Everyone is talking about Luthen's use of the lightsaber blasters from his ship in Andor Episode 11. Let's talk about WHY he used it, and what the scene says about his character!
I said the SAME thing lol His AUTO CANNONS could have taken both those TIEs out but he used the PARTICLE LASERS to show off. Backed up by the fact he did a BUZZ BY of the CAPTAINS DECK to show up the CAPTAIN. He was so CALM because he knew he wasn't in any real danger, he had the upper hand the whole time. I think in episode 12 he may switch to a new ship for a while as HAULCRAFT may be too hot right now.
He couldnt leave until the computer guy made the Hyperspace calculation, i think Eck said he could have escaped, but maybe he meant the best thing to do if that's all you care about is motor it forward to minimize combat and fire behind you at what's catching up etc, so he definitely seems to have been doing what it feels like, I probably have to ditch my ship they'll be looking for now so might as well use my toys and killer some imps while waiting for hyperspace calc! Also definitely flew by bridge on purpose lol.... No reason to turn around and go up there where anti fighter stuff would be heavy if only care about leaving! Technically he could have used the side beams and drive right by the bridge and cut it open haha, but that would confuse the purpose or clarity of scene kind of in way hard to explain, but it's fun to imagine!
I think those lasers are more akin to the manned turrets on the clone LAAT gunship than actual lightsabers . It’s a continuous laser but only for a short duration .
I love that you caught that he didn’t run away. As soon as the tractor beam goes down instead of running away, he immediately turns around and goes on the offense. I thought that was a very subtle scene. but it gave you an idea of who the guy was . He was ready for a fight.
I’ve always loved the fact that Andor tells the stories of regular people in the birth of the Rebel Alliance - not Jedi or Sith or other Force users. Those people are supposed to be rare, so the true backbone of the Rebellion must be regular people finally fighting back against oppression. That makes people like Luthen even more heroic than Jedi. Thanks so much for not theorizing his ship must be some sort of Sith vessel (i.e red lightsabers).
As an occasional Star Wars viewer, I make an instant connection with Lord Maul's double red lightsaber. Obviously, the writers want that connection to happen. The question is: Is it a decoy or some kind of easy clue?
@@paulomribeirojr not to mention the weird lightsaber looking thing Saw’s guard was holding. The one that the scene specifically focuses on for some reason. He’s as fierce a pilot as Anakin.
I really been thinking Andor was my new favorite Star wars character. I never thought I would put a Disney character top 10 or 20 but boy he's close, now with Luthen, I've got two to add. What a show
he's the GRAY CHARACTER we've always wanted. I can imagine VADER confronting him and bout to force choke him, and he pulls out LEIA from behind a wall and says SURPRISE MOTHERFKER i got your daughter, and holds a blaster to her head. You want little Skywalker to live you'll put the Lightsaber down!!! LUTHEN RAEL !!!!
After his ship's computer said the tractor beam was at level two. He purposely maxed out his engines knowing the captain would increase the tractor beam strength to level 5. I'm pretty sure that tactic was so his shrapnel would be pulled in faster to the dish to damage it. He also overloaded the one side engine to mask the energy buildup for deploying the weapons. Very very smart Way to mask his energy signature increase.
@@LordTimelord the attention to detail in the scene was ridiculous, considering that Gilroy is not a "star wars fan", he must have a decent number of nerds on staff though.
If you want to stretch a bit, you could make the case that Luthen needed to take out those ties because they got a lot closer to him than the cruiser did and maybe they were able to get some scans that could help the Empire cut through his fake transponder charade and actually identify his ship in some way.
Well, he is also a Terrorist x) Like hard core terrorist, intentionally gets innocent people killed so that more people will get angry with the empire. Sooo.. kinda far from Batmans ideology of "no killing", but probably the first Hollywood movie/series I've seen where the good guy is a straight up terrorist who is OK with killing innocent people.
The blaster canons were an important call out. Yes, the tractor beam counter measures and the lasers that effectively turned his ship into an Inquisitors lightsaber are pretty insane, but I don't remember anyone ever dispatching enemy ships that efficiently.
I really think more ships need shrapnel launchers. They’re good against missiles, other fighters and of course tractor beams. Love this ship and it’s gadgets
Pieces of metal and debri the way in general things move in the starwars universe in atmospheres isnt 100% accurate, but yeah it could be because it would only pick up speed infinitly untill it came in contact with whatever, so whatever metal objects were fire out just continue to pick up speed the further and further. So if he fired metal objects like that out it could definitly work well against delicate dishes and probably even do serious damage on a larger scale.
@@profo4544. Luthen’s were designed after a real world chaff/flare dispenser model. I don’t know how they are deployed by the aircraft versions, but with naval ships just like it would have to be in space, they are launched otherwise it’s going to stay with you unless you change your speed or direction. So the launch speed, with the increased draw of they put into the tractor beam to counteract the increased power of Luthen’s ship drives, did their unarmores and unshielded tractor beam emitter in. The end result would have been the same as if he had two shrapnel cannons. Luke did something similar in old Thrawn ‘Heir to the Empire’ book trilogy. Only he dumb dropped (unfired) a pair of torpedoes. They latter used the same tactic against the Yuuzhan Vong. A flak canon or counter measure module would’ve been cheaper, but you use what you got I guess.
I loved this scene. His “lightsaber” esque weapon reminded me so much of the B-Wing’s special weapon. Almost like Luthen was beta-testing the weapons package that would eventually go in to Quarrie’s B-Wing design.
space battles are my favorite part of star wars so seeing this seen and all the new technology in this new model of ship was exciting to say the least. I hope we get to see more of it in the finale!
I think the series will rest on how good this finale is as they have quite a few threads to bring together neatly. I have faith they will do much better than Book of Boba fett did
Not revealing his "story" gives the writers more freedom to explore his personality. They could paint him to be darker/lighter or more/less heroic or more or less passionate towards certain things simply because his history is a mystery and any portrayal could technically work. It's much better to explore a character backwards this way to give the writers full range of possibilities. Once his history is revealed, the possible motivations and behavioral choices suddenly narrow and it becomes a predictable and boring character. But you know given the way SW lore is exploited (and how infantile the general SW fans are) the character will probably end up given the usual treatment of a hero's prequel. I just hope that at least it'll be done by Tony Gilroy and his team of collaborators, who clearly have a level of restraint and expertise in crafting mature characters and stories.
