Many fans are wondering what ‘rosh ne luts’ means in the final batch of Andor episodes in Season 2. The phrase is uttered multiple times by an important character (we won’t spoil which one until after the break below), but the show doesn’t explain its meaning. As it is with many scenes in the show, context matters when it comes to figuring some things out. Here’s what we can decipher as to the meaning of rosh ne luts in the Andor Season 2 finale.
What is the meaning of Rosh Ne Luts?
The meaning of “rosh ne luts,” as said by Luthen Rael (or more precisely, Sergeant Lear), is most likely “make it stop” said in another language. It is presumed that Lear is stating this in his native tongue.
In a flashback that Kleya has in a safehouse apartment in Coruscant, Lear says “rosh ne luts” four times as he sits, emotionally broken, upon hearing the cries of innocents being systematically killed in an unknown location outside of a ship. It’s a plea that goes unanswered. He mixes the phrase with “Make it stop!”, which is the title of Episode 10, revealing his turning point from someone who follows orders to someone who saves a young Kleya despite it jeopardizing his position. If no one is going to stop the massacre, then he will.
It’s unclear what language “rosh ne luts” is in, because there’s not much known about Rael’s childhood apart from him being from Fondor. The planet is a manufacturing hub for the Imperials and its shipyards became an important hub during the Imperial Era, but its people are quite varied so it doesn’t really narrow things down. Andor fans will recognize Fondor from Rael’s spacecraft, dubbed the “Fondor Haulcraft,” and that its cipher is triple-encrypted with a system based on various extinct languages. One of these languages could be his own, though this system was most likely formed after he became a rebel spymaster.
Either way, the reason we think “rosh ne luts” is spoken in Luthen Rael’s native language is because emotional stress can cause people to switch back to their native tongue. It’s a defense mechanism, since natural speech patterns are less taxing on the mind than a secondary language. There’s also the possibility that “rosh ne luts” doesn’t actually mean “make it stop” but is instead a swear phrase, which some speakers do to relieve stress and express frustration.
