Slow Horses Season 6's Villain Played The Most Underrated Star Wars Character

"Slow Horses" Season 6 kicks things off with a brutal new conspiracy as former members of the Slough House team get picked off one by one by a pair of assassins. One of these formidable killers, known only as "Jim," is played by Kyle Soller. He brings a chilling atmosphere to the top British spy show, but his talents aren't too surprising since he played the most underrated "Star Wars" character.

We're referring, of course, to Syril Karn in "Andor" (a series that lands in the middle among our ranking of every "Star Wars" TV show). He goes from being a lowly deputy inspector for a private security firm that couldn't care less about him to being an instrument in the Empire's brutal genocide on the planet Ghorman in aid of building the Death Star. Karn is often overlooked compared to other characters in the franchise because he's very quiet and withdrawn. He doesn't have a cool sidekick or a lightsaber, but he does have severe mommy issues, and a false belief in the Empire's steely grip on the galaxy.

Karn's key role in both seasons of "Andor" comes down to his obsession with catching Cassian (Diego Luna). While the rebel's side of the story ultimately helps bring down the Death Star, Karn's character arc helps build the weapon in the first place. His importance to the "Star Wars" franchise is incredibly overlooked, and it comes down to the symbiotic character arc between the two characters.

Syril Karn is fascinating because without Cassian Andor, he wouldn't have become such a key asset to Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and the Empire. Season 1 starts with Cassian killing two officers whom Karn works with when they attempt to arrest him on false charges, and he becomes obsessed with catching the future rebel spy.

Ironically, Karn's pursuit forces Andor into working with the rebels more heavily, but his escape only pushes Karn to hunt for him more feverishly. His weird, romantic relationship with Meero is born out of their joint investigation into Andor and Rael. But she manipulates Karn into becoming an Imperial spy on Ghorman so the Empire can strip mine its resources for its infamous weapon. It's the second time he's used by an entity that doesn't really care about him.

It's on the ill-fated planet that Karn's arc becomes even more tragic, because while being embedded with some members of the underground Ghorman resistance group, he starts to become sympathetic to their cause. The massacre in the Palmo Plaza completely shatters his belief in the Empire as he realizes that he's been driven by hate this entire time. 

His entire storyline is essentially about how easy it is to blindly fall into the perils of fascism. The tragic epiphany is ultimately the death of Karn, as he gets shot by one of the resistance members while he scuffles with Andor in the chaos on Ghorman. Kyle Soller brings such an incredible amount of depth to the character, which makes him a welcome addition as the "Slow Horses" Season 6 villain.