Yeah, I think we all got the impression he was just flexing on those imperials. He had a plan for such situations and he knew exactly how to execute it. When it was all over, it felt like he was never in any real danger. He's a total badass.
And he knows very well they have no reason to board him. They're tossing their weight around. They've got the bigger ship and bigger guns, so they're confident...it's rare he gets to enjoy his work, I would guess.
The ship probably has energy shields but not particle shields (which is why he could take out the dish). This is a common distinction in Star Wars. The energy blades and blasters may have not been sufficient to take out the bridge. Alternatively, he might have wanted there to be witnesses so that they report back to the Empire and cause them to come down hard on the sector fueling more rebellious activity like on Ferrix. I couldn't help but also wonder if the fact that he is posing as an Alderaanian might have also contributed to Tarkin's decision to just blow up the entire planet as it was being endlessly troublesome.
This whole scene was my favourite of the series so far, a badass space battle on a small scale, beautifully designed ships, and it looks like it could be real! They've absolutely nailed it so far in Andor
Given how Luthen owns a Kuati Signet with a sky kyber crystal, I suspect he is a Kuati noble and not just any noble. Why? Well, Luthen takes care of every small detail in his actions so that likely means that he designed the ship modifications himself. So here's my take on this: what if Luthen takes a role similar to that of Walex Blissex? He may have been behind a lot of the innovations of the final days of the Republic and an early Empire and now he feels responsible for having to make up for his creations having become weapons of slaughter in Palpatine's arsenal.
Fondor, the name of his ship, is also the name of a mayor Imperial manufacturing complex and shipyards (and the world/system they are in) - one that produces Kuati-designed vessels. I think you aren't far off.
Probably one of the few, if any instances of computer controlled gunnery being favored over actual human gunners. Also that Metal Storm style projectile weapon he used to destroy the larger ship's tractor beam was badass.
Specifically the Bridge.. sucking the no-chairs commanders out into low-pressure upper-atmo, and possibly suffocating the crew. Then go for the engines.
They do seem specifically placed to do strafing runs against capital ships. Though I doubt they would cut through a cruiser's armor, they're perfect for taking out the turrets, broadsides and shield generators of a capital ship.
It's heartening to see that your first course of validating creativity from Disney is to participate in consumerism. The SW fanbase has to be the most commercially groomed crowd ever existed.
Darth Vader (after reviewing the footage): I want that ship. Imperial Goon: Of course Lord Vader. That pilot and any illicit cargo he was hauling will soon be in your hands. Vader: ...Well, those are probably ALSO important to have too, I suppose...
That's a super great read on this amazing scene. It fits with the narrative of Andor and also Rogue One. Luthen is showing off that the Rebellion is real. Also this is like Defiant-Class badass in the Star Wars realm. Don't give O'Brien one of these.
Eck, I think you've gotten the biggest laugh out of me across all of your videos that I've seen (a great many). "The man is extra beyond belief, and... good for him." I let loose a hearty guffaw!
Luthen Rael, IMHO, is shaping up to be one of the most interesting and complex characters in all of Star Wars. I love how his character is shrouded in mystery. Each episode reveals more about him and his increasingly impressive skill sets, yet we can still only guess about his past and how he might have acquired them. I suspect that we've just begun to scratch the surface of his badass-ery. Stellan Skarsgard was cast perfectly for this role, and his performance is nothing short of... Stellar!
My theory is that Luthen is given these unconventional weapons to be combat tested whenever the opportunity presents itself. Someone has mentioned James Bond or the WWII-era SOE already.
I think those lasers were probably added not necessarily specifically for what we saw, i.e. taking out isolated fighters in an open space battle. Alternatively, they could be useful in forcing out some space around the haulcraft in a tight fight, since all he has to do is turn them on and spin, and anybody in the near vicinity will be destroyed or moving away. There are likely other applications that I can't imagine off the top of my head as well, though
They'd also make a good breakaway weapon if you were successfully drawn into a tight space, like say the hanger of a ship or forced through a ring gate in a planetary shield (like in Rogue One). They're the equivalent of those huge spikes that come out chariot wheels.
It really also shows how powerful the Empire’s non-command starships *could* be. Fondor being the Empire’s core supplier of star fighters, I was really surprised with just how modular their designs could be while maintaining their distinct aesthetic, ignoring what I assume is a base upgrade in an onboard droid controller. That haulcraft probably has an amount of after-market modifications on it that would make the Falcon blush, yet it’s still sleek, composed, and dour.
falreadt third behind the Falcon and the X wing. The Ghost isn't even as cool as a Tie Fighter or Star Destroyer etc. Maybe I am forgetting some cool Ghost stuff. Never stood out to me.
I feel him taking out the ties was a mix of making a statement and taking out everything you can. He understands that, although the empire has the numbers, you can still weaken them with every small strike. It adds up in the long run.
in my opinion he just did what he did because, like James Bond, he does everything with superior CLASS AND STYLE. He didn't try to make a point or anything, it's like Darth Maul making his poses, it's just the way he fight that's all. A way to show that he enjoy fighting more than anything else in life ! What was surprising is that we haven't seen this part of his personality until this moment.
I always thought it was weird that various guns in Star Wars used visual sights, even iron sights. Luthen's advanced technology can be seen quite often shooting projectiles out of the sky above Israel.
All based of World War 1 and World War 2 prop weapons. George Lucas also leaned heavily on the World War for events like Battle of Britian (Battle of Yavin)
I appreciated that all of his weapons and countermeasures were tailored to this exact situation. He knows that being caught in a cruiser's tractor beam is the most likely situation he'll end up in and so he has ways to counter it. The fake transponder disguise, the powerful engines that force them to increase the beam strength, the countermeasures to destroy the beam emitter, the advanced weapons to deal with pursuing fighters. He's perfectly prepared for the standard imperial protocol.
Man I would have lost my mind if he would have sliced open the Arrestor's bridge window with those side lasers as he did his flyby. Or dropped a seismic charge right in front of the window.
yeah I thought the lasers were seismic charges. Cutting the bridge open in low-pressure high-atmosphere would probably have sucked out the commanders since they aren't seated.
