Syril Karn

On the planet Coruscant, a Core Worlds hub, Syril Karn was born a human male under the care of his stern mother, Eedy Karn. He also had an uncle, Harlo, who wielded considerable sway in the politics of Coruscant, where Karn spent his formative years. From 22 BBY to 19 BBY, during Karn's late teens and early twenties, the galaxy was embroiled in the Clone Wars. During this conflict, the Galactic Republic deployed an army composed of clone troopers and underwent a transformation into the Galactic Empire. Karn possessed several clone trooper action figures, which he left behind in his childhood bedroom when he departed to join the Pre-Mor Enforcement, the tactical arm of the corporate entity Preox-Morlana within the Morlani system. Following his employment, Karn relocated to Morlana One, the location of the Corporate Security Headquarters.

He maintained a distance from his mother, offering vague invitations for her to visit, which she interpreted as a lack of genuine interest. She never took him up on the offer, and they remained apart until 5 BBY. Karn demonstrated a higher level of dedication to his duties compared to his Pre-Mor colleagues, eventually attaining the position of Deputy Inspector. To mark this achievement, he had his uniform altered for a tighter fit and embellished it with additional pockets and decorative piping.

In his capacity as Deputy Inspector, the then thirty-five-year-old Karn assumed responsibility for a case involving the deaths of two Pre-Mor security officers near the Leisure Zone on Morlana One. Karn meticulously prepared a report for his superior, noting that an employee of the brothel where the officers were last seen had witnessed a man in a heated exchange with them.

Chief Inspector Hyne, preparing for an Imperial Regional Command security briefing, dismissed Karn's eagerness to investigate. He cited the problematic history of one of the deceased and their violation of multiple Enforcement regulations by being in a restricted zone. Hyne instructed Karn to fabricate an accident report portraying the officers as having died heroically. However, after Hyne's departure, Karn persisted with the investigation. He identified a suspicious vessel leaving Morlana One and tasked the communications officer with tracking its destination throughout the night. He also summoned witnesses to Security headquarters. A hostess reported that the man the officers argued with was inquiring about a woman from Kenari.

Upon discovering the suspect's vessel had traveled to Ferrix, Karn directed his officers to locate individuals from Kenari residing there. He expressed frustration upon learning the last Imperial census was six years prior. He ordered his officers to broadcast an alert across Ferrix's communication channels, seeking information about a suspect from Kenari. Following a tip from Timm Karlo, a local, identifying the suspect as Cassian Jeron Andor, Karn's officers retrieved Andor's image and matched it to their records. Karn then had the brothel employee confirm Andor's identity, solidifying him as the prime suspect.

After identifying Andor as his target, Karn contacted Sergeant Linus Mosk, the leader of a Pre-Mor security Inspection team. Karn was impressed by Mosk's enthusiasm for capturing Andor, finally finding a like-minded individual who shared his dedication to duty. Mosk suggested they lead a twelve-man team to Ferrix to apprehend Andor immediately. Karn concurred, and they departed on a Preox-Morlana personnel carrier with twelve officers to arrest Andor on Ferrix.

During the journey to Ferrix, Mosk briefed his team, warning them of Andor's likely armed and dangerous status. Karn then delivered an awkward and uninspired speech to the team. Upon arriving at Ferrix, Mosk and Karn attempted to serve the arrest warrant to Andor's adoptive mother, Maarva Andor. However, upon discovering Andor's absence, the Pre-Mor soldiers ransacked Maarva's home to force her to reveal Andor's location. This action angered many locals, including Maarva's friends and those who disapproved of the mistreatment of an elderly woman by security officers. Initially indifferent to the Pre-Mor corpos, the townspeople began to turn against them, sabotaging their efforts by triggering alarms and removing street signs to disorient the soldiers.

Eventually, Andor and his new ally Luthen Rael were located, but they managed to escape after Rael detonated explosive charges in the warehouse where they met, injuring several Pre-Mor soldiers. Hearing reports of Andor and Rael approaching, Karn, Mosk, and the remaining Pre-Mor security officers attempted to set up an ambush along the street they anticipated the pair would use.

