This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: Andor
In Star Wars: Andor episode 10, “One Way Out,” we spent quite a bit of time actually getting to know Robert Emms’ character Lonni Jung, an ISB supervisor who has been hanging in the background of the show since the fourth episode. While at first, it seemed that Lonni was meant to just warm a seat in scenes inside the ISB conference chamber, we finally learn the truth about the character in the latest episode. The Star Wars series reveals that this nondescript Imperial intelligence agent has been a Rebel mole all along, working for Luthen Rael. But that might be coming to an end, especially if the Empire discovers his true mission.
As the final scene shows, a nervous Lonni is now having second thoughts about helping Luthen, as the Empire closes in on Rebel leader Anto Kreegyr. Lonni meets with Luthen to warn him of the Empire’s trap in the hopes of saving Kreegyr and his crew. He supplies Luthen with this information as a final offering before backing out of Rebellion. But with a powerful monologue about sacrifice brilliantly delivered by Stellan Skarsgård, Luthen explains the facts of life to Lonni. Not only is Luthen willing to let Kreegyr’s men die on Spellhaus, he reassures Lonni that maintaining his position in the ISB and not arousing suspicion is more important than the men they will lose in the Empire’s ambush.
In the scene, Luthen also reveals his true identity to Lonnie for the first time in order to build trust, and series writer Beau Willimon recently broke down this moment with Screen Rant, saying, “It’s incredible, because you’re learning about Lonni Jung being a double agent, and the only way for Luthen to keep this moving forward and keep this guy on board is to give of himself. To finally allow him to see his face, which is a huge risk. To speak honestly, from the heart. You’re seeing him in the process of sacrifice and risk. And at the same moment that he’s talking about it, you see another guy who’s also taking great risks, and is willing to make sacrifices.” It’s another powerful moment in an episode where almost everyone has to decide who they can trust and how far they’re willing to go for a cause much bigger than any one person.
In other words, Lonni now has to come to terms with the fact that he’s become crucial part of the early Rebellion, and that the one way out for him will likely mean his death. We also learn that Lonni has a wife and daughter, immediately establishing the stakes for him were his treachery to be discovered by the other ISB officers. Now that we know where Lonni’s true allegiances lie, it makes perfect sense that he would want to appear as mediocre as possible during those ISB meetings, reporting in on his sector but never with the same fervor as Dedra. If he does too well and moves through ranks too quickly, he may not be able to help Luthen as effectively, but if he doesn’t do his job well enough, then he could make his superiors suspicious. He walks a fine line, as do all the other Rebels. At least he doesn’t have to wear a funny wig.
And if you were left wondering about Emms after the credits rolled on “One Way Out,” there’s a good chance you’ve seen the Lonni actor in a few other big-name genre films and TV shows. Interestingly enough, this isn’t even the first time that Skarsgård and Emms have been in a series together. Both actors starred in the 2019 HBO miniseries Chernobyl, in which Emms played the senior engineer of the titular nuclear plant. Emms has also appeared in the HBO series His Dark Materials as Thomas, a man who helps Carlo Boreal (Ariyon Bakare) track down John Parry (Andrew Scott) in season 1. He’s also appeared in several Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Kick Ass 2, and Mirror Mirror.
Star Wars: Andor is streaming now on Disney+.