Who Is Kino Loy In ‘Star Wars: Andor’?

Andy Serkis as Kino Loy

Image Source: Cine Dope

It was a welcome surprise to see seasoned actor Andy Serkis make an appearance in Andor. Serkis has an extensive resume that includes on-screen acting and voice acting. In the Star Wars universe, he made his debut as Supreme Leader Snoke. Now, he returns to Star Wars as Kino Loy.

When viewers were first introduced to Kino, he was the floor leader of the prisoners on Narkina 5, tasked with building things for the Empire day in and day out. Kino himself is a prisoner, but he gets the “glamorous” position of being the other prisoners’ boss. He establishes his expectations and the consequences of failing him right off the bat. Kino comes across as selfish and unconcerned with the lives of the other inmates, telling Cassian he has 249 days left on his sentence and he will be damned if Cassian messes that up for him.

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In his interview with Collider, Serkis goes further into Kino’s backstory, and how he sees Kino as a shop steward who fought for workers’ rights and unionization within the Empire. Serkis does not specify the specific charge Kino was arrested for, but as is typical of right-wing fascist regimes, the Empire will be stringently anti-union and abusive of labor rights. It is no surprise that he was taken in by the Empire. Whatever his charge, it is clear by the time he meets Cassian in prison that he has lost that spark to help others and just wants to do his time and get out. 

However, that quickly changes when rumors of an entire floor being killed reached his ear and it was confirmed by another floor leader. The foundations of his in-prison persona were shaken when he learned the truth that a prisoner had earned their freedom, only to be transferred to another floor. To prevent the secret from being revealed to the entire prison, the guards execute the whole floor. The final piece clicked for Kino. It was visible on his face and then in his voice when he told Cassian how many guards there were on each floor.

Kino decides to tell Cassian about the number of guards in Narkina 5

Image Source: Daily Dot

It is evident that Kino has gone back to caring for others and is on board with the obvious break-out that Andor is planning to carry out. This scenario brings fans’ fear to the forefront. Some are beginning to worry that Serkis’ new character will go the route of Snoke and die too early. It’s a warranted concern, as Kino’s arc is one of the strongest ones in the series thus far. It has been revealed that one of the other characters from Rogue One, Melshi, is in the prison with Cassian, so the groundwork is laid that they will get out somehow. There is still hope that Kino will make it out too.

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