Warning! This article contains spoilers for Andor season 2.

A major death from movies in Star Wars' chronological order while others, like Dedra, Syril, Luthen, and Kleya, may not.

By the time of best Star Wars TV show alive. One of these deaths was a massive moment in one of the show's best episodes, yet Tony Gilroy had to fight to keep it as it was.

Syril's Death Caused A Lot Of Controversy For Tony Gilroy

Specifically For A Line Right Before It Took Place

The death in question was Syril Karn's. In Andor season 2, episode 8, which depicted Star Wars' Ghorman Massacre, Syril undergoes a massive change. Near the climax of the episode, Syril's complex feelings funnel into a blind rage when he sees Cassian, the object of his obsession that began his journey to becoming an Imperial worker. The two face off in a huge fight before Cassian eventually asks "Who are you?" Syril slowly lowers his blaster at this question before he is shot in the head by a member of the Ghorman Front.

In a live-streamed Q&A posted on Star Wars' YouTube channel, and hosted by Screen Rant's own Ash Crossan, Gilroy revealed that he had to fight some higher-ups for Cassian's "Who are you?" line to make it into the episode. Given that this line gave Andor season 2, episode 8 its name, Gilroy pushed back, revealing that he shot alternate versions of the death scene, but that he remained stalwart in his decision to keep Cassian's line in the final cut:

“I had to really fight for that line, there was a lot of controversy about that. I told them, I’m naming the episode ‘Who Are You?’ I pushed all my chips on that. There were a lot of phone calls about that… I was very clear... My call to him was like, ‘You can get all the alts you want, but I know what I’m going [with] when I get in the cutting room."

Evidently, Gilroy was never going to budge on his decision. Regardless of how much pressure he faced from above, presumably due to the line's subversion of traditional hero-villain storytelling, Gilroy was adamant the line was making it into Andor season 2, episode 8.

"Who Are You?" Defined Syril's Life & Death

The Line Was Vastly Important To Syril's Character

Perhaps the most intriguing thing about this situation is how important the line "Who are you?" is to the episode and to Syril's character arc. Therefore, it is somewhat baffling that higher-ups at Lucasfilm fought to have it changed. As already mentioned, Cassian's question to Syril is the name of the episode, encapsulating one of the best hours of Star Wars ever told, of which a great portion was dedicated to Syril. Syril's arc throughout the episode saw him coming to with the fact that he had been used as a pawn by the Empire and by Dedra.

Syril's actions, of which he was not told the true end goal, led to the deaths of hundreds of Ghormans in the Ghorman Massacre. Syril felt completely and utterly used and betrayed by a regime he had spent his life idolizing and a woman he thought loved him. This betrayal led to disillusionment, all while he had to reckon with the idea that innocent people around him were dying senselessly because of his actions. At that moment, Syril's entire life became a lie and he began questioning who he was.

Syril was a tragic figure as he was a nobody...

In the end, Syril was a tragic figure as he was a nobody. He did not matter to the Empire, as evidenced by its betrayal of him, he did not matter to the Ghormans, and, most importantly, he did not matter to Cassian, who was the vehicle for his ascension into the ISB's spotlight. Despite channeling all of these feelings into rage against Cassian, the latter asked him a question that made sense for Cassian on a surface level, but completely defined Syril's life and his death: "Who are you?" Syril did not know.

​​​​​​There Was No Better Way To End Syril's Star Wars Story

For Several Reasons

For all of these complex thematic ways that Cassian's one question applies to Syril, there was truly no better way to end his story. Syril did some terrible things, yes, but the reveal that he was tricked and deceived into a lot of them - combined with his palpable grief, guilt, and remorse in the end - made him an incredibly tragic Star Wars figure. The question "Who are you?" typified that beyond all else, proving exactly why Tony Gilroy fought his hardest to keep the line in Andor season 2, episode 8.