Famously, guys don’t always have the best reactions to things in Star Wars. So it shouldn’t surprise you that there are men online who don’t know how to interact with Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) as a character.
I have never watched a Star Wars property and felt compassion or any kind of kind emotion for those who work for the Empire. Even if they are “unaware” of what the Empire has planned, they still have seen the decline in freedom throughout the galaxy! So they’re not making the choice to work for the Empire without knowing who these people are. Which is why I’ve always known that Syril, Dedra (Denise Gough), and more are not characters to root for?
And yet here we are. “Fans” of Star Wars watched Andor and decided to have some off the rails takes on Syril. Pajiba found comments from these so-called “fans” and they are disturbing, to say the least. Many saw Syril’s attack on Dedra as a “romantic moment” akin to when Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) Force-choked Padmé (Natalie Portman) as he turned to the Dark Side. The user in question seemed to think it was a sign that Syril was no longer held back by his “female-dominated effete and repressed personality.”
They connected his anger towards Cassian as some sort of connection back to Dedra (and not that Syril has been obsessed with Cassian Andor for two seasons now) and tried to say that his final battle is him free of the oppression that women like Dedra and his mother had on him. Oh and they think this man who can barely talk to people was sleeping with Enza Rylanz.
Another user said that Syril’s response to what was going on during the Ghorman massacre made them feel for him. “In the Gorman massacre episode we finally see the side of Syril who is completely fed up, off the rails and doesn’t give a sh*t anymore. I was frankly amazed at how physically strong he was running on pure charged adrenaline. Dedra and Andor caught his rage! It’s a super tragic arc and so well written. By his death in the square I really felt for him.”
You should not feel bad for him!
Syril is a perfect example of the kind of men who willingly work for the Empire. He’s someone who did not care what the Empire did and the only time he showed “remorse” was when he was in the middle of it. Syril’s anger came from Dedra lying to him, not because he disagreed with what the Empire was doing. He’s the epitome of what an “incel” is and he’s not someone to feel bad for.
Watching his destruction was what made that episode so good. We watched the Empire lie, hurt people and flip the narrative, and we watched as even their most loyal of followers suffered because of it. Syril dying as Cassian (Diego Luna) said that he didn’t know him was a glorious finale to this character because he’s not someone to feel bad for.
It is not surprising that we constantly have to tell these kinds of “fans” that you shouldn’t want to be like Syril Karn but it is exhausting.
(via Pajiba, featured image: Disney+)
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