'Andor': Why Was The Fate Of Cassian's Sister Unresolved?

WARNING! SPOILERS for Andor.

After two seasons, Andor, a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has come to an end. Despite mostly positive reviews, many fans have pointed out and expressed disappointment at the fact the series left one dangling plot thread, and despite the fact that it ends on a minor cliffhanger leading directly into Rogue One, the dangling thread is not one that gets resolved in the film.

Ultimately, however, this thread being unresolved is a major piece of the development of Cassian's character, shaping who he becomes.

The Fate of Cassian's Sister

The first three-episode story arc of Andor's first season features a subplot following a young Cassian, then known as Kassa, on his home planet, Kenari. Kassa joins members of his tribe on an exhibition to investigate a crashed ship near an abandoned Republic strip-mine. Kassa’s younger sister, Kerri, wants to accompany him, but he makes her stay behind. The pair do not appear to have parents.

One of Kassa's tribe mates is killed by a crew member of the crashed ship, whom the tribe then kill in retaliation. While most of the tribe flee, Kassa stays behind to explore.

When scavengers Clem and Maarva Andor arrive to salvage the ship, Maarva opts to take Kassa with them off planet, fearing for his fate if the Republic found him near the murdered crew member. He is ultimately adopted by the couple, and renamed Cassian. Unfortunately, Cassian does not initially speak the same language as Clem and Maarva, so cannot tell them about the existence of his sister, who is subsequently left behind on Kenari, which was rendered unliveable by the Empire after a major mining accident.

The adult Cassian’s storyline opens with him beginning a search for Kerri in the desperate hope she has survived. Unfortunately, his quest is constantly waylaid by various misadventures.

So Many Theories

By the second season, Cassian seems to have given up his search for Kerri in favour of serving the growing Rebellion. Despite the lack of attention on the storyline, fans still theorised about where, or who, Cassian’s lost sister could be. Some fans speculated that Luthen Rael’s loyal assistant, Kleya, could be revealed as Kerri. Then in season two, following the reveal that she had been an orphan raised in an Imperial Kinderblock, a theory gained traction that the Imperial Supervisor Dedra Meero could actually be Cassian's sister. Neither of these theories proved correct, and Andor ends with Kerri's fate unknown.

This wasn't always going to be the case. At one point, creator Tony Gilroy planned to resolve the storyline during season two, but ultimately, decided it served Cassian's character and story better to leave Kerri's end unrevealed, as it gives a reason behind some of his biggest decisions.

Kerri's Loss Changes Cassian

From a thematic perspective, the loss of Kerri functions similarly to the accidental death of Cinta at the hands of an inexperienced Ghorman rebel in episode 2x06. As Vel says, the young rebel will carry Cinta with him, knowing that his decisions and actions led to the tragedy of her loss.

It was a young Kassa's decision to leave Kerri behind, and the sad reality is that she most likely died in the accident that made Kenari uninhabitable. The adult Cassian lives with the consequences of this decision. Kerri's probable death is his 'skin', just as Cinta is the Ghorman Rebel's. He carries her with him, even dreaming of her in the final episode, and this colours his future decisions.

Because of his guilt over his decision to leave his sister behind, and the tragic consequences of that decision, Cassian often displays a deep resistance to the idea of leaving others behind. He doesn't want to leave Maarva behind when he initially flees Ferrix in season one, and in the first arc of season two, returns to retrieve Bix, Wilmon, and Brasso (RIP), from Mina-Rau, despite great risk to himself.

Perhaps most importantly, during Andor's final story arc, Cassian breaks protocol and defies orders from his superiors in order to return to Coruscant and rescue Kleya Marki. In the process, he gains vital information about the existence of the Death Star, thus triggering the events of Rogue One.

Through her enduring influence on her brother, Kerri's short life gains greater purpose, as in her own small way, she, like so many others, is partially responsible for the fall of the Empire. In the end, that makes a much better story than having her fate shoe-horned in just for the sake of it.