Credit: LucasfilmIt seems like love is in the air for these two Andor characters as production continues on the show’s sophomore season. And if you think your relationship is toxic, well…
Showrunner Tony Gilroy delivered somewhat of an unexpected hit for Disney+ with Season 1 of his groundbreaking Star Wars spinoff, Andor. Taking place five years before the events of Rogue One (2016), the series follows the titular Rebel spy (played again by Diego Luna) as he slowly becomes entrenched in the fight against the Galactic Empire, culminating in his and Jyn Erso’s (Felicity Jones) heartbreaking sacrifice.
Although it failed to earn even a fraction of the viewership of other Star Wars TV shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett, Andor Season 1 was met with widespread critical acclaim, even landing Lucasfilm its first prestigious Peabody Award. It’s also the highest-budget Star Wars show to date and one of few to actually receive a Season 2 conformation on Disney+.
Andor introduced many new concepts to the galaxy far, far away, including blue cereal, Space Florida, overbearing moms, and even a particularly jarring moment involving sticky web traps that look a little too much like snot not to be kind of hilarious.
But even with all of this in mind, perhaps one of the weirder elements of Andor is the romantic tension between Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) lieutenant Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and ex-Preox Morlana Security Inspector-slash-perpetual mama’s boy, Syril Karn (Kyle Soller).
From the start, Dedra and Syril have had a strange, almost sexual chemistry based on their mutual love for fascist dictatorships. However, their partnership seems less concerned with “love” rather than power, with Syril likely using Dedra as a means to an end as he continues to push for a career with the ISB, even though he’s undoubtedly in awe of her strength. Meanwhile, Dedra sees Syril as a valuable source of information, or perhaps, something more, after he saved her life from an angry mob on Ferrix.
Syril has had a singular fascination with Dedra since she was initially tasked to investigate the incident on Ferrix, even though she clearly doesn’t see anything worthwhile in him. After his humbling dismissal from the Pre-Mor Authority, Syril places his twisted sense of worth on gaining Dedra’s approval, trying desperately to give her information about the budding Rebellion on Ferrix and the Empire’s Public Enemy No. 1, Cassian Andor.
Despite Dedra’s insistence that she does not, in fact, need Syril’s aid to help squash the insurrection on Ferrix, he persists and follows her as she and her security guards travel to Ferrix to monitor the funeral for Maarva (Fiona Shaw). Only then does he gain a glimmer of respect from the woman he’s spent months obsessing over, using his past experience of what a full breakdown of what law and order looks like to keep a level head after Maarva’s funeral goes wrong, pulling Dedra from a deadly crowd and bringing her to safety.
At the end of the Andor finale, Syril and Dedra share a particularly intense moment after Syril saves the ISB supervisor’s life, with Dedra bewildered and in shock at what’s just happened and Syril, who’s surprisingly able to provide an anchor of resolve and unshakable stability. The pair locks eyes for a long moment, with their faces just inches apart—hinting at a burgeoning and, generally, unexpected romance.
And now, it seems like speculation about the pair’s looming romance might have some real validity to it going into Season 2. Speaking as a guest on Entertainment Weekly’s Dagobah Dispatch podcast, Soller, Gough, and Bix Caleen actress Adria Arjona recently discussed a potential relationship between Syril and Dedra.
When asked if he thinks Syril “has a shot” with Dedra, Soller played coy, saying “I mean…” before dodging a direct answer, adding that he thinks “anybody would be lucky enough” to even sit across the table with Gough’s Andor character:
EW: Let’s get right down to it: do you think Syril actually has a shot with Dedra, and I’m not talking about a job.
Soller: Do I think Syril has a shot with Dedra? Look, I mean…
Gough: You should really be asking me that question.
Soller: The man has delusions of grandeur, which are not just located solely in the workspace. I think anybody would be lucky enough to even sit across the table with someone as incredible as Dedra Meero.
Stellan Skarsgård was grateful to be in #Andor out of all the #StarWars worlds. He talks more about that and how “exciting” it was to be on an actual set rather than a green screen on EW's #DagobahDispatch podcast: https://t.co/oU3NR1Lo1P pic.twitter.com/9MbkMcjJxB
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) June 15, 2023
Arjona then chimed in, saying that she disagreed with the notion, pointing to the scene where Dedra tortures Bix for information about Cassian. Stoller jokingly brushed it off, explaining that he thinks Syril won’t “stop until he gets what he wants” with Dedra:
Arjona: I disagree. You tortured me and I sat in front of you!
Gough: True, true.
Arjona: I like you, not Dedra.
Soller: Torture’s a strong word in this context… I’ve got high hopes for Syril. I believe in him. I think he doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants, so I’ll put it that way.
Gough: Yeah, why not? Why not? You say whatever you want. Are you asking me now?
Ultimately, Gough said that fans will just have to wait and see if sparks really are flying between Syril and Dedra, giving an unsatisfying answer to a question that will hopefully be addressed in Season 2:
Gough: Well, we’ll see. We’ll see. We’ll just have to see how he behaves himself. No, I don’t know. I don’t even know what answer I can give you about whether I think Syril can get with Dedra. Could anyone get with Dedra?
Soller: Could Dedra get with Dedra?
Gough: Dedra gets with Dedra.
Soller: Yeah, maybe that’s the thing.
Based on their remarks, it looks like Dedra and Syril shippers might finally get the canon romance they’ve been dreaming of. However, on the other hand, it could easily go the other way, with Dedra not reciprocating Syril’s feelings, or perhaps even betraying him in favor of climbing the Imperial ladder. Either way, it looks like trouble is on the horizon for this ill-fated Star Wars couple.
All will be revealed when Andor Season 2 hits Disney+ in 2024.
Do you ship Syril and Dedra? What do you think of their actors’ recent comments? Let us know in the comments below.