Between a Believer and a Skeptic
In "Aldhani" (Andor 1.4), after leaving his home world of Ferrix, Cassian Andor joins a Rebel group and finds himself caught between the true believer Nemik and the self-interested skeptic Skeen. The situation recalls how Luke Skywalker finds himself caught between the believing Obi-Wan Kenobi and the skeptical Han Solo after leaving his home world of Tatooine in A New Hope. In both cases, a young man just setting out on his journey is presented with two different paths he could take, as represented by two competing mentor figures.
Skeen and Han Solo are both selfish, materialistic cynics who believe the universe is governed by random luck. They hold to this belief even after experiences that would seem to challenge it. In "The Eye" (Andor 1.6), after the Rebels beat overwhelming odds to successfully complete their mission on Aldhani, Skeen remarks that "Luck... drives the whole damn galaxy." Similarly, after Luke successfully harnesses the Force to complete his training exercises on the Millennium Falcon, Han dismissively says, "I call it luck."
"In my experience," Obi-Wan counters, "There's no such thing as luck." Obi-Wan does not believe that anything is simply random; rather, all events are orchestrated by the Force. Similarly, Nemik tells Cassian of his fervent "faith" in the Rebel cause. Unlike Han and Skeen, Obi-Wan and Nemik are both committed to belief in something much larger than themselves.
When they encounter Cassian, Nemik and Skeen each assume that he is like them. Nemik's first assessment of Cassian is that "He's committed. I'm feeling that... His belief in the cause." Skeen, on the other hand, tells Cassian, "Don't play the high mind with me. You're not here to save anybody but yourself. I saw it the first minute you came into camp. You're just like me."
Cassian is indeed tempted to be just like Skeen, taking his share from the Aldhani heist and running away to drown himself in material pleasures. However, he ultimately decides to be like Nemik, just as Luke decides to be like Obi-Wan. In Rogue One, Cassian dies for the Rebellion, as Nemik did; and in The Last Jedi, Luke lays down his life and becomes one with the Force, as Obi-Wan did. If the galaxy is in fact governed by random luck, it makes sense to focus on looking out for yourself first, as Skeen and Han do. If Nemik and Obi-Wan are right, though, it makes sense to take a leap of faith and give your life for something greater than yourself.
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Characters: Cassian Andor / Han Solo / Luke Skywalker / Nemik / Obi-Wan Kenobi / Skeen
Films: Episode IV: A New Hope
Shows: Andor
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Concepts: death / faith / luck / materialism / sacrifice / teachers and students
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