Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 1 of Andor.
The potential was all there, but, thankfully,Andor’s first season finale didn’t kill anyone off. “Rix Road” capped everything off with a thrilling showdown on Ferrix, bringing together every major character of the show to the planet for Maarva Andor’s (Fiona Shaw) public funeral. Among them were Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), the main antagonists to the series' hero, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). But, even though they survived, the season ended posing a cliffhanger for both of them, turning the future of their complicated relationship into a big question mark.
In “Rix Road,” Dedra is in Ferrix overseeing the hunt for Cassian Andor, as she correctly believes he is the key to finding the rebel leader codenamed Axis, who is actually Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard). Syril is in Ferrix to try and get Cassian, as a personal vendetta against the man he thinks destroyed his career… And whom he knows Dedra is after, too. None of them knows about the other. When the funeral goes south and Imperial forces clash with the citizens of Ferrix, she is caught in the middle of the stampede and rescued by Syril, who takes her to safety in an empty warehouse. Still in shock, she recognizes Syril and is immediately confused, not knowing how to react.
How is it Similar to ‘Rogue One’?
The scene draws an interesting parallel to one of the last moments inRogue One: A Star Wars Story, in which Cassian and Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) are in an elevator right after transmitting the Death Star plans to the Rebellion. There is so much tension, you could cut the air with a knife, but they don’t kiss. Instead, they proceed to a beach, where they hug as the blast from the planet-killing weapon swallows them both whole. At that point, the tension is just not about romance: They know their mission is accomplished, but also that they are dead because of it.
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The comparison withAndor’s scene that can be made is only due to the fact that there was no kissing. Dedra and Syril are in a completely different context. Inside that empty basement, they are relatively safe from the battle raging outside, and, being on the Imperial side, they are more likely to make it than otherwise. But there is no actual tensionbetweenthem. All that comes from the fact that there is fighting mere meters away from where they are, and that Dedra very narrowly escaped being torn apart by an angry mob.
Confused, she says, “I should thank you,” to which Syril replies, “you don’t have to.” As charming as it may sound, this line is actually a power play, as if he were saying that he saved her because he could, rather than because it was the right thing to do. As if he were the only one capable of protecting her. Men like him usually tell themselves things like this, because it helps them hide their actual frailty. And even if he waves off Dedra’s being thankful, this is something that he will constantly cling to.
Is There Any Real History Between Dedra and Syril?
The idea of a romance between Dedra and Syril was set up from the third arc of the series. They first meet in Episode 8, “Narkina 5,” when she takes him in for questioning about the incident on Ferrix, of which Syril was a huge part. That was likely the first time he dealt with a woman in a position of superiority towards him — apart from his mother, of course. It leaves a mark on him. For a man hellbent on seeking a twisted ideal of order, being interrogated may sound like the ultimate fetish, and it was enough for Syril to become infatuated by Dedra.
Their second encounter happens in the following episode, “Nobody’s Listening!” After being questioned, Syril got a promotion on his office job, which he interprets as an opening from Dedra, while it actually was more of a sign of good will for his cooperation and loyalty to the Empire. He waits for her to show up for work at the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) headquarters in Coruscant, and tells her of how he found new meaning in life after meeting her — going so far as to press her arms and call undue attention to them.
Syril’s whole approach to the situation is problematic and doomed to fail — anyone who has ever been in love knows that going all-in like that rarely works out. It revealed not only immaturity about his feelings, but also disrespect towards Dedra’s own position.
Is There a Future?
Dedra is one of the best additions toStar Warslore made byAndor. An extremely work-oriented person, her whole situation is compelling to the audience, as she is fighting an openly sexist system. Major Partagaz (Anton Lesser) even goes so far as mentioning “her position” to her more than once, clearly referring to her being one of the few women working in the ISB. But not only is she a minority in that environment, she is also the most professional, whichnaturally inspires sympathy, despite her being a fascist who’s working for a fascist structure.
That said, it’s just as important to keep in mind that, even though Dedra and Syril are both loyal to the Empire, that’s far from enough to justify a relationship happening. There is an abyss between them in terms of competence and commitment to the cause, as Syril shows an arrogant side when working for Preox-Morlana and conducting the operation that led to the whole incident in the first arc of the series.
If a relationship actually develops between them — and that’s a hugeif —it has already begun on the wrong foot, with Syril clearly being out of his element in his fixation with Dedra. He has a twisted vision on how to “fix” the galaxy through order, but he still hasn’t seen the Empire from within. Once he finds out how it actually works, though, it’s not likely he would stay by Dedra’s side, being so full of himself as he is.
Ever since he first showed up, people have been theorizing that he could eventually defect to the Rebellion. That is a possibility, but it’s too early to say and to get any signs. By now, he’s just as likely to fit the Imperial structure like a glove, becoming a part of the very machine that works against Dedra and setting up the doom of the woman he loves. Be that as it may, Dedra had better keep watching out for him.