However, as Karn positioned himself, he was ambushed and disarmed by Andor and Rael, who emerged from a hidden tunnel. Under threat, Karn quickly revealed the number of corpos in the Pre-Mor security team. Despite Rael's urging to kill Karn, Andor instead gagged and hogtied him, taking his weapon and leaving him in a nearby residence. Another Pre-Mor security officer soon discovered and freed Karn. Upon exiting, Karn saw a speeder departing and, assuming it carried Andor and Rael, ordered all Pre-Mor soldiers to fire upon it. After disabling the speeder, Karn was shocked to see a second speeder carrying Rael and Andor to safety. The first speeder, rigged with explosives, detonated, causing further casualties and injuries among the Pre-Mor security officers. Stunned by the loss of life and the situation, Karn stared blankly as Sergeant Mosk tried to rally his men for evacuation. Mosk urged Karn to evacuate, and when Karn remained unresponsive, Mosk screamed in his face to get his attention. When even this failed, Mosk was forced to physically drag Karn to the evacuation craft.

Karn, Mosk, and Hyne were summoned to a meeting with ISB Supervisor Lieutenant Blevin, the Imperial Security Bureau officer overseeing the sector containing the Morlani system. Blevin harshly criticized the three for their incompetence, declaring the incident the worst corporate security failure he had witnessed. He singled out Karn, stating that his only consolation should be that he would not be replaced because the Empire was dissolving all corporate security in the Morlani system and assuming direct control. Karn was subsequently fired and returned home to his mother in disgrace. Initially, his mother slapped him before embracing him in tears and welcoming him back home.

Traumatized by the Ferrix incident, Karn retreated to his childhood bedroom, devoid of hope and motivation for a fresh start. He declined his mother's offers to seek assistance from his uncle Harlo in finding employment, instead fixating on a hologram of the fugitive Cassian Andor. Despite his reluctance, his mother contacted Harlo, who secured Karn a position in the Imperial Bureau of Standards. Three days after his return to Coruscant, Karn visited the bureau and accepted a mundane office job in the Fuel Purity department.

During his initial week within the Fuel Purity department, Karn filed six reports concerning Cassian Andor, falsely identifying him as a missing fuel specialist, an unresponsive energy engineer, and a fuel purity field officer suspected of falsifying Imperial reports. These fabricated reports caught the attention of ISB Supervisor Dedra Meero, who summoned Karn for questioning. Karn explained his attempts to utilize his limited authority to track down the individual responsible for the Ferrix debacle and restore his reputation. This revelation led the ISB to identify Andor as a participant in the heist on Aldhani and an accomplice of the "Axis," a suspected network of rebel cells throughout the galaxy. Karn was allowed to review Blevin's report and offer corrections.

Karn discovered numerous inconsistencies in Blevin's signed report and subsequently attempted to more accurately identify the "Axis." Ultimately, Karn offered Meero his cooperation in the pursuit of a criminal and murderer, but Meero declined, advising him to disregard their meeting and cease filing false reports about Andor.

Shortly after the interrogation, Karn returned to the Bureau of Standards, where he was promoted by his boss for "a service rendered to the Empire." During a conversation with his mother, he was outraged that she had secretly began to spy on him, although she was unhappy with such a reproach from Karn, and framed it as him being ungrateful for all she'd done for him. Karn was not deterred by his addiction to Meero, and sometimes he stopped near the ISB Central Office in the hope of seeing her and continuing their conversation.

Upon finally meeting Meero, he expressed his sincere gratitude, as well as the revival of his dream of the possibility of justice and beauty in the galaxy, inspired by her. Despite the fact that Meero categorically replied to him that she was not responsible for his promotion and indicated only an attempt to clear his name, Karn was filled with her and saw in her a person capable of reviving his life. Meero warned Karn that he was creating problems for himself by meeting with the ISB supervisor, and threatened him with arrest when he tried to continue their conversation and tried to stop her by grabbing her arm. Karn stopped thoughtfully and slightly smiled after Meero left their place of conversation on her way to the ISB meeting.

One night, Karn received a vidcall from Mosk, who had learned from a reliable source that Andor's mother had died of natural causes. Karn and Mosk deduced that Andor would likely return to Ferrix for the funeral. Karn secretly resolved to go there in hopes of finally arresting him. After waiting for his mother to leave their apartment, Karn took some credits from his personal strongbox and prepared to leave Coruscant.

