“Andor” really is one of the greatest pieces of “Star Wars” media of all time. It’s a marvelously written, directed, and produced television series that is unlike anything else in the galaxy far, far away, yet could only really exist in the “Star Wars” property.
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Part of what makes this show so extraordinary is its cast, which is composed of a diverse group of individuals playing characters unlike any we’ve seen in the world of “Star Wars” before. These aren’t Jedi, hotshot pilots, or leaders (not yet, at least); rather, they’re simple blue-collar workers, inconspicuous senators, antique sellers, a simple man trying to make his way in the universe, and an Imperial bootlicker. That last description applies to everyone’s favorite loser weasel, Syril Karn (Kyle Soller). Syril is unlike any other “Star Wars” villain; he’s a man without any real power or authority, much less the ability to frighten anyone. He is but a tiny, petty individual who loves cereal, has a terrible mother, and is desperate for attention from the fascistic machine he idolizes.
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Syril spends all of “Andor” season 1 believing himself to be on a crusade to personally save the Empire from a single criminal in a backwater planet. So, when he gets a promotion in season 2, he takes full advantage of it to reinvent himself. It’s not just that Syril gains confidence; he also starts channeling one of the most beloved TV characters of all time: Special Agent Dale Bartholomew Cooper from “Twin Peaks.”
That’s right. In season 2 of “Andor,” Soller looked to Kyle MacLachlan in order to portray Syril as the polar opposite of Dale Cooper. As Soller explained to IMDb, “I didn’t want to say anything because I thought maybe [the show’s creatives would] be like ‘Oh no. Oh no, no, no.’ But I was secretly going to those scenes like, ‘I’m f***ing Dale Cooper, man. This is great.'”
Now, if you’ve yet to watch “Andor” season 2, episodes 7-9, you should stop reading right here because there will be heavy spoilers ahead.
