Andor's Scriptwriter Says Cassian's Ultimate Sacrifice In Rogue One Powers The TV Series' Deep Narrative
As the first season of Disney's grittiest Star Wars series yet, "Andor," draws to a close in November, the stage is set for the fledgling rebellion to sow the seeds of revolution across the galaxy. The show's main character, Cassian Andor, is now a part of something much bigger than himself as he sparks a rebellion in a prison on Narkina 5, but he is still far from the character that we meet in Disney's first Star Wars movie outside of the nine main series films, "Rogue One."
Spoiler alert for those who haven't seen that film, Cassian does die, but not before completing his mission to capture the plans for the Death Star and transmitting them to the Rebel Fleet. But that is the one thing about the series "Andor" that drew some concern from fans — that the ending to Cassian's story is already known. No matter how the story is written, the end is the same, with Cassian dying on Scarif during the climax of "Rogue One." But a scriptwriter for the show thinks that knowing the fate of Cassian actually adds to the show instead of taking away from it.
The road to Cassian's ultimate sacrifice on Scarif is a tale well worth telling
Before the first scene was shot, showrunners had to tackle the dilemma that the story's ending had already been told, but one of the show's writers saw it differently. Knowing that Cassian dies on the beach of Scarif as the Death Star peers above the horizon doesn't mean that the path that takes Cassian to that fateful moment alongside fellow rebel Jyn Erso isn't worth telling. "We had the advantage of knowing where this story ends, which is Rogue One," show writer Beau Willimon said in an interview with CNet.
Willimon considers knowing the ending to be an advantage in the storytelling process, but as he explains in the interview, it's because he was very deliberate about how he wanted to tell it: "If you decide not to hinge the strength of your storytelling on plot and suspense in that sense, but on character, emotional journeys and how people evolve over time, then the question isn't whether he's going to die at the end — we know he's going to die in Rogue One. The question is, How does he become the person that's willing to die in Rogue One?"
Telling Cassian's story has been a labor of love for everyone involved in "Andor," and it really comes through onscreen, but will it be able to faithfully take the character all the way to the opening scene of "Rogue One" without upsetting fans?
Cassian is on the path to becoming the altruistic hero we know in Rogue One
With the internet gushing about "Andor" on what seems to be a regular basis and fans giving the series solid ratings on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB, the choices made so far by the writers seem to be exactly what people are looking for. Telling Cassian's story through the character's personal evolution is precisely what was needed to keep things moving and still set up how he ultimately becomes one of the most essential players in the rebellion.
"And that boils down to sacrifice because you have a character who at the end of this journey is going to make the ultimate sacrifice. And now if I can tell the story of how someone goes from being so far away from being willing to do that, to becoming that person. That is far more suspenseful, in a way, and fascinating than cheap plot surprises," Willimon explained.
It will surely be a wild ride for Cassian and his rebel companions in Season 2 of "Andor," but don't worry, we have a good feeling that he will survive the series. The series is set to start filming Season 2 in November, but Disney has not yet announced a release date.