On Andor, few characters have gone on a ride quite like Syril Karn. Played by actor Kyle Soller, Syrill has seen incredible highs, terrifying lows, and in recent episodes, finds a sort of purpose as a key player in his girlfriend Dedra Meero’s plan to gain Imperial control on Ghorman. That then came to a head in this week’s episodes and, in two new interviews, Soller discussed what it was like to… well… time to dive into spoilers.
In this week’s run of Andor episodes, Syril found himself in the middle of what would later be called the Ghorman Massacre and finally came face to face with his arch-nemesis, Cassian Andor. The moment did not go well for him, though, as he realized Cassian had no clue who he was. The insignificance of his existence engulfed him, and he was subsequently blown away. RIP Syril.
Speaking to Variety, Soller revealed when Andor creator Tony Gilroy told him about Syril’s fate. “He didn’t tell me until between seasons one and two,” Soller said. “I thought it was a perfect ending for him. It felt like just before something else could happen to Syril, it’s taken away.”
“So much had been taken away from him within the last 10 minutes of his life, all these revelations and betrayals coming to light, the veil being lifted from all the truths he held to be right about the Empire and the choices in his life completely crumbling,” he continued. “Instead of having a redemption story, I think it was much stronger and much more real to life. For all of Syril’s vanity, romanticism, and delusions of grandeur about himself, he’s just another cog in the wheel. He’s just another casualty of war.”
Maybe the most shocking moment is when, after two seasons, Syril finally confronts Cassian himself—and realizes that while Cassian has been Syril’s obsession for years, Cassian’s line “Who are you?” makes it clear he has no idea who Syril is. Soller discussed the moment with IGN.
“It’s so brutal for Syril to be confronted with his anonymity. He feels like he’s making such a difference, desperate to make change and be recognized and to be somebody and to have actually made a difference on Ghorman,” he said. “In 10 minutes, his whole world is turned upside down. And then he sees [Cassian]—the physical representation of all of his anger and frustration and worthlessness, and he pours it into him in this fight. And then he just goes, ‘Who are you?’ And he’s killed. Even if he hadn’t been blasted, he’s annihilated in that moment.”
Interestingly enough, “Who are you?” was not the only line filmed.
“There were three or four different things Cassian was going to say, and they finally ended up on ‘Who are you?’ which I think was perfect because that breaks Syril in that moment,” Soller said. “‘Oh, my God. My obsession doesn’t even know who I am.’ How gutting is that?”
“It was a short list,” he continued, revealing the other lines. “‘You’ and ‘It’s you’ and ‘Who are you?’ It just completely cuts him in that moment. If Cassian had said ‘It’s you,’ would Syril have had more resolve to do something or would he still have lowered his gun? I don’t know, but in terms of Syril’s arc, it just perfectly completes the journey being used by powers that are bigger than you in this huge machine and mayhem of life. You think you’ve made a difference, but you haven’t.”
For more from Soller on his character’s hugely impactful demise, head to Star Wars News Net, which broke the interviews down even further.
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