Rogue One Spoilers Ahead

So that last scene on the beach, with Jyn and Cassian holding each other as the wave of the Death Star’s blast rolls in…

I have some thoughts about this.

Specifically, I noticed that, even though they could have just leaned into each other and held hands or touched foreheads or even just had their shoulders to the blast, they didn’t.  Jyn is holding Cassian tight to her, looking directly over his shoulder into the wave of oncoming light, and he looks back over hers, away from the water.

And, see, throughout the first two thirds of the movie, prior to Jyn rallying to the Alliance cause after her father’s death, the thing that distinguishes her from the other characters is that she’s willing to close her eyes to the threat, to not look up at the Imperial flags.  Cassian, on the other hand, is entirely defined by the fact that, to be blunt, he’ll look at the war head-on and do the dirty work, he’ll spy and kill and manipulate because it has to be done.

And I think it says a lot that, upon their deaths, they fly in the face of those character traits.  With Cassian at her side, Jyn has the strength and pride in herself to look straight into the blast wave bringing her death and smile.  And with Jyn beside him, Cassian can look away and close his eyes and pretend that everything will be okay.