There is the Self Propelled Heavy Artillery -Turbolaser from Episode 2 Attack of the Clones that utilized a beam weapon type laser cannon. Perhaps the Fondor Mod craft has similar weaponry? It also brings to mind the prototype B-Wing from Rebels and the Death Star superlasers
“I’m condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else’s future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see.” -Luthen No shot that the weapon was not Kyber, aka ‘a weapon’ that the empire is also using in Death Star The double broadside instakill lasers would just be too OP of a weapon to not be made of ultra-rare kyber crystals or be a one-use weapon Unless that quote has zero literal value and is entirely a metaphor I think it’s a pretty good indicator
Something I appreciate a lot about Andor is how uniquely cinematic the action scenes are, especially the ship fights. Like, take the shot at 0:46 for example. You don't see shots like these in Star Wars a lot.
Clicked on this right after watching your latest hockey video and not gonna lie, it took my brain about 10 seconds to register the subject change despite the fact that I clicked the video 😅
I’ve read a AO3 fanfic where Luthen Rael interacts with Tech from the Bad Batch! In the fanfic, it Has Tech being the one who provided all the power to Rael’s ship thanks to his *Exceptional* Mind and the interactions are quite good! With Tech, He’s the kind of Bad Batch character I’d like to use in any story situation involving the post-clone wars, the empire era, the rebellion and the New Republic!
stated in previous dialog, his eagerness to fight; one wonders how he fights, when his business for 15 years is to stay anonymous; scene is brilliant, how he manipulates the conversation to rise suspicion, then tractor beam, then commands computer to start pre-planned decoy incident, then to calibrate and increase speed not to escape, but trigger a response in tractor beam going up in force ... to finally engage them in his own terms; so many details; can consider also previous dialog on how mentions the empire is choking them slowly [as everybody is looking down] they forgot what is to fight; is clear his eagerness to start the sparks of the rebellion; incidents like this one, trascend into many spheres, on how to interpret it.
Luthen's Fondor is a ship design that has been long missing from Star Wars since perhaps the Rogue Shadow. That said, in terms of the automatic targeting the closest thing that comes to mind is the Confederate HMP Gunship Droid. It was shown on multiple occasions that because of its many frontal cannons, the HMP has no problem tracking multiple targets and once and firing on them with precision. The Fondor's hull configuration is very reminiscent of certain - mainly Legends - Imperial ships though. There is one in particular warship that I can't recall the name of, only that it was counted as a very prestigious position to be the captain of.
His cover is a Dealer of Fine Antiques or something like that while he's also procuring rare and valuable war tech for the rebels. It seems to me he could be in posession a lot of cool stuff that's nothing to do with his origins or identity.
The use of these lasers was definitely a flex. We've seen time and again Luthen has a serious grudge against the Empire, I dare say it might be a grudge bigger than Saw's as he is willing to stare down Saw without flinching, accuse Saw's right hand man of backstabbing, and completely willing to throw assets to the wolves when it suits him. His anger is so strong it's as if his own mother was Palpatine's concubine before he force choked her to feed a fetish then had the Imperial guard drop her in a dumpster behind the Jedi Temple.
Not enough people talking about the Luthen/Saw conversation. This is the true start, the true coming together of the rebellion. Luthen putting everything on the table on one roll of the dice and Saw understanding what is truly happening. A real alliance was made. The amount of acting awards between these two is crazy impressive and the scene is just so incredibly powerful. Luthens painful, stoic expressions saying, "I think not." Saw getting completely baffled and simply replying, "Why?" Also, "It's 30 men!.." "Plus Kreegyr..." (x2) Forest Whitaker is amazing in every expression he makes. Yeah you are right, the hate these two share towards the Empire could power a medium reactor.
My table top game “assassin droid”, actually an ancient Rikattin experiment gone awry. Is crystalline lifeform they enslaved within a droid body. It has since learned how to make the droid brain its integrated into a modular unit that can be plugged into various host droids, or the ships main computer. Its ship is a stolen/captured imperial intelligence X-71A (a bit more B2 stealth bomber like) used by an operative sent to destroy him. The operative is now a frozen decoration in the ships main gallery. It thaws her out every so often to treat her to an extremely fine dinner, and give her a chance to escape, before ultimately springing the trap proving he’ll always win, putting her back on the wall. Little does she know the time gaps are decades to centuries in between. But the ship is equipped with several droid heuristic processors optimized to operate and automate each of the ship’s functions. Flight, navigation, sensor/comm, weapons and counter measures, engineering, power management, etc.
Did anyone notice changed the number of men that would be at SpellHause he told Lonni there would be 50 men being sacrificed and he told Saw it would be 30 men, and Kryger - was he lying about numbers or did he have something else up his sleeve ???
It would be fun if Luthen had a Thunderbird 2-style system where he picks the best countermeasures for the current situation before leaving his base, but knowing less and it being a surprise to the viewer is fun and more realistic
having looked more into the TIE-BR or Boarder the other point of note is that when Luthen takes it out with the cannon it hits the pod containing the boarding crew, not the pilot pod which if you are trying to take out the ship would make it more certain that you have killed it instead he goes for the pod full of troops. another example of how much he hates The Empire
and he was making a statement.. just think, they had a jail break, and still feeling the hit on the robbery, while hunting for someone they think they have in their sights.. poetic... this is some very high quality creativity we are all getting here...
I watched the episode, then later that night I had my girlfriend watch the space seen. The next day we watched the episode again. This was totally awesome, I loved it! Bad ass, thank you for the review. New sub.
Exactly ! I thought the same thing : had he wanted mere discretion, after ruining the beam dish, and maybe taking down or or 2 fighters, fleeing was enough. But IMHO, more than showing off just for the sake of it, in a Bond way, like you say, I think it's more to be understood in the light of his global "provocation" strategy. Luthen is actually declaring war on the Empire in that battle, and through this cruiser. That's why he's showing his muscle. It's like Dedra said : it's a message, an announcement.
