There are several romances in the Star Wars universe, realized and not. The sad histories of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, Han Solo and Leia Organa, Han Solo and Qi’ra (many years before Leia), Obi-Wan Kenobi and Satine Kryze, Ben Solo and Rey, Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade, Sabine Wren and Erza Bridge, Din Djarin and Bo Katan, are some examples and the list goes on. For me, however, no duo (even with traumatic endings like Satine’s and Padmé’s) beat the brief and intense love story between Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones). Characters with a brief trajectory, however, are pivotal for all contents.

Rogue One is, for me, the best film in the entire franchise, getting very close to the spectacular The Empire Strikes Back. Tight, intense, and with characters who fight with only hope as a weapon (they are not Jedi, they are not nobles, but a hardworking and dedicated group), it is a perfect film. Unsurprisingly, I think Andor is the best of the spin-offs precisely because it portrays the human side of the Rebellion. Above all, once we know that the rebels mentioned in a short opening sentence of the 1977 classic died in order to give the Galaxy a chance, it is extremely exciting. It brings a sense of tragedy that turns everything around.

The film is not about Cassian Andor, it’s about Jyn Erso and how she was literally ripped from her family, witnessing the murder of her mother and the kidnapping of her father, the best engineer in the Galaxy and creator of the Death Star. Jyn survived as best she could and is rightfully suspicious of anyone. She and Cassian don’t get along from the get-go, quite the opposite, actually.

By this time, the once skeptical Cassian was blinded by rebel ideology, being responsible for the dirty work of killing and stealing. Particularly here, being responsible for using Jyn to access the plans and then destroy the Death Star, as well as anyone involved with it, including Jyn’s dad. Along the way, however, these two soulmates connect. Jyn starts to have a goal and Cassian rescues his humanity. It’s brief but beautiful. There is not much more than the exchange of glances, but also the most beautiful scene of the entire saga: in a dark elevator, knowing that they have no alternative to escape, the two look at each other, alone, moved. I like that we never see them kiss. Not even in the elevator or on the beach, when they die in each other’s arms. It makes everything even more exciting.

This definitive relationship of the two is a dramatic shadow on Andor. Cassian was like Jyn, more than she had time to discover. Cassian was orphaned as a child, his only sister was separated from him (we still don’t know her fate in the series), and he lived for years as a lone thief before becoming a battle-hardened rebel soldier. He has witnessed people’s pain, hunger, torture, and utter hopelessness, so, to be the person who sees Jyn Erso in the same place, is very sad. But they get each other perfectly.

Originally, the expected ending of the couple (and the group of rebels that manage to steal the plans of the Death Star), was to be a “happy” one. The screenwriters revised the idea. After all, none of them appeared in the 1977 movie where Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) destroys the military station or later. In fact, no one mentions them at all anymore. Like, ever. As much as we know that in Star Wars coherence was never a present element in the narrative, in this case, the showrunners put their foot down and had them all “killed”. This changed everything, even the weight of Luke’s victory. Not to mention how complex it is to see Andor knowing his tragic fate.

Just as fans today cheered for Bo Katan and Din Djarin, many still discuss if Cassian and Jyn were in fact a couple. For me, there is no doubt. My romantic soul always squeezes my heart when I think of the two of them and that elevator! That’s why in Ahsoka, whenever Ezra and Sabine meet again, I’ll be happy to see at least one duo with hope for a future in the Galaxy. After all, the franchise only shows us impossible love stories. So, no matter what anyone says: the strongest – and saddest – love story in Star Wars is the one between Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor. The unknown heroes hardly had time to find peace and understanding, no more than a few minutes before their world was crumbling down. A glance, a hug, and possibly a kiss. They deserved it!

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