The following contains spoilers for Andor Season 1, Episode 4, "Aldhani," now streaming on Disney+.
Andor is bringing a grittier, more grounded vision of the Star Wars universe to life. Far from the larger-than-life heroes and the mystical struggle between Jedi and Sith, the characters of Andor live at the ground level of the galaxy, existing mostly in the cracks in the Empire's bureaucracy. However, while Andor's characters are understated and its world is less fantastical than Star Wars fans are used to seeing, the Force unites all things in the galaxy and there may be more to one new character than meets the eye.
The Force users that have previously been introduced to Star Wars canon have tended to be either Jedi, Sith or Inquisitors. Even those that don't belong to any such group have generally been intimidating and immensely powerful beings, such as the Bendu in Star Wars Rebels or the Ones on Mortis in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. However, there are presumably Force-sensitive denizens of the galaxy whose powers are never fully nurtured or realized. One such character may have just cropped up in Andor Episode 4, "Aldhani."
Andor Has a New Rebel With a Cause
The fourth episode of Andor sees Diego Luna's Cassian Andor agreeing to take on a mission against the Empire at the behest of Stellan Skarsgård's Luthen Rael. Arriving on Aldhani, Cassian soon discovers that he will not be working with Luthen on this mission, but with a local band of rebels who have been supported and organized by Luthen. Their leader, Faye Marsay's Vel Sartha, is reluctant to bring Cassian onto the team so soon before their mission. Many of her fellow rebels agree, but one member of the team has a good feeling about this.
Karis Nemik, portrayed by Alex Lawther, is the youngest member of Vel's team and the only one to instinctively trust Cassian. When the rebels are discussing this late addition to their ranks, Karis speaks up in his defense: "He's committed. I feel that," he says. This conviction seems to be a good enough reason to trust Cassian, not only for Karis, but for the other rebels as well. This is, of course, juxtaposed with ISB Supervisor Dedra Meero being told the Empire cannot operate on the basis of "gut instinct." While it shows the rebels are more trusting of their emotions than the cold and calculating Empire, there may be a good reason this particular team places so much stock in Karis' feeling.
Andor Could Introduce Non-Jedi, Non-Sith Force Users
The last Star Wars film to hit the big screen was 2019's The Rise of Skywalker, which made a point of identifying the influence of the Force as "a feeling." It's hard not to hear these words echoed in Karis Nemik's innate faith in Cassian Andor, and it is possible Karis is Force-sensitive. Of course, he has never been trained in the ways of the Jedi, and isn't likely to have any significant Force powers -- assuming he even knows what the Force is. Still, he seems to be aware that his senses and intuition are more finely attuned than is typical. The trust the group seems to place in Karis suggests they are aware he is far more perceptive than most, and can perhaps even recognize that he is in touch with some form of higher power.
While Andor's tone and less fantastical approach to the world of Star Wars would seem to be at odds with the idea of including any Force-sensitive characters, the series' grounded sensibility may actually make it the perfect place to introduce a character of this nature. By staying far away from the realm of the Jedi and the Sith, Andor can explore how the Force may be experienced in other corners of the galaxy, where it is not understood even by those in whom it reveals itself. As good and evil are an integral part of the flow of the Force in the Star Wars universe, a low-level Force-sensitive character could act as a vital moral compass in Andor's early days of the Rebellion.
New episodes of Andor debut Wednesdays on Disney+.