Saw Gerrera's argument in the episode "Narkina 5," Skarsgård and Gerrera's actor, Forest Whitaker, did a rehearsal in which they read the scene for the first time and went at each other. According to director Toby Haynes, when that scene was filmed for real, Skarsgård and Whitaker almost deconstructed what they did in a natural and spontaneous way. They then rebuilt the scene from the beginning, though it was difficult to get to the pitch from before.^[60]

Season 2

From the beginning, Skarsgård told Gilroy that he did not want his character's backstory to just be revenge. When it came time for Luthen's past more fleshed out in Season 2, Gilroy felt that it was obvious to go the direction of Luthen and Kleya's relationship after Kleya's actor, Elizabeth Dulau, performed so well in Season 1. Gilroy described Kleya as Luthen's "organizing principle" and the reason that he transformed himself from an Imperial soldier to a revolutionary.^[62] Dulau described the love they have for each other as incidental, almost unacknowledged, but deep nonetheless. Gilroy pointed to Luthen and Kleya's dynamic as being similar to the film Paper Moon.^[63]

As Luthen and Kleya's relationship was explored in the show's second season, Skarsgård felt that his character was giving Dulau's character "the education of a revolutionary," including skills that Luthen already knew from his military service. The two actors agreed that their characters protected each other, although Skarsgård described that Kleya is "the one that is fierce" and stated that she is "twice as tough" as Luthen. Skarsgård said that he was not surprised by his character's death and said that he does not think that Luthen would expect a different outcome for himself.^[61]

Although Luthen is a calloused character, he does have some moments of more gentleness. Skarsgård described the scene where Luthen visits Bix in the safehouse as one that showed that Luthen was still an empathetic person, going on to say that empathy is the reason for revolution. Skarsgård felt that it was crucial that Luthen had such qualities.^[61] Even in his relationship with Kleya, although he helped to mold her into a weapon to be used against the Empire,^[62] the two characters had genuine love for each other, even if it went unexpressed at times.^[63]

Dulau expressed that she thought the jazz record "Movement 6" by Floating Points is the song that embodies the character of Luthen. She created a playlist for the character in order to help her prepare for scenes. For the hospital sequence that ends with Kleya killing Luthen, Skarsgård himself laid on the hospital bed and played dead instead of relying on a body double.^[62]

Contradictions

Several contradictions exist around the name "Axis," a designation assigned to Rael by Imperial Security Bureau during the events of Andor.^[4] The reference book Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide makes note of the ISB's creation of the name "Axis" and also dubs Rael's rebel operation the "Axis network," albeit leaving it unclear if it was a formal name taken by the group itself.^[14] The later reference book Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy affirmed that the "Axis network" name was something coined by the ISB.^[44]

According to the reference book Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy: Updated and Expanded, Rael used the codename "Axis" in his dealings with Bix Caleen.^[64] However, when Andor itself establishes "Axis" as a name assigned to Rael by the ISB, his work with Caleen had ceased.^[4]

Appearances

Non-canon appearances

• LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (DLC)

Sources

Non-canon sources

• SWCA 2022: 7 Things We Learned from the Summer of LEGO Star Wars Panel on StarWars.com (backup link)
• LEGO Star Wars Character Encyclopedia Updated Edition

Notes and references

External links

• Luthen Rael on the Brickipedia
• Luthen Rael on the Disney Wiki
• Quiz: What Star Wars Object Would Make the Perfect Valentine's Day Gift? on StarWars.com (backup link)