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

“Slow Horses” Season 6 opens with a brutal new conspiracy, and one of the assassins doing the picking off is named only as “Jim.” That Jim is played by Kyle Soller, and the casting has a curious twist: Soller brought the same quiet menace to Syril Karn in “Andor,” a character the franchise rarely celebrates.

Jim’s Role in Season 6

The Slough House team is getting picked off one by one by a pair of assassins. Jim is one of those killers, known only as “Jim,” and his presence gives the show a chilling atmosphere. The show’s creators have built this season around a conspiracy that targets former members of the team, and Jim is a formidable force in it.

Karn’s Quiet Rise in “Andor”

Karn is a deputy inspector for a private security firm that barely cares about him. He is a lowly officer who starts the series as a small cog in a larger machine. But his arc takes a sharp turn when he becomes an instrument in the Empire’s brutal genocide on the planet Ghorman, aiding the construction of the Death Star.

He does not have a cool sidekick or a lightsaber. He does have severe mommy issues and a false belief in the Empire’s grip on the galaxy. Those qualities make him easy to overlook, but they also make him dangerous.

Why Karn Is Overlooked

Karn’s role in both seasons of “Andor” is built on his obsession with catching Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna. Cassian kills two officers Karn works with early in Season 1, and Karn becomes consumed with hunting the man who killed them.

That obsession drives the whole arc. Without Cassian, Karn would not become a key asset to Dedra Meero, played by Denise Gough. Meero manipulates Karn into becoming an Imperial spy on Ghorman so the Empire can strip mine the planet’s resources for its weapon. It is the second time he is used by an entity that does not care about him.

The Symbiotic Arc Between Karn and Cassian

Karn’s pursuit forces Andor into working with the rebels more heavily. But every escape only pushes Karn to hunt him more feverishly. Their relationship is strange and romantic, born out of their joint investigation into Andor and Rael.

The second season finds Karn embedded with members of the underground Ghorman resistance group. There, he starts to become sympathetic to their cause. The massacre in the Palmo Plaza shatters his belief in the Empire, and he realizes he has been driven by hate the entire time.

Karn’s Tragic End

His arc is about how easy it is to fall into the perils of fascism. The tragic epiphany is his death. Karn gets shot by one of the resistance members while he scuffles with Andor in the chaos on Ghorman.

Kyle Soller brings an incredible amount of depth to the character, which makes him a welcome addition as the Season 6 villain.

What This Means for “Slow Horses”

The casting suggests a parallel between the two shows. In “Andor,” Karn is a bureaucrat who becomes a tool of oppression. In “Slow Horses,” Jim is a killer who picks off former colleagues. Both roles require a performer who can carry menace without shouting.

Soller’s range is the reason the casting works. He has shown he can play a quiet, withdrawn character whose inner life is far more complex than his exterior suggests. That quality is exactly what a show like “Slow Horses” needs in a villain who is more than just a walking threat.

Karn is a character who is easy to miss. He is not a hero, and he is not a villain in the classic sense. He is a bureaucrat who believes in the system until the system fails him. His arc asks a simple question: how easily can anyone become complicit?

Characters who are not flashy tend to stick with audiences precisely because they feel real. Karn is one of those characters.

“Slow Horses” Season 6 gives Soller a chance to bring that same complexity to a different kind of story. The show’s writers have built a conspiracy that requires a cold, methodical killer. Jim fits that bill perfectly, and Soller’s history with Karn suggests he will deliver a performance that holds the show together.

The comparison between Karn and Jim is a reminder that great villains are often just people who made bad choices. Karn believed in the Empire until he saw what it did. Jim believes in the conspiracy until he sees what it does. Both are trapped by their own convictions.

The fact that Soller played Karn means the audience already knows what he is capable of. That knowledge makes Jim a more terrifying villain. We have seen him in a different context, and we know he can be quiet, withdrawn, and deeply unsettling.

The casting is a smart move. It gives the show a performer with proven range and a character who carries weight. Karn’s arc is central to “Andor,” and Soller’s version of Jim is likely to be just as memorable.

“Slow Horses” Season 6 is already shaping up to be a tense watch. The presence of Soller as Jim adds another layer of dread to the conspiracy. The show’s fans have a reason to be excited.

The fact that Karn is often overlooked is a sign of how quietly powerful the character is. Karn does not have a lightsaber or a sidekick. He has a job, a boss, and a cause he believes in. That is enough to make him unforgettable.

“Slow Horses” Season 6 is a show about people who are picked off one by one. Jim is the one doing the picking off, and Soller’s casting tells us he is a force to be reckoned with. The show has a strong cast and a compelling premise. With Soller on board, it has a villain who will leave a mark.

Karn’s Key Traits

• Severe mommy issues
• A false belief in the Empire’s grip on the galaxy
• A romantic relationship with Dedra Meero
• Used twice by entities that don’t care about him

Karn’s Story Timeline

Source material: “Slow Horses Season 6's Villain Played The Most Underrated Star Wars Character,” TVLine.

Andor · Kyle Soller · Slow Horses · Star Wars · TV casting