The fact that he has an auto targeting turret also ties into the fact that he's the only person so far to have a proper ships computer. Not a droid or astromech, an actual computer directly wired into the ship. Sure it has a droidlike interface he can talk to but that's more Siri than r2d2. His ship is one of the most effectively automated ships we've ever seen. It all supports luthens character as someone supremely resourceful and willing to use whatever he can against the empire.
I thought when he escaped he was trying to show the empire that people were rebelling as empire says “for a transport” when he used weapons and are shocked how he fights being suspicious that he was a pirate
The one issue I have with the parallel lasers is that he could have deployed them did his "Let's try spinning. That's a good trick!" move, and STILL missed one or BOTH of the TIE's. It wasn't the amazing weapon people automatically reacted to it being, but was VERY situational and reliant almost purely on sheer luck to make it effective. I feel it is something that may have been designed as more of a weapon to be deployed when passing between larger ships to do damage to both instead of killing a small one-man fighter like a TIE
but like the possible theory that the same ai and droid that controls the automated ship guns it may well have calculated the time of the spin to destroy the ties.
A ship with character similar to James Bond Aston Martin or the Cannonball Run Subaru, this really seems like something that has been missing from Star Wars.
There's more about his ship - its got an integrated droid intelligence that can rapidly plot hyperspeed jumps and quick charge the drive. It can also seemingly scatter sensors and provide false readings. His ship is absolutely insane.
One of the first thing I noticed about his ship...it has a droid built into the ship, assisting him, essentially a rudimentary AI controlling parts of it. (explains the guns firing on their own too) Which in Star Wars is very VERY illegal (as I recall)
This is the kind of shit you do when you're level 99 and some level 3 boss comes up to fight you, but you still need to escape cos you have another quest waiting
I have a different idea than you on his reasons for attacking and using his advanced weapons. One of his stated goals, if I recall, is getting the Empire to crack down ever harder on the galaxy. It was one of the ways he worked to start the Rebellion. He could have escaped without showing off the way he did, but he instead humiliated them and made them feel weak. There's a bit of symmetry with the prison break. Just as the guards cracked down on the prisoners because they didn't have enough guards and felt threatened, the Empire, monolith that it is, can't bring overwhelming force everywhere at once. He's trying to provoke a crackdown that will lead to a galaxy-wide prison break of sorts.
Because he was Master Dooku's first apprentice and was the recipient of a "In the event of my early death" message from Dooku guiding him to a secret CIS installation Dooku used as a safe-house complete with spare lightsaber, tons of weapons, millions of credits and other secret tech.
It was more than an escape....it was a statement.
An announcement…
It was a big middle finger to the Empire.
"You're an empire of a million worlds. I'm one man in a tugboat."
I said the SAME thing lol His AUTO CANNONS could have taken both those TIEs out but he used the PARTICLE LASERS to show off. Backed up by the fact he did a BUZZ BY of the CAPTAINS DECK to show up the CAPTAIN. He was so CALM because he knew he wasn't in any real danger, he had the upper hand the whole time. I think in episode 12 he may switch to a new ship for a while as HAULCRAFT may be too hot right now.
He couldnt leave until the computer guy made the Hyperspace calculation, i think Eck said he could have escaped,
but maybe he meant the best thing to do if that's all you care about is motor it forward to minimize combat and fire behind you at what's catching up etc, so he definitely seems to have been doing what it feels like, I probably have to ditch my ship they'll be looking for now so might as well use my toys and killer some imps while waiting for hyperspace calc!
Also definitely flew by bridge on purpose lol.... No reason to turn around and go up there where anti fighter stuff would be heavy if only care about leaving!
Technically he could have used the side beams and drive right by the bridge and cut it open haha,
but that would confuse the purpose or clarity of scene kind of in way hard to explain, but it's fun to imagine!
Luthen is the type of guy who would put 6+ optical gunsights on a single rifle when playing Tarkov
splendid, unnecessary, but STYLE
It's crucial to always have flashy versatility
He would totally be the kind of guy to run the 14x scope on a shorty m4 build with warmageddon ammo and still fuck shit up. Why? Because he can
cool shit
Luthen the kinda G who'd mount a bayonet to a claymore just for an extra "fuck you"
luthens haulcraft is insane. its got so many different weapons and probably has more that we havent seen yet
A space dogfight between him and Boba Fett would be EPIC.
Like the Star Wars version of James Bond and his Aston Martin. Now I want to see Luthen's Q...
Probably has a small speeder bike in there somewhere too.
I thought he was about to turn that satellite/ship into Optimus prime for a second 😂
I also love the fact that all of his haulcraft weapons are hidden or disguised until they are activated. It means surprise for the enemy.
I think those lasers are more akin to the manned turrets on the clone LAAT gunship than actual lightsabers . It’s a continuous laser but only for a short duration .
I agree although I think his beams lasted far longer
Were the LAATs powered by kyber crystals?
@@Jolinar444 no
@@Jolinar444 no but they used combined beam tech like Death Stars
@@darklighter9412 but Death Star is powered by kyber crystals
I love that you caught that he didn’t run away. As soon as the tractor beam goes down instead of running away, he immediately turns around and goes on the offense.
I thought that was a very subtle scene. but it gave you an idea of who the guy was .
He was ready for a fight.
IMO he should have corkscrewed with the lasers past the bridge of the star destroyer 😊
I’ve always loved the fact that Andor tells the stories of regular people in the birth of the Rebel Alliance - not Jedi or Sith or other Force users. Those people are supposed to be rare, so the true backbone of the Rebellion must be regular people finally fighting back against oppression. That makes people like Luthen even more heroic than Jedi. Thanks so much for not theorizing his ship must be some sort of Sith vessel (i.e red lightsabers).
As an occasional Star Wars viewer, I make an instant connection with Lord Maul's double red lightsaber. Obviously, the writers want that connection to happen. The question is: Is it a decoy or some kind of easy clue?
@@paulomribeirojr not to mention the weird lightsaber looking thing Saw’s guard was holding. The one that the scene specifically focuses on for some reason. He’s as fierce a pilot as Anakin.
Except that republic/rebellion laser beam are red while empire one are green.
@@paulomribeirojr The inquisitors use spinning double red lightsabers, too.
