If you are like many fans, you probably watched Rogue One again after the second season of Andor. You may also have reconsidered who the main character is in the film. Although we may have believed Jyn Erso filled that role, Cassian seems to have surpassed her. His character arc is one of the main reasons.
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Why It Feels Like Cassian Is the Main Character in Rogue One
As you rewatched Rogue One, perhaps you rethought Cassian as the main character. It could be that you “feel like Rogue One works even better now as the last part of Cassian Andor’s story.” Maybe you came to see Jyn Erso as “the spark” that completes Cassian’s character arc, rather than the main character.
Opinion: Watching Rogue One right after Andor almost makes it feel like Cassian is the main character
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Credited as “the protagonist” of Rogue One, Jyn went from “a lonesome criminal” and the lost daughter of Galen Erso to fully supporting the Rebellion against the Empire. Yet, Cassian, as Reddit posts above remind us, is the one who progressed from “an alienated and disillusioned character” to a full-backer of the Rebels who jointly gave up his life with Jyn for the cause.
It was already a muddled point as to who exactly was the lead, but with Andor, many of us are steered toward Cassian. In this previous discussion, some contend that “Jyn is the main character” in Rogue One, while Cassian is “the team leader” who evolves to have “more of a partnership dynamic with Jyn.” Yet, if we link the series and movie, we may conclude that “Cassian is the main protagonist,” with Jyn taking the lead in the “episode” of Rogue One.
If you are inclined to view it this way, we have several key factors that support it.
Why Is Cassian the Main Protagonist?
With the addition of Andor, it can’t be helped that Cassian pushes ahead to the lead. After all, he is the character who progresses from nowhere to ring leader. He is “an ordinary person who fought for what he thought was right” and evolves into someone who is “willing to sacrifice to feel part of something bigger.”
Not that Jyn doesn’t follow that arc too, but she originated as the daughter of famed scientist Galen Erso. Moreover, she is the daughter of Lyra Erso, who became a Jedi Knight at a young age. These are distinguished family origins that separate her from the rest of the galaxy.
Cassian, or Kassa, was an orphaned child from the abandoned jungle world of Kenari. Even as the adopted-son of Clem and Maarva Andor of Ferrix, he lived in obscurity until the Empire pushed more toward his destiny. As Luthen Rael recruited him, Cassian was still conflicted and tended to be out for himself, not the Rebellion.
Jyn, of course, also faced devastation and trouble with the Imperials. Yet, we do not know as much about that story on screen. In contrast, we can identify more with the arc that Cassian took over the two seasons that led us back to Rogue One.
While many memorable scenes reflect Cassian’s character growth, we may agree with the views provided in this video that the crucial turning point was the death of Maarva. When Cassian learns of his mother’s death, it could be “the most emotional moment of the show”, reflected in Diego Luna’s “silence” and “a facial expression of shock.”
This was a, if not the, moment when Cassian sheds the halfway commitment and turns to embrace the Rebellion. We may also think of his time at Narkina 5 as truly transformative. Episode 10, “Make It Stop,” has deservedly been called “one of Andor’s most emotionally intense and thematically rich episodes” where Cassian is exposed to “the Empire’s systemic cruelty.”
With just these two reference points, we are reminded of the depth of character and story that brought this reluctant hero to the forefront. We also realize that “Cassian’s turn to the Rebellion” is better characterized as a “cumulative effect of events” that started with Episode 1 of Andor. It’s that longer progression that places him more in the leading role of the movie too.
Cassian as the Main Character
We can still see how Jyn Erso could be the main character in Rogue One. Yet, with the full character development of Cassian in Andor, he seems to emerge more squarely as the protagonist in the movie and series. Perhaps, we’ll see a show about Jyn that will re-center her in Rogue One, but until that time, we have more weight toward Cassian.