One of the new characters introduced in Andor who has a lasting effect on the titular character has recently been retroactively tied to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story through a neat fan theory. After Nemik was introduced in Andor's Aldhani arc, his role in the story quickly became clear due to his and Cassian's friendship and his ion for his politics against the Empire. With the end of Andor season 1 making it clear just how much Nemik impacted Cassian through his manifesto, eagle-eyed fans have retroactively made the character's importance transfer to the show's protagonist's first Star Wars appearance in Rogue One.
One scene from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on the planet Jedha sees Cassian Andor wearing an oversize coat, with the shoulder holding a small rectangular object. Star Wars fans online have since stated that the object looks very similar to Nemik's manifesto. Given Andor's season 1 ending saw Nemik's manifesto as one of the pushes Cassian needed to become a full rebel against the Empire, it would make sense for him to keep the document close to him during his days as part of the Rebel Alliance. However, as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was made before Andor, this link is simply a retcon that fans have attributed to the movie with the show ing this theory.
Nemik’s Manifesto Being Part Of Rogue One Is A Great Retcon
Andor season 1, episode 12 made it so that Nemik's words against the Empire are what pushed Cassian into rescuing Bix from the Empire. When combined with his mother's posthumous speech, Cassian decided to Luthen and fully become a rebel. Given how Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the only time Cassian has been shown as an integral part of the Rebel Alliance, which will undoubtedly change with Andor season 2, it makes perfect sense for the manifesto to be part of that movie even in a retconned way from fans. Rogue One's central themes involve doing what is right and standing against the Empire no matter the personal cost, something that Andor heavily explored particularly through Nemik, making this manifesto retcon even better.
Why Nemik’s Manifesto Fits Star Wars' Retconning Trend
This theory concerning Nemik and his manifesto actually fits the Star Wars franchise, which has featured a few different cases of similar retcons. One of the more famous comes from Return of the Jedi, with longtime Star Wars director Dave Filoni stating that one of the rebels briefly seen at the Battle of Endor was Rex from The Clone Wars and Rebels. Both of those shows were made after Return of the Jedi, with the retcon simply fitting despite not being intentional, like Nemik and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Also, the Star Wars franchise as a whole has always changed over time, especially with the original trilogy. Contrary to popular belief, George Lucas did not have the entirety of the franchise planned out during the production of the first films. This led to many things being retconned to fit continuity, such as Luke and Leia being siblings and Anakin being Darth Vader, to name the biggest examples. Through this, Andor's Nemik and his manifesto retroactively playing a part in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story perfectly fits the franchise and proves it is one that can shuffle aspects around to fit its expansive timeline.