Yes you have a point. Even in Rogue One there's barely a mention of Jedis or The Force, they're just regular people.
I really been thinking Andor was my new favorite Star wars character. I never thought I would put a Disney character top 10 or 20 but boy he's close, now with Luthen, I've got two to add.
What a show
he's the GRAY CHARACTER we've always wanted. I can imagine VADER confronting him and bout to force choke him, and he pulls out LEIA from behind a wall and says SURPRISE MOTHERFKER i got your daughter, and holds a blaster to her head. You want little Skywalker to live you'll put the Lightsaber down!!! LUTHEN RAEL !!!!
Kino too?
@@kevinkruse88 kino was a fun character but we haven't really gotten to know him like we have with Luthen.
"You don't like anything." - Luthen to the only person colder and grumpier than him!
@@kevinkruse88 No, not Kino. Don't get me wrong I love Andy. And the characters great. He's got potential though
I am glad someone else noticed the shudder in the interdictor when Luthin floored it.
The haulcraft is sort of like a tug boat or a big rig originally like the Falcon was, right? Thing's really got some nuts to it. Lol
I'm glad too! It's a pretty interesting detail that actually few people on TH-cam notice.
After his ship's computer said the tractor beam was at level two. He purposely maxed out his engines knowing the captain would increase the tractor beam strength to level 5. I'm pretty sure that tactic was so his shrapnel would be pulled in faster to the dish to damage it. He also overloaded the one side engine to mask the energy buildup for deploying the weapons. Very very smart Way to mask his energy signature increase.
@@LordTimelord the attention to detail in the scene was ridiculous, considering that Gilroy is not a "star wars fan", he must have a decent number of nerds on staff though.
Actually it was way obvious.
If you want to stretch a bit, you could make the case that Luthen needed to take out those ties because they got a lot closer to him than the cruiser did and maybe they were able to get some scans that could help the Empire cut through his fake transponder charade and actually identify his ship in some way.
best comment and makes aweful lot of sense given the lore in SW
Luthen is basically the Batman of Star Wars, he has all the greatest gadgets, scruffy voice and an assistant like Alfred back home
actually Alfred died because he couldn't swim
Well, he is also a Terrorist x) Like hard core terrorist, intentionally gets innocent people killed so that more people will get angry with the empire. Sooo.. kinda far from Batmans ideology of "no killing", but probably the first Hollywood movie/series I've seen where the good guy is a straight up terrorist who is OK with killing innocent people.
The blaster canons were an important call out. Yes, the tractor beam counter measures and the lasers that effectively turned his ship into an Inquisitors lightsaber are pretty insane, but I don't remember anyone ever dispatching enemy ships that efficiently.
I really think more ships need shrapnel launchers. They’re good against missiles, other fighters and of course tractor beams. Love this ship and it’s gadgets
It's an incredibly effective space combat strategy, but outside of The Expanse you hardly ever see it employed in combat.
Seems like it would combine well with a flare system to use against guided rockets and targeting systems.
Pieces of metal and debri the way in general things move in the starwars universe in atmospheres isnt 100% accurate, but yeah it could be because it would only pick up speed infinitly untill it came in contact with whatever, so whatever metal objects were fire out just continue to pick up speed the further and further. So if he fired metal objects like that out it could definitly work well against delicate dishes and probably even do serious damage on a larger scale.
Yeah I like it makes putting a tractor beam on someone a dangerous proposition
@@profo4544. Luthen’s were designed after a real world chaff/flare dispenser model. I don’t know how they are deployed by the aircraft versions, but with naval ships just like it would have to be in space, they are launched otherwise it’s going to stay with you unless you change your speed or direction.
So the launch speed, with the increased draw of they put into the tractor beam to counteract the increased power of Luthen’s ship drives, did their unarmores and unshielded tractor beam emitter in.
The end result would have been the same as if he had two shrapnel cannons.
Luke did something similar in old Thrawn ‘Heir to the Empire’ book trilogy. Only he dumb dropped (unfired) a pair of torpedoes. They latter used the same tactic against the Yuuzhan Vong. A flak canon or counter measure module would’ve been cheaper, but you use what you got I guess.
I loved this scene. His “lightsaber” esque weapon reminded me so much of the B-Wing’s special weapon. Almost like Luthen was beta-testing the weapons package that would eventually go in to Quarrie’s B-Wing design.
space battles are my favorite part of star wars so seeing this seen and all the new technology in this new model of ship was exciting to say the least. I hope we get to see more of it in the finale!
I re-watched this so many times. Good job Andor team. Thanks for helping pull Star Wars out of the gutter.
I think the series will rest on how good this finale is as they have quite a few threads to bring together neatly. I have faith they will do much better than Book of Boba fett did
I'm stuck between wanting to know who Luthen is and feeling like it may be better left a mystery.
We know who he is.. he's Space James Bond. And that's enough for me.
Be careful what you wish for. The Disney marketing research algorithm might decide it would be most profitable if he's Palpatine's long lost brother.
He is a scorned, one time underling to Palpatine , much like Maul. He is using rebellion to exact his revenge on Palpatine.
.
Currently my money is on him being a former ISB officer. Maybe a lifer who had a "come to Jesus" moment, got blacklisted & faked his death, etc.
Not revealing his "story" gives the writers more freedom to explore his personality. They could paint him to be darker/lighter or more/less heroic or more or less passionate towards certain things simply because his history is a mystery and any portrayal could technically work. It's much better to explore a character backwards this way to give the writers full range of possibilities. Once his history is revealed, the possible motivations and behavioral choices suddenly narrow and it becomes a predictable and boring character. But you know given the way SW lore is exploited (and how infantile the general SW fans are) the character will probably end up given the usual treatment of a hero's prequel. I just hope that at least it'll be done by Tony Gilroy and his team of collaborators, who clearly have a level of restraint and expertise in crafting mature characters and stories.
Yeah, I think we all got the impression he was just flexing on those imperials. He had a plan for such situations and he knew exactly how to execute it. When it was all over, it felt like he was never in any real danger. He's a total badass.
Luthen didn’t panic and he didn’t look scared or anxious in that scene. He looked determined.
