It’s an interesting aspect of his character and I think it relates once again to that key trait of being a man ‘who hates being someone who leaves people behind’. Cassian’s most common way of parting with people in the series is to say “I’m coming back” or some variation on that. He says it to Brasso in episode 1, adding that he is intending to ‘lie low somewhere until things cool off’… he isn’t thinking he will never return to Ferrix. Of course he does come back, after Aldhani, despite this being practically a bad idea. After the ‘That’s just love’ scene with Maarva he says “I’m coming back” as he exits (never to see her again) and Maarva seems to be calling out this habit with her reply “Of course you are,” which can certainly be taken sardonically.

Interestingly, one time he avoids saying he is coming back is to to Bix, also in Ep 7, after she tells him via some very pointed subtext that she doesn’t want to see him again anytime soon. It’s equally interesting that when he mentioned going to see Bix to Maarva in the earlier scene he said “I’m going to check up on Bix” – rather than explicitly say goodbye to her. (Unless he’s labouring under the delusion that she’s going to offer to drop everything and come with them). It seems that in his mind any departure from Ferrix and his established relationships there is always a short-term thing. He just won’t countenance the idea that leaving might spell the end of his life there.

In short, Cassian has trouble with goodbyes, and of course it all goes back to the pain of those times when he lost someone.… His sister, to whom he undoubtedly said “I’m coming back” in the Kenari language before running off and never seeing her again. Clem, arrested and executed. His parents, presumably, back on Kenari. And it gives extra poignancy to the end of Episode 11 when Cassian hasn’t even consciously countenanced the idea that Maarva might have died and is therefore hit so hard with the full cold shock of the news. Before the hug with Brasso he beats himself up with ‘I told her I was coming back… I never should have left that morning’.

His childhood trauma means the habit of avoiding saying goodbye is a kind of emotional defence mechanism, as is so much of his early character. Deep down is the fear of losing people and ironically this often translates on the surface level to an apparent complacency, a taking them for granted. Believing that he will always be able to come back, to Ferrix or to a relationship, ties in with his often pretty shitty attitude towards his friends and loved ones in the early episodes. He always seems to expect favours to be granted and forgiveness to be offered. It’s not remotely healthy, of course, which might be one of the reasons he is straining patience and is such a mess as a result.

The goodbyes to Melshi in Ep11 and the Ferrix crew in Ep 12 are made a bit easier for us as we know there’s a season 2 but of course in universe Cassian has no idea if or when he will ever see them again. But he is learning that you can’t let that stop you in life from doing what needs to be done ( in this case, offering his life to the cause). For Cassian, avoiding saying goodbye was a way of trying to keep goodbyes at bay. In turn, it was an aspect of his general lack of commitment to anything. But goodbyes are inevitable and learning to accept that is going to be crucial in the fight. I think it’s going to be very tough, though, for a character with this ‘fear of being someone who leaves people behind’. He may well go on blaming himself for goodbyes that were not his fault, as is his tendency. I also think this is the real relevance of the Season 1 arc regarding looking for his sister. It’s much more about Cassian himself than about her. Just before Cassian says “I’m coming back” Maarva urges him to “Stop searching for your sister… let it go.” On Cassian’s face as he walks out you can see a kind of fear. He gets this look when a truth about a ‘goodbye’ is made very clear to him.

Again, I don’t understand accusations that Cassian’s an uninteresting character. There’s so much depth here.