Although the critically-acclaimed Andor spotlights Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor approximately half a decade before the events of Rogue One, for the first six episodes of this new Star Wars show, the only other established character who’d appeared is Genevieve O’Reilly’s Mon Mothma. That changed with the latest episode, “Announcement,” though only Disney+ subscribers who are fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and/or Star Wars Rebels are likely to have recognized this individual. Folks, we have another Wullf Yularen sighting!
In the opening minutes of “Announcement,” Colonel Wulff Yularen, played by Casino Royale and V for Vendetta actor Malcolm Sinclair, is shown speaking before the top brass of the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB), informing them of how the Empire will be responding in the aftermath of the heist that took place on Aldhani, including levying a tribute tax five times the amount that was stolen “on any sector harboring partisan activity,” as well as “the use of any local custom, festival or tradition as cover for rebel activity” triggering “immediate revocation of Imperial tolerance.” Yularen concluded his address by sharing that steps were being taken to enact harsher punishments against any criminal act directed at the Empire, be it directly or indirectly.
For those of you who enjoy watching the Star Wars movies in order and the live-action shows, but haven’t checked out any of the franchise’s animated programming, Wulff Yularen, voiced by Tom Kane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, was an admiral in the Republic Navy who led Anakin Skywalker’s fleet during the Clone Wars. When the Empire rose to power, Yularen was promoted to colonel and made the leader of the ISB. Yularen was also retroactively made to be the Imperial officer played by Robert Clarke in A New Hope who was at the meeting where Darth Vader choked Admiral Motti for his “lack of faith” in the Force. As such, Yularen met his demise when Luke Skywalker destroyed the Death Star.
To casual Star Wars fans, Malcolm Sinclair’s Wulff Yularen is just another high-ranking Imperial officer for them to watch deliver exposition. For Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels fans though, his appearance is a nice connective thread to the wider mythology of a galaxy far, far away. It’s hard to say if we’ll see Yularen again during the remainder of Andor Season 1 or at some point during the already-ordered Season 2, though given his position in the Imperial hierarchy and how much this show is focusing on Dedra Meero’s work in the ISB, I’d like to think his chances of returning are strong.
New episodes of Andor premiere Wednesdays on Disney+, but if you’re looking further ahead into the future, browse through the lineup of upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.