After chartering a flight off world, Karn met back with Mosk, and the two headed to Ferrix disguised as salvagers. After taking a shuttle ferry to the hotel, they arrived just in time to witness the funeral procession on Rix Road. Karn recognized Meero who was also present on the planet, as the Empire had set its own trap for Andor. Tensions between the Imperials and the townspeople eventually came to a head, and Karn noticed Wilmon Paak arming a bomb and throwing it towards the Imperials. Before the bomb had even reached its targets, Karn had already rushed past the Imperial checkpoint and towards Meero, hoping to save her from the blast, but instead found himself in the epicenter with N-20 Baradium-core thermal detonators exploding all around him. With all his would-be pursuers fighting to survive in the riot, Andor successfully infiltrated the interior of the Imperial base to rescue Bix Caleen, encountering minimal resistance.

With the escort providing security for Meero killed by Andor during the aforementioned rescue, Meero was nearly overwhelmed by the rioters, dragged to the ground and hit on the head with a brick. Karn immediately sprung into action, grabbing her weapon and posing as a protestor, dragging her to a nearby warehouse, rescuing her. Rattled by the incident, as soon as he closed the door Meero grabbed a tool from a nearby rack and attempted to slit his throat with it, realizing in the last second who he was. Shocked, she asked him where he had come from, with Karn merely saying that he saw her being in trouble. Still shocked, Meero finally thanked him. Karn simply responded there was no need.

Kyle Soller embodies Syril Karn. His debut was in Andor, with an initial glimpse in a LEGO set unveiling at Celebration Anaheim. The Walt Disney Company first displayed his live-action portrayal in promotional images via Getty Images.

Writer Tony Gilroy deliberately infused Karn with complexities to evoke empathy, aiming to blur the lines between hero and villain. In November 2019, at the writers' room, Gilroy shared his extensive vision for Karn's character arc. Beau Willimon noted the engaging nature of discussing and writing Karn, particularly focusing on his relationship with his mother. Karn's Pre-Mor uniform was designed to reflect his meticulous nature and yearning for order. Soller, in discussions with Gilroy, expressed curiosity about Karn's ultimate fate, recognizing the character's potential for both good and evil. Gilroy admitted uncertainty, but Soller trusted him to guide Karn's trajectory. Soller also felt that Gilroy allowed Karn to "breathe within this unknown," and Karn lacked the development or emotional acuity to achieve what he wants. Soller was captivated by the moral ambiguity Gilroy included in the series. He believed that Karn is the hero of his journey because he does what he thinks is the right thing. He liked how Karn was three-dimensional and had a lot of gray area, speculating that the character could stay with the Empire or defect to the rebellion.

Soller characterized Karn as methodical and meticulous, using his OCD to emphasize his need to control his environment. The actor considered Karn's OCD a fitting trait, aligning with the effectiveness of detectives with similar tendencies. Soller consistently portrayed Karn as lacking a clear understanding of boundaries, with a deep well of anxiety and frustration beneath his composed exterior. Soller believed Karn did not really take in others' lives or thoughts, only properly doing this when he gave a speech to members of Pre-Mor Enforcement in the episode "Reckoning." Soller and Eedy Karn's actress, Kathryn Hunter, collaborated on a backstory for Karn's absent father, imagining his departure as abrupt and acrimonious, influencing Eedy's parenting style. Soller believed that Eedy's anger, grief, disappointment, and frustration with him leaving filtered into Karn. Soller had all of his costumes tailored for him.

The Ferrix scenes were shot on a detailed set in Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire. Tony Gilroy stated that all Ferrix scenes were filmed first. When Soller first met Denise Gough, Dedra Meero's actress, and they filmed their scenes together, the actors tried to match each others' level of ambition and intensity. Soller felt that Karn did not feel seen and recognized until he met Meero. Director Toby Haynes wanted Karn to be someone the audience could empathize with as he believes the scariest villain is one who thinks they are doing the right thing. He figured that showing that in three dimensions would make the audience think about what it takes to be a good guy.