What Is That Crystal Necklace From Andor Episode 4?

There will be spoilers for "Andor" Episode IV.

In the fourth episode of "Andor," Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) drops Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) on the remote world of Aldhani where he is expected to take part in a heist to steal from the Empire. The mission is dangerous and could well cost Cassian his life, but it could make him a substantial amount of money, far more than Luthen had offered for the mysterious Starpath unit they lost in the previous episode. As collateral, Luthen gives Cassian a crystal necklace and he calls it a Kuati Signet and that it was a relic of the Rakatan Invaders.

What exactly does that mean?

Kuat is a place in the "Star Wars" universe renowned for their shipyards and shipbuilding abilities. According to Imperial defector Everi Chalis in the novel "Battlefront: Twilight Company" it was the chief site for the construction of Imperial Star Destroyers. It's a vital spot in the history of "Star Wars", too, stretching back to the old West End Star Wars Roleplaying Game from the '80s.

The necklace itself is made of Kyber crystal. The first necklace we saw on screen made of Kyber crystals may very well have been Jyn Erso's necklace in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." For those who aren't aware, Kyber crystals are what power the lightsabers of the Jedi, but they're also brutally mined across the galaxy to create the Death Star's planet killing weapon.

Luthen talks of the significance of the necklace and its ties to the Rakatan Invaders. This is a deep cut from the Legends of "Star Wars" canon. They first appeared in the game "Knights of the Old Republic" and were one of the first spacefaring species in the "Star Wars" universe. Unfortunately, they were corrupted by the dark side of the Force and conquered planets across the galaxy. They would strip planets of their resource, conquer people, and occupy their worlds, much like British colonialism. The Rakata themselves were fish-like creatures who hailed from the planet Lehon in the Unknown Regions.

Fortunately, in the Legends timeline, their Empire faded 25,000 years before the battle of Yavin. The remnants of their collapsed society was the key Darth Revan needed to invade the Republic.

With Luthen canonizing at least the idea that the Rakata marauded the galaxy, it's a fun nod to the fans of the "Knights of the Old Republic" video game.

For Cassian, the necklace isn't worth anywhere near as much as the job and none of this matters very much, but Luthen assures him that it has a lot of sentimental value to him. With Luthen's mysterious nature and status as an art dealer on Coruscant, we're left to wonder if this crystal necklace is even more important than he's letting on. Cassian takes the collateral nonetheless and it stands to reason that the broader significance of the necklace will be revealed in future episodes.

New episodes of "Andor" premiere on Wednesdays on Disney+.