Now that Andor has come to an end, fans are connecting the series back to Rogue One. The issue they are finding is that the once beloved relationship of Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor feels less important now that we know about Cassian and Bix Caleen.
In Andor, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and childhood sweetheart Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) share a beautiful love story throughout season 2. After Bix’s boyfriend, Timm Karlo (James McArdle), was killed in season 1, she turns to Cassian and the two rekindle a romantic relationship throughout the sophomore season.
At first, I was intrigued by the idea of Cassian being in love with Bix prior to landing on Scarif with Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones). But I also was someone who longed for a world where Cassian and Jyn could have potentially been together after seeing Rogue One. Bix threw a wrench in those dreams for me so I wasn’t upset with her relationship with Cassian. All this to say that I’m perfectly happy with Cassian only holding onto Jyn in the end as a source of comfort and not a romantic love.
But it is clear that fans have questions about this. Creator Tony Gilroy has had to navigate many questioning what it means for the ending of Rogue One. Speaking with Vulture about it, Gilroy said “I don’t think the relationship is inconsistent with the circumstances. Bix has been away for a year. And, you know, it’s a frat house there at the end, and who knows where she is. And she left him. You know, they’re beautiful, lively people. Whose hand wouldn’t you hold at the end? I think it turns into that, which is cooler and more interesting.”
But then he also told Entertainment Weekly “I mean, people who thought [Jyn] was the love of his life are going to have to reorient their thinking.”
I think both ships are valid
Prior to Andor, it wasn’t uncommon to ship Jyn and Cassian. And so with the new information we have about Bix and Cassian, I think it is important to remember that we can love both of these ships. As Gilroy said, it had been some time since Bix had left and Cassian was not aware of the fact that he was a father.
And in those final moments with Jyn, he’s just a man who is looking at the last person he will ever see. So their relationship is born out of desperation and not really one that is rooted in love. The two just have each other and they take comfort in each other’s arms as they are preparing for their imminent deaths.
If you love Bix and Cassian (as I now do), great! But it also doesn’t discount anyone who loves Jyn and Cassian and I think that’s important to remember. We all can still love the women in Cassian Andor’s life. But I will be thinking about Cassian’s baby out in the galaxy one day learning that their father saved them all.
(featured image: Disney+)
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