We’re a third of the way through Andor as of today, and the intrigue of this ensemble cast and their many diverse characterizations continues to grow with every passing scene.
Most eyes are on Diego Luna’s titular Cassian Andor, of course; we only had a short time with the deuteragonist of Rogue One before he, Jyn Erso, and others member of the Alliance gave their lives for the greater good, and Andor will more than make up for it over the course of the show.
But, of course, he’ll be far from the only eye-catcher as time goes on, and neck-and-neck with the protagonist is Kyle Soller‘s character of Syril Karn, a Deputy Inspector for the Pre-Mor trade sector authority whose ambition doesn’t quite match his competency in the field so far.
Syril is destined to attract a sub-following amongst the fans of Andor, given the character’s blatant flaws, even more blatant potential for growth, and his screen time suggesting that a promise for such growth will be honored during the show.
Speaking on Syril during an interview with IndieWire, showrunner Tony Gilroy teased plenty of context for why the character is so driven, or perhaps trapped by, the idealization of administration.
“And there are people like that, and then the world doesn’t make sense to them if you don’t follow the rules. And when you get a little further in the show, the next episode, you will find out his origin story, and I think it’ll come a lot clearer about how he’s become the way he’s become.”
He would go on to note that Syril in particular faces a kind of plight that will attract a very specific sort of audience; an audience that he’s making sure actor Kyle Soller is ready for.
“On the show, we were very interested to see how — and we’ve tried to prepare Kyle Soller for the kind of fandom that he may be attracting. It’s a very, very powerful character that he plays.”
Andor is currently available to stream on Disney Plus, with new episodes premiering every Wednesday until the season finale on November 23.