Star Wars: 15 of the best character introductions

Rogue One photo by Giles Keyte via WD Studios PR

15. Cassian Andor- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Kicking off the list at No. 15 is Cassian Andor from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. An intelligence officer of the Rebel Alliance, Cassian was introduced into Star Wars in a way unlike anything we had ever seen before and it set the premise for how Rogue One was going to be a very different Star Wars movie.

Here’s why.

Cassian’s introduction took place at the trading outpost Ring of Karene. Cassian was meeting up with one of his many contacts who had valuable and urgent information about the Empire. This information we later learn is the Death Star.

Their meet-up doesn’t go to plan and two Stormtroopers interrupt them, asking to see identification. Cassian reaches for his blaster and in a Han Solo style fashion, shoots down the two Stormtroopers before they could even blink.

Cassian’s contact then starts to panic, as he doesn’t think he can escape and fears capture. He then makes the decision to shoot his contact in the back, killing him right there and then. Cassian then flees the scene and heads back to the resistance with the intelligence he has gathered about the Death Star.

And that’s it. That is how Cassian is introduced into the Star Wars universe. A man on the side of good who shoots people in the back…

Now, you would probably expect this from the Empire, but to see this coming from someone on the side of the Rebel Alliance was hugely surprising. It catches you completely off guard. But when you think about, why do we have this impression that the Rebels wouldn’t do anything questionable?

They were at war, and when wars are waged, questionable decisions are made; by both sides. Rogue One was the first to show this, that the Rebels would have had to carry out some unthinkable tasks. Cassian’s introduction not only gave us that insight but it also set the tone for the rest of the movie as well.

That this is nothing like you have seen before.