Andor reinvented the Star Wars tractor beam scene with Stellan Skarsgård

As Andor’s excellent first season nears its finale after the amazing prison trilogy of episodes, there’s still a lot for the show to tackle. Ferrix is in worse shape. Cassian, Melshi and others are looking for some safety. The Empire is tightening its hold on the galaxy, and those living there, as the Rebel Alliance gets closer to being created.

But in episode 11, “Daughter of Ferrix,” one thing in particular stood out: a new twist on a classic Star Wars move.

[Ed. note: Spoilers follow for Andor episode 11.]

Let’s cut to the chase: Luthen’s ship fucking wrecked an Imperial Cruiser!!!

To set the scene: On his way back from a secret meeting with fellow Rebel leader Saw Gerrera, Luthen is pulled over by space highway patrol — a Cantwell-class Arrestor Cruiser. Fun fact: This ship was designed originally for the entertainment industry. A New Hope But was the first to be seen. Solo.) The Imperial ship challenges Luthen on his identity and why he’s out here, warning him that there has been “partisan activity” in this sector.

After Luthen’s hastily thrown together Alderaanian ID is accepted (in a lovely little bit of on-the-fly Star Wars problem solving, as he continually stalls while fiddling with parts of his ship), he is still asked to accept their boarding. And that’s when things really pop off.

Image: Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd.

In Star Wars and other sci-fi media, you’ve seen plenty of spaceships stuck in tractor beams before — maybe you’ve seen some warp their way out. But I bet you haven’t seen a little Fondor Haulcraft just unload a bunch of projectiles that look like space needles at it, destroying the tractor beam completely and jetting away. It reminded us of The Itano Circus. Macross Plus. Whenever we’re reminded of that, it can only be a good thing.

This was a great moment in a show that finds most its excitement in more grounded moments. It also gave us a glimpse of some of the famous space battles. And it’s made all the better by the shocked expressions on the faces of the Imperial officers and soldiers on the Arrestor Cruiser, as this tiny ship bested their much bigger one.

Image: Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd.

Image: Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd.

It’s a tense scene, and one of the first times Luthen has been in any danger on Andor. It’s also representative of what makes Skarsgard’s portrayal of the character so compelling — how he can flip the switch from charmer to threat in an instant. He starts by trying to convince them he’s a trader from Alderaan, all the while preparing for an escape if he needs it. He convinces them but he needs to escape. In a stunning moment of sci-fi genius, he catches Arrestor Cruiser by surprise. “Small ship caught by a bigger ship” is a well-worn situation in the genre (and in Star Wars), but Andor Yet, we were surprised by a creative and innovative solution that the Underdog found. Also it looked cool as hell while doing it — after he destroys the tractor beam, Luthen shoots down a few TIE fighters and then destroys a few more with red lasers that shoot out of the side of his shape (much like if Darth Maul’s light saber was a haulcraft).

Image: Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd.

Luthen’s role in Andor His role as a resistance leader has been largely as one of delegator or manipulator. The Empire gets the benefit of his intelligence in this scene. It gives us new insight into his character as well as how he got there, as a Rebellion member and Coruscant. It’s typical to what’s made Andor So special: Meaningful character beats that help to create the Star Wars mythos and form the Rebellion. They are also fun to watch.