Jul. 30th, 2019

guinevak: "Carry her to the junk room!" silent film intertitle (hugs)
It finally occurred to me the other night -

So the very first time we see Cassian, he shoots a man in the back. It's shocking, and brutal, and a betrayal, and that act and the few seconds that follow tell us everything about him in one efficient gut punch: he will do a thing like that, he will not hesitate, and he'll hate himself for it even as he's running for his life.​

At the end of the movie, Cassian shoots a man in the back. Only this time it is absolutely justifiable, and the shock is a shock of relief, because by that murder he's given Jyn the last tiny edge she needs to accomplish their mission, to save everything; he's kept faith with her and with all the dead below.

He's still who he was at the beginning - still ruthless and driven and not interested in playing fair - but everything has changed. He's going to die in the next five minutes but his integrity is intact and - even more importantly - he won't be alone.

and if you don't think that's the neatest character arc get out of my face