The whole scene had a "let's have a little fun shall we?" Feel to it, and he also felt like he was punishing them for interrupting his phone call lol
And he knows very well they have no reason to board him. They're tossing their weight around. They've got the bigger ship and bigger guns, so they're confident...it's rare he gets to enjoy his work, I would guess.
“He’s moving into attack position(!)”
“Now he’s moving into *SWAG* position!”
Pretty cool stuff! I hadn't noticed the James Bond-ish character traits, but I definitely see them now.
when he took out the TIEs I thought he was getting rid of witnesses so I expected him to cut through the bridge with those lightsabers afterwards
That woulda been aaaaaawesome.
Yeah I thought he'd do that too, but I think that destroying the ship would've brought down more heat on that sector.
The ship probably has energy shields but not particle shields (which is why he could take out the dish). This is a common distinction in Star Wars. The energy blades and blasters may have not been sufficient to take out the bridge.
Alternatively, he might have wanted there to be witnesses so that they report back to the Empire and cause them to come down hard on the sector fueling more rebellious activity like on Ferrix. I couldn't help but also wonder if the fact that he is posing as an Alderaanian might have also contributed to Tarkin's decision to just blow up the entire planet as it was being endlessly troublesome.
This whole scene was my favourite of the series so far, a badass space battle on a small scale, beautifully designed ships, and it looks like it could be real! They've absolutely nailed it so far in Andor
Given how Luthen owns a Kuati Signet with a sky kyber crystal, I suspect he is a Kuati noble and not just any noble. Why? Well, Luthen takes care of every small detail in his actions so that likely means that he designed the ship modifications himself. So here's my take on this: what if Luthen takes a role similar to that of Walex Blissex? He may have been behind a lot of the innovations of the final days of the Republic and an early Empire and now he feels responsible for having to make up for his creations having become weapons of slaughter in Palpatine's arsenal.
That would certainly put a different spin on his statement about using his enemy's weapons to fight them
Fondor, the name of his ship, is also the name of a mayor Imperial manufacturing complex and shipyards (and the world/system they are in) - one that produces Kuati-designed vessels. I think you aren't far off.
Not only was Luthen showing off his toys, but his ingenuity too. Using chaff as an offensive weapon is next-level.
Probably one of the few, if any instances of computer controlled gunnery being favored over actual human gunners. Also that Metal Storm style projectile weapon he used to destroy the larger ship's tractor beam was badass.
Well, CIS droids do a lot of gunnery in the prequels/ clone wars.
This scene boosted Luthen and his ship to a legendary level. Not gonna say he’s like Han and the Falcon, but he’s up there.
Imagine if he used the side lasers on the Cantwell-class ship
Specifically the Bridge.. sucking the no-chairs commanders out into low-pressure upper-atmo, and possibly suffocating the crew. Then go for the engines.
They do seem specifically placed to do strafing runs against capital ships. Though I doubt they would cut through a cruiser's armor, they're perfect for taking out the turrets, broadsides and shield generators of a capital ship.
If Lego make this, I’d buy without hesitation
No joke, I looked up to see if they did *immediately* after watching this video and before checking the comments.
Or create your own version with legos!
It's heartening to see that your first course of validating creativity from Disney is to participate in consumerism. The SW fanbase has to be the most commercially groomed crowd ever existed.
I hope they keep him around for a long time and keep developing his story.
Darth Vader (after reviewing the footage): I want that ship.
Imperial Goon: Of course Lord Vader. That pilot and any illicit cargo he was hauling will soon be in your hands.
Vader: ...Well, those are probably ALSO important to have too, I suppose...
I have to say that this probably was one of my favourite space scenes in star wars ever. I totally flipped out about how cool that was.
main thing is that it was so unexpected. you don't expect something that is essentially a small transport/yacht be a freaking TIE-killer
Easily one of most bad ass one manned spaceships we've seen in all of Star Wars, period.
That's a super great read on this amazing scene. It fits with the narrative of Andor and also Rogue One. Luthen is showing off that the Rebellion is real. Also this is like Defiant-Class badass in the Star Wars realm. Don't give O'Brien one of these.
Eck, I think you've gotten the biggest laugh out of me across all of your videos that I've seen (a great many).
"The man is extra beyond belief, and... good for him."
I let loose a hearty guffaw!
Glad I finally got ya
This show continues to impress me his ship is probably is one of my favorites in a longtime.
Luthen Rael, IMHO, is shaping up to be one of the most interesting and complex characters in all of Star Wars. I love how his character is shrouded in mystery. Each episode reveals more about him and his increasingly impressive skill sets, yet we can still only guess about his past and how he might have acquired them. I suspect that we've just begun to scratch the surface of his badass-ery. Stellan Skarsgard was cast perfectly for this role, and his performance is nothing short of... Stellar!
his ship is designed to "fight these guys for real"
My theory is that Luthen is given these unconventional weapons to be combat tested whenever the opportunity presents itself. Someone has mentioned James Bond or the WWII-era SOE already.
I think those lasers were probably added not necessarily specifically for what we saw, i.e. taking out isolated fighters in an open space battle. Alternatively, they could be useful in forcing out some space around the haulcraft in a tight fight, since all he has to do is turn them on and spin, and anybody in the near vicinity will be destroyed or moving away. There are likely other applications that I can't imagine off the top of my head as well, though
They'd also make a good breakaway weapon if you were successfully drawn into a tight space, like say the hanger of a ship or forced through a ring gate in a planetary shield (like in Rogue One). They're the equivalent of those huge spikes that come out chariot wheels.
It really also shows how powerful the Empire’s non-command starships *could* be. Fondor being the Empire’s core supplier of star fighters, I was really surprised with just how modular their designs could be while maintaining their distinct aesthetic, ignoring what I assume is a base upgrade in an onboard droid controller. That haulcraft probably has an amount of after-market modifications on it that would make the Falcon blush, yet it’s still sleek, composed, and dour.
I'm wait to hear why Luthen's lightsabers are red. RED!
Luthen’s ship is honestly probably up there with the Ghost as one of my favorite ships
falreadt third behind the Falcon and the X wing. The Ghost isn't even as cool as a Tie Fighter or Star Destroyer etc. Maybe I am forgetting some cool Ghost stuff. Never stood out to me.
