The Rebel

Who is the quintessential 21st-century protagonist? A dashing, sword-wielding hero? An idealist politician? I would submit that it’s not someone so grand, not a leader of society, but someone on its periphery. A minor character from a Star Wars prequel who inexplicably got his own TV series.

Cassian Andor, much like Albert Camus’ Meursault, begins his on-screen journey sauntering through life. He is eking out an existence, not truly living. He seems apathetic and unbothered by the world and the people around him. Then, he shoots a random guy in the head. A clear demarcation point separating a life of conformity from one of violent criminality.

Of course, unlike Meursault’s act of murder, an innate morality underpins Andor’s. It’s his first step in becoming one of the leaders of a burgeoning rebellion against an unjust empire. In that respect, he resembles Camus, the author, more than the titular stranger from his novel. After all, the famous French-Algerian journalist led his country’s resistance efforts against their Nazi occupiers, and even wrote a book called The Rebel.

The broad archetype that Camus captured in his fiction and philosophical writings was an individual in an increasingly soulless world, engaging in minor acts of disobedience against oppressive cultural norms. It was a sentiment that only increased with fin-de-siecle fears, as the monotony of the “end of history” swept over the globe, influencing the films and broader popular culture at the time.

But as we once again contend with ascendant authoritarianism and the erosion of freedoms we once viewed as secure, it’s no surprise that a story about a freedom fighter (albeit conceived by a monopolistic, multi-billion dollar media empire in decline) would resonate with the broader zeitgeist. Andor embodies the ennui and also the will to persevere of both Camus and his character. Like Mersault, he will later find himself imprisoned, before eventually escaping. Then, he impersonates a journalist to exfiltrate an important rebellion leader out of a corrupted Senate chamber. 

Andor isn’t a man in a central position — he doesn’t lead armies or deliver commanding speeches. He exists on the margins of unjust power, but still confronts it.