'Star Wars' Bros Are Being Creepy Weirdos About Syril's Rage in 'Andor'

Spoilers for Andor Season 2 below.

Throughout Andor’s run Kyle Soller has perfectly played Syril Karn as a pent-up little creep who yearns to crush people under his boot. Whether that boot is in service of a corporation or the Galactic Empire, it does not matter to Syril as long as he’s “The Guy” laying down the law. However, thanks to being raised by a domineering mother, Syril is all kinds of awkward and repressed, which makes him an extremely relatable character to some Star Wars fans. Andor viewers often jokingly referred to Syril as an incel during Season 1, so like I said, extremely relatable.

Of course, that incel moniker was quickly shed in Season 2 when it became clear that Syril and Dedra were shacking up. Not only did Syril land himself a girlfriend, but he found one that would fight his mom. I didn’t appreciate it until just now, but my god, no wonder Star Wars nerds are loving this guy.

Anyway, Syril and Dedra’s relationship comes to a jarring end when Syril finally realizes his own girlfriend used him to engineer the Ghorman Massacre. His eagerness to play ISB spy and catch rebels was stupid easy to manipulate, and he is pissed when that reality comes crashing in. To be clear, Syril is shocked at the carnage he’s caused, but Dedra’s betrayal is what really sets him off. He got played for a chump, and his reaction is a common refuge for weak men: domestic violence.

In one of the more jarring moments in Andor, Syril storms into Dedra’s office and demands answers. When she tries to placate him, Syril grabs her by the throat and starts choking her until Dedra admits to playing him. Not a lick of this is righteous fury. Syril’s actions are pure impotent rage, but good luck explaining that to Star Wars fans who think this whole scene was badass.

For reasons that are best described as I’m an idiot, I still scroll Facebook throughout the day, so naturally, the algorithm is going to throw Star Wars fan pages in my face. Keeping with the idiot theme, curiosity gets the best of me because I want to see how fans are reacting to Andor Season 2. The first season is considered a masterpiece now, but it took a while for the show to build an audience as Star Wars fans initially wrote it off as boring. That doesn’t seem to be the case anymore, but boy, are they latching onto some telling moments.

Here’s one user comparing Syril to goddamn Darth Vader and marveling at how he stopped being such a feminine little wiener. (Also, in this fantasy, Syril clearly banged that French chick because of course.)

So what is people’s read on Syril choking Dedra? To me, it was kind of a Darth Vader/Ankin/Padme moment in its allusion to empire and feelings of personal betrayal and personal destruction. It also mirrored how Dedra would use her hands on Syril’s face as both a lover and power dominating mother figure.

And then how do we feel about how immediately after choking Dedra for planning the next Ghorman massacre, that he then viciously attacks Andor with a strength and anger we’ve never seen underneath the surface of his female-dominated effete and repressed personality. How can both be true at once in the same moment?

His revulsion at massacre and then his fury at Andor? In that moment, would he know that Cassian had Dedra in his scope — or is it just that his rage can now finally be released and targeted?
Finally, I really think that Syril had an affair with Enza Rylanz, judging from her slap. His betrayal on all sides was personal AND political. It also shows that there was so much more to him underneath all that pent up repression from his mother.

Here’s a read: Syril got mad that his lifelong boner to be a space-cop made him an absolute sucker, so he choked his girlfriend before going right back to playing space-cop and getting himself killed. He lived and died a chump.

While it should be obvious that Syril was done in by his delusions of grandeur, Star Wars fans worship at the altar of male rage. Here’s another user completely missing that Syril’s big moment was goddamn domestic violence:

In the Gorman massacre episode we finally see the side of Syril who is completely fed up, off the rails and doesn’t give a sh*t anymore. I was frankly amazed at how physically strong he was running on pure charged adrenaline. Dedra and Andor caught his rage! It’s a super tragic arc and so well written. By his death in the square I really felt for him.

This can’t be stressed enough: Syril wasn’t locked in combat with Dedra or even trying to stop her. The dude just wanted to know for certain that she made him look like a fool. That’s it. His actions were entirely ego-based, including his showdown with Cassian. All the way to the end, Syril blamed his problems on everyone but himself.

If Star Wars fans are lighting up at the notion of someone catching a man’s rage — while clearly noting it stems from mommy issues — you guys are not beating the allegations. No wonder you freaked when a girl used a lightsaber in the new movies. Message received.