Who is Andy Serkis playing in Andor? New Star Wars character Kino Loy explained

Andy Serkis surprised us with an appearance in Andor Season 1, and his character won our hearts by the end. Here’s everything we know about his latest Star Wars character, Kino Loy.

Star Wars has a knack for attracting some of the finest actors around. In fact, Andy Serkis came back for seconds when he joined the Andor cast.

Andor is almost definitely the best TV show to come from a galaxy far, far away, and we cannot contain our excitement for Andor Season 2.

One of the highlights of the first season was seeing Andy Serkis pop up in Andor. But, who does he play exactly, and what is Kino Loy all about?

Who does Andy Serkis play in Andor?

Andy Serkis plays Kino Loy in Andor, a prison inmate in charge of productivity on board the Narkina 5 facility.

Kino Loy is a brand new character that we’ve never seen or heard of in any Star Wars movies before. He’s also one of the most fascinating characters to emerge from the franchise in quite some time.

He comes into contact with Cassian Andor as they both work and stay on Level 5 of the facility. As the day shift manager, Kino is loyal to his captors, but eventually sees the light and allies himself with Cassian.

What happened to Kino Loy in Andor Season 1?

Kino Loy gradually realized he is nothing more than a slave to the Empire in his role on Narkina 5. As a result he decided to spearhead the rebellion of the prisoners alongside Cassian Andor.

At first, Kino takes his position as day shift manager very seriously. He is incredibly hard on the rest of the prisoners under his care. In fact, he actively represses Cassian and the others initially, and finds the idea of escape or rebellion completely reprehensible.

When Kino and Cassian learn that a prisoner was released from one level and returned to another just days later, and as they witness the horrors of the brutal regime on board Narkina 5, Kino’s worldview shifts. By the end of the prison arc, Kino rallies the prisoners to take over the facility and escape.

While Cassian and the other prisoners manage to swim to safety, unfortunately, Kino cannot swim and it seems he stays behind on the facility.

Kino Loy’s speech explained

Kino Loy is behind one of the greatest moments in Star Wars history, as he delivers a stirring speech over the Narkina 5 intercom system to incite a rebellion within the prison. This monologue became famous for its “One way out” rallying cry.

You can watch that moment in the video above (and you really should). This is Kino Loy’s realization that he’s been a pawn to the Empire, wasting his life helping his captors when he could have been leading the other prisoners to escape.

Here is the full speech, because it would be rude not to share it:

“How long we hang on, how far we get, how many of us make it out, that is up to us. We have deactivated every floor in the facility. All floors are cold. Wherever you are right now, get up, stop the work. Get out of your cells, take charge and start climbing.

“They don’t have enough guards and they know it. If we wait until they figure that out, it’ll be too late. We will never have a better chance than this. I would rather die trying to take them down than giving them what they want.

“They fried a hundred men on Level Two. We know they are making up our sentences as we go along. We know that no one outside here knows what’s happening. And now we know, when they say we’re being released, we are transferred to another prison to go and die. That ends today!

“There is one way out. Right now, the building is ours. You need to run, climb, kill! You need to help each other. If you see someone confused, someone who is lost, you get them moving and keep them moving until we put this place behind us. There are 5,000 of us. If we can fight half as hard as we’ve been working, we will be home in no time.

“One way out!”

This speech inspires the other prisoners to realize that, together, they are far stronger than their oppressors. The prisoners storm the facility as a result of Kino’s incredible speech, and the rest is history.

Is Kino Loy still alive?

Andy Serkis’ time in Andor comes to a heart-wrenching end, as Kino Loy explains he can’t swim and will have to stay behind on Narkina 5. But, the character is seemingly returning for Andor Season 2, so he must be alive.

Exactly how Kino Loy will return is unclear at this stage, and we’ll probably have to wait until Andor Season 2’s release on Disney Plus to find out.

Our best guess is, Kino stayed on Narkina 5 and was severely reprimanded by the Empire for his role in the prison break. If so, we will likely see Kino under even more extreme captivity in Andor Season 2, but hopefully Cassian will come and rescue him.

Are Kino Loy and Supreme Leader Snoke connected?

Kino Loy and Supreme Leader Snoke are two entirely separate characters. They just happen to both be played by Andy Serkis, in live-action and through motion capture, respectively.

When we see Andy Serkis in Andor, it’s the first time the actor has technically shown his face in the franchise. However, he portrayed Supreme Leader Snoke in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi using motion capture technology.

Supreme Leader Snoke was killed by Kylo Ren in The Last Jedi. The voice of Snoke voice was heard in The Rise of Skywalker, and it was revealed in that movie that Snoke was simply one of many clones Emperor Palpatine had been creating over his years in exile.

That’s all we’ve got on what Andy Serkis gets up to in Andor and Kino Loy’s journey, for now. For more from Star Wars, check out what we know about The Acolyte, the Mandalorian and Grogu movie, and all the other upcoming Star Wars movies. If you’re desperate for something to watch right now, here are all the new TV shows streaming this month.