I feel him taking out the ties was a mix of making a statement and taking out everything you can. He understands that, although the empire has the numbers, you can still weaken them with every small strike. It adds up in the long run.
You put my feeling about that scene into words perfectly. Star War's James bond.
The dude is a collector. It makes sense to me that he has some unique pieces one him at all times.
He definitely could have obliterated that destroyer but he doesn't want more attention of the empire on him.
in my opinion he just did what he did because, like James Bond, he does everything with superior CLASS AND STYLE. He didn't try to make a point or anything, it's like Darth Maul making his poses, it's just the way he fight that's all. A way to show that he enjoy fighting more than anything else in life ! What was surprising is that we haven't seen this part of his personality until this moment.
I always thought it was weird that various guns in Star Wars used visual sights, even iron sights. Luthen's advanced technology can be seen quite often shooting projectiles out of the sky above Israel.
All based of World War 1 and World War 2 prop weapons. George Lucas also leaned heavily on the World War for events like Battle of Britian (Battle of Yavin)
I appreciated that all of his weapons and countermeasures were tailored to this exact situation. He knows that being caught in a cruiser's tractor beam is the most likely situation he'll end up in and so he has ways to counter it. The fake transponder disguise, the powerful engines that force them to increase the beam strength, the countermeasures to destroy the beam emitter, the advanced weapons to deal with pursuing fighters. He's perfectly prepared for the standard imperial protocol.
Man I would have lost my mind if he would have sliced open the Arrestor's bridge window with those side lasers as he did his flyby. Or dropped a seismic charge right in front of the window.
yeah I thought the lasers were seismic charges. Cutting the bridge open in low-pressure high-atmosphere would probably have sucked out the commanders since they aren't seated.
There is the Self Propelled Heavy Artillery -Turbolaser from Episode 2 Attack of the Clones that utilized a beam weapon type laser cannon. Perhaps the Fondor Mod craft has similar weaponry? It also brings to mind the prototype B-Wing from Rebels and the Death Star superlasers
“I’m condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else’s future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see.”
-Luthen
No shot that the weapon was not Kyber, aka ‘a weapon’ that the empire is also using in Death Star
The double broadside instakill lasers would just be too OP of a weapon to not be made of ultra-rare kyber crystals or be a one-use weapon
Unless that quote has zero literal value and is entirely a metaphor I think it’s a pretty good indicator
Great points! Makes the character even more fascinating.
Something I appreciate a lot about Andor is how uniquely cinematic the action scenes are, especially the ship fights. Like, take the shot at 0:46 for example. You don't see shots like these in Star Wars a lot.
Clicked on this right after watching your latest hockey video and not gonna lie, it took my brain about 10 seconds to register the subject change despite the fact that I clicked the video 😅
It's nice to have good well thought out Star Wars Stories to talk about
Man has spent years prepping for a fight, you know he’s going to have fun with it when the time comes
We’re gonna need a prequel series about Luthen soon…!
Luthen is the batman of star wars
You have such great videos, man. Bravo!
Like he said when he spoke to Lonni, he has an ego. You know he loved putting one over on the Imperials
His fighter ship is very well equipped. He could destroy an SSD like that.
I’ve read a AO3 fanfic where Luthen Rael interacts with Tech from the Bad Batch!
In the fanfic, it Has Tech being the one who provided all the power to Rael’s ship thanks to his *Exceptional* Mind and the interactions are quite good!
With Tech, He’s the kind of Bad Batch character I’d like to use in any story situation involving the post-clone wars, the empire era, the rebellion and the New Republic!
Strikes me Luthen's ship is more an armed droid than it is a piloted vehicle.
"My anger, my ego, my unwillingness to yield, my eagerness to fight. Set me on a path to which there is no escape..."
This was one of my favorite moments in the series.
The man has style. He even buzzed the tower Maverick style.
stated in previous dialog, his eagerness to fight; one wonders how he fights, when his business for 15 years is to stay anonymous; scene is brilliant, how he manipulates the conversation to rise suspicion, then tractor beam, then commands computer to start pre-planned decoy incident, then to calibrate and increase speed not to escape, but trigger a response in tractor beam going up in force ... to finally engage them in his own terms; so many details; can consider also previous dialog on how mentions the empire is choking them slowly [as everybody is looking down] they forgot what is to fight; is clear his eagerness to start the sparks of the rebellion; incidents like this one, trascend into many spheres, on how to interpret it.
He's a weapons collector and dealer and rebellion builder on the side. Thats what makes him awesome.
Nice. The other thing that's been overlooked with Luthen's ship is the AI.
Luthen's Fondor is a ship design that has been long missing from Star Wars since perhaps the Rogue Shadow. That said, in terms of the automatic targeting the closest thing that comes to mind is the Confederate HMP Gunship Droid. It was shown on multiple occasions that because of its many frontal cannons, the HMP has no problem tracking multiple targets and once and firing on them with precision. The Fondor's hull configuration is very reminiscent of certain - mainly Legends - Imperial ships though. There is one in particular warship that I can't recall the name of, only that it was counted as a very prestigious position to be the captain of.
His cover is a Dealer of Fine Antiques or something like that while he's also procuring rare and valuable war tech for the rebels. It seems to me he could be in posession a lot of cool stuff that's nothing to do with his origins or identity.
Man, if Star Wars Battlefront was still doing updates he'd be a wicked hero to fly around...
The use of these lasers was definitely a flex. We've seen time and again Luthen has a serious grudge against the Empire, I dare say it might be a grudge bigger than Saw's as he is willing to stare down Saw without flinching, accuse Saw's right hand man of backstabbing, and completely willing to throw assets to the wolves when it suits him. His anger is so strong it's as if his own mother was Palpatine's concubine before he force choked her to feed a fetish then had the Imperial guard drop her in a dumpster behind the Jedi Temple.
Not enough people talking about the Luthen/Saw conversation. This is the true start, the true coming together of the rebellion. Luthen putting everything on the table on one roll of the dice and Saw understanding what is truly happening. A real alliance was made.
The amount of acting awards between these two is crazy impressive and the scene is just so incredibly powerful. Luthens painful, stoic expressions saying, "I think not." Saw getting completely baffled and simply replying, "Why?" Also, "It's 30 men!.." "Plus Kreegyr..." (x2) Forest Whitaker is amazing in every expression he makes.
