‘Andor’ Demands That You Actually Know What Rhydonium Is

At the end of Andor season 2, episode 5, Star Wars The much-loved rebel character Saw Gerrera, played by Forest Whitaker, gives a passionate speech concerning... inhaling vapours?

It’s true. Saw convinces Wilmon Paak (Muhannad Bhaier) to breathe in a dangerous amount of a gas called Rhydonium as they prepare to bomb an Imperial pipeline in season 2. He tells the young rebel that his extremist faction is “the fuel for the thing when there’s too much friction in the air.” Sounds like Saw is a bit too high on his own supply. But what is Rhydonium exactly, and why is Saw so obsessed with it?

As my colleague Brady Langmann found out in the fourth episode of Esquire’s series, Rhydonium essentially serves as rocket fuel. Its poisonous vapours are not only combustible but also very hazardous when inhaled. This could explain why Saw has a tracheostomy tube along with an apparatus reminiscent of Darth Vader’s respirator by this point. Rogue One: A Star Wars Tale it rolls around. Nevertheless, this makes Rhydonium an ideal component for explosive substances.

Later, Saw reveals that as a child, he was compelled to labour at a facility extracting the gas. The radiation levels were extremely high, causing people’s clothing to disintegrate and resulting in severe skin irritation. "It was from the Rhydo," he states. "There was a leakage. It could be sensed before being smelled. Everyone got scared and fled, but I hadn’t experienced anything like this before."

It's evident from Saw's fixation on Rhydonium that the vapours have an addictive quality. It appears that Saw himself is thoroughly engrossed. "I get it," he mutters whilst inhaling the scent of the fumes. "Rhydo is my sibling, and she holds dear to me... Can you sense just how intensely she yearns for release?"

Thereupon, Saw manages to persuade Wilmon to team up with him. "A revolution isn’t meant for those who are rational," he goes on. "None of us will live to see the return of the Republic, but still... look at us now! You're here and you're prepared to battle!" Inhale the scent of gunpowder, lad; this is the rebellion! Wilmon catches a whiff of the Rhydo and instantly experiences an out-of-body sensation. Guess revolution really is quite the intoxicant.