Wheel of Time’s first three episodes opened up a number of questions about Josha Stradowski’s Rand al’Thor. In the beginning of the series, Rand is one of the five villagers drawn into the Dragon Reborn mystery by Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) and Lan (Daniel Henney). Rand finding the heron-mark sword and an apparent feat of strength from the character were among the episodes’ most interesting moments.
Similar to the story laid out in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time books, the show revealed that Moraine and Lan’s mission is to find and protect the Dragon Reborn. The Dragon Reborn is the reincarnation of the all-powerful Lews Therin, a fallen hero who saved humanity from the Dark One, only to later go insane and cause the Breaking of the World. According to the prophecy, Lews Therin’s eventual rebirth is the key to saving the world from the Dark One when he strikes again. Thanks to clues and other information gathered by Moiraine, she and Lan have narrowed down their search for the Dragon Reborn to four 20-year-olds: Perrin Aybara, Mat Cauthon, Egwene al’Vere, and Rand al’Thor in Wheel of Time's first episode.
Their journey to the White Tower has only just begun, and Wheel of Time is already in the process of setting up some important stories for three of them, all of which having their roots in Robert Jordan’s books. Perrin running into a pack of wolves, Egwene expressing an interest in becoming an Aes Sedai, and Mat finding the ruby-hilted dagger at Shadar Logoth are all plotlines that are sure to be followed up on in big ways in the episodes to come. As for what Wheel of Time may have planned for Rand, the books shed light on what’s to come for his character, how he’s important, the significance of his heron-mark sword, and more.
While the TV adaptation of Wheel of Time’s story splits up the screen-time between the characters somewhat equally, the books have a clear protagonist – Rand al’Thor. In The Eye of the World, Rand left Two Rivers and had his life changed forever by the journey. At the time, he knew that the Dark One’s minions were after him, Perrin Aybara, and Mat Cauthon, but he didn’t know the whole story. During a key battle in The Eye of the World, it was revealed that Rand can channel the One Power. Since only women can access the One Power without losing their sanity in the process, Rand was worried about what this would mean for his future, but didn’t fully grasp the implications. While Moiraine knew the truth at once, Rand didn't find out that he was the Dragon Reborn until the second book. This discovery is what really set his overarching story in motion.
Several major events followed. Over the course of Wheel of Time’s story, Rand took steps to fulfill his destiny, and had to contend with those on both sides of the battle with the Dark One. As a person capable of saving (and destroying) the world, Rand was targeted by the forces of the Dark One as well as the Aes Sedai, with many of them trying to stop or control him. Declaring himself the Dragon Reborn to the world drew the attention of various groups and armies, with some ultimately pledging loyalty to him. As the story progressed, Rand developed into a capable leader and an incredibly powerful channeler of the One Power. Adding to his problems was the original Dragon, who surfaced as a voice in Rand’s head. Later, Rand found ways to co-exist with Lews Therin and gradually took down the Forsaken, a group of 13 immortal channelers that serve the Dark One. As it was written in the prophecy, most of what Rand did was a setup for his final showdown with the Dark One in an event called the Last Battle.
In Amazon’s Wheel of Time show, Rand took up the blade of his father and brought it with him on his adventure. The sword, marked with the heron on the hilt, came straight out of the books. While Rand didn’t get a chance to learn anything about it in the first three episodes, he did learn a few things about its origin and importance from talks that he had with Tam and Lan in the beginning of The Eye of the World. As it turns out, heron-mark swords like the one Rand has are reserved for blademasters. Like their name implies, blademasters are the most respected and skilled swordsmen in Wheel of Time’s world. Rand al’Thor having such a weapon in his possession caught the attention of Lan, who understood that it spoke volumes about who Rand’s father must have been before settling in Two Rivers.
It's true that Tam was a blademaster years ago. He got his hands on it while serving in the army of Illian, a far-away nation. What makes these swords so special is that they were made long ago with top-notch craftmanship. Aes Sedai helped to forge some them (including Tam’s) by using the One Power, which makes it a “power-wrought” blade. Power-wrought swords are vastly superior to conventional weapons, but aren’t necessarily invincible. Rand’s sword was melted in the books, but the incident caused the heron mark to be permanently branded onto his skin. The Dragon Reborn being marked with a heron is a part of the Dragon Reborn prophecy, making this an important moment that Wheel of Time will likely build up to slowly in the show.
Rand breaking down the large door in Wheel of Time episode 3 despite the Darkfriend’s insistence that it would be impossible may have come across to some as a sign that Rand is significantly stronger than he looks. However, there’s a much better likelihood that what Rand did had nothing to do with his physical strength. Men don’t require instruction to channel the One Power effectively like women do, which means that Rand – assuming he’s the show’s Dragon Reborn – could tap into the True Source at any time and start weaponizing the One Power. Without realizing what he did, he could have weaved a flow of the Air element and used it to knock down the door blocking his path.
Considering that Jordan’s Wheel of Time series consists of 14 massive books, there’s so many stories that the show has to offer for Rand in the seasons to come. His immediate future in seasons 1 and 2 could include meetings with Min (Kae Alexander) and Elayne (Ceara Coveney), who are set to be two of his three major love interests, with the third being Aviendha (not Egwene). There’s also the matter of the 13 Forsaken and all the Darkfriends that help them. Through these new villains, Rand will have plenty to be concerned with as the Dragon Reborn, regardless of how powerful he'll become. But arguably one of his biggest concerns that’ll plague him is the threat of insanity that all male channelers have to face at one point or another. As Rand continues his journey with Mat, Thom, and the other new Wheel of Time characters he’ll cross paths with along the way, Rand will presumably advance down the path of the Dragon Reborn, develop his own One Power abilities, form alliances, and make dozens of enemies.
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