Yeah you are right, the hate these two share towards the Empire could power a medium reactor.
Yo what the hell is that analogy, who comes up with that
that remote turret reminds me of the cram or the mantis. love the sudden precise movements of those turrets
My table top game “assassin droid”, actually an ancient Rikattin experiment gone awry. Is crystalline lifeform they enslaved within a droid body. It has since learned how to make the droid brain its integrated into a modular unit that can be plugged into various host droids, or the ships main computer.
Its ship is a stolen/captured imperial intelligence X-71A (a bit more B2 stealth bomber like) used by an operative sent to destroy him. The operative is now a frozen decoration in the ships main gallery. It thaws her out every so often to treat her to an extremely fine dinner, and give her a chance to escape, before ultimately springing the trap proving he’ll always win, putting her back on the wall. Little does she know the time gaps are decades to centuries in between.
But the ship is equipped with several droid heuristic processors optimized to operate and automate each of the ship’s functions. Flight, navigation, sensor/comm, weapons and counter measures, engineering, power management, etc.
Did anyone notice changed the number of men that would be at SpellHause he told Lonni there would be 50 men being sacrificed and he told Saw it would be 30 men, and Kryger - was he lying about numbers or did he have something else up his sleeve ???
It would be fun if Luthen had a Thunderbird 2-style system where he picks the best countermeasures for the current situation before leaving his base, but knowing less and it being a surprise to the viewer is fun and more realistic
Thanks for pointing out those amazing details 👌
That's exactly what I felt he wants to inflict as much damage before he leaves as possible.
having looked more into the TIE-BR or Boarder the other point of note is that when Luthen takes it out with the cannon it hits the pod containing the boarding crew, not the pilot pod which if you are trying to take out the ship would make it more certain that you have killed it instead he goes for the pod full of troops. another example of how much he hates The Empire
and he was making a statement.. just think, they had a jail break, and still feeling the hit on the robbery, while hunting for someone they think they have in their sights.. poetic... this is some very high quality creativity we are all getting here...
Definitely an announcement on Luthen’s part
I want to see Papa Palpatine come to Luthens shop on the lookout for some new Sith merch😂
I watched the episode, then later that night I had my girlfriend watch the space seen. The next day we watched the episode again. This was totally awesome, I loved it! Bad ass, thank you for the review. New sub.
That Halcraft is awesome, I hope we get a model of it someday, either through the Star Wars Micro Galaxy line or something else.
Exactly ! I thought the same thing : had he wanted mere discretion, after ruining the beam dish, and maybe taking down or or 2 fighters, fleeing was enough. But IMHO, more than showing off just for the sake of it, in a Bond way, like you say, I think it's more to be understood in the light of his global "provocation" strategy. Luthen is actually declaring war on the Empire in that battle, and through this cruiser. That's why he's showing his muscle.
It's like Dedra said : it's a message, an announcement.
The fact that he has an auto targeting turret also ties into the fact that he's the only person so far to have a proper ships computer. Not a droid or astromech, an actual computer directly wired into the ship. Sure it has a droidlike interface he can talk to but that's more Siri than r2d2. His ship is one of the most effectively automated ships we've ever seen. It all supports luthens character as someone supremely resourceful and willing to use whatever he can against the empire.
Imagine if Luthen Rael's ship would be used by the Rebel Alliance after being produced by the dozen and serve as a small strike force.
Rebel Alliance would have fucking bankrupted itself after like third
I thought when he escaped he was trying to show the empire that people were rebelling as empire says “for a transport” when he used weapons and are shocked how he fights being suspicious that he was a pirate
The one issue I have with the parallel lasers is that he could have deployed them did his "Let's try spinning. That's a good trick!" move, and STILL missed one or BOTH of the TIE's. It wasn't the amazing weapon people automatically reacted to it being, but was VERY situational and reliant almost purely on sheer luck to make it effective.
I feel it is something that may have been designed as more of a weapon to be deployed when passing between larger ships to do damage to both instead of killing a small one-man fighter like a TIE
but like the possible theory that the same ai and droid that controls the automated ship guns it may well have calculated the time of the spin to destroy the ties.
I think the lasers were weaponised haul tech. It makes sense for the haulcraft to already have lasers that help haul thing, like connectors
Like on podracers? Heavy duty energy binders?
@@intorsusvolo7834 Kinda, but less powerful, used to haul and carry cargo.
A ship with character similar to James Bond Aston Martin or the Cannonball Run Subaru, this really seems like something that has been missing from Star Wars.
WOW to the Upgrades and weapons on his war machine and WOW to the fighting styles Yesssssssssssss!!!!!
There's more about his ship - its got an integrated droid intelligence that can rapidly plot hyperspeed jumps and quick charge the drive. It can also seemingly scatter sensors and provide false readings. His ship is absolutely insane.
One of the first thing I noticed about his ship...it has a droid built into the ship, assisting him, essentially a rudimentary AI controlling parts of it. (explains the guns firing on their own too)
Which in Star Wars is very VERY illegal (as I recall)
This is the kind of shit you do when you're level 99 and some level 3 boss comes up to fight you, but you still need to escape cos you have another quest waiting
"I'll try spinning, that's a good trick"
I have a different idea than you on his reasons for attacking and using his advanced weapons. One of his stated goals, if I recall, is getting the Empire to crack down ever harder on the galaxy. It was one of the ways he worked to start the Rebellion. He could have escaped without showing off the way he did, but he instead humiliated them and made them feel weak. There's a bit of symmetry with the prison break. Just as the guards cracked down on the prisoners because they didn't have enough guards and felt threatened, the Empire, monolith that it is, can't bring overwhelming force everywhere at once. He's trying to provoke a crackdown that will lead to a galaxy-wide prison break of sorts.
Combined with buzzing the bridge, it looks like he's trying to get their attention with this escape.
Because he was Master Dooku's first apprentice and was the recipient of a "In the event of my early death" message from Dooku guiding him to a secret CIS installation Dooku used as a safe-house complete with spare lightsaber, tons of weapons, millions of credits and other secret tech.