Character Relationship Map: Snowden

Characters

• Lindsay Mills (played by Shailene Woodley) — protagonist

  Snowden's partner, Mills meets him through a dating website despite their opposing political views. She accompanies him to Geneva, separates from him after the stress of his NSA work, then resumes the...

• Laura Poitras (played by Melissa Leo) — supporting

  A documentarian and investigative journalist, Poitras joins the clandestine Hong Kong meeting with Snowden and Glenn Greenwald. She helps receive and disseminate Snowden's disclosures, and later assis...

• Glenn Greenwald (played by Zachary Quinto) — supporting

  A journalist who meets Snowden in Hong Kong alongside Laura Poitras, Greenwald helps assess and publish the classified surveillance material. He works with Poitras and Ewen MacAskill to bring Snowden'...

• Ewen MacAskill (played by Tom Wilkinson) — supporting

  A journalist involved in the reporting of Snowden's disclosures, MacAskill helps disseminate the information to the press on June 5, 2013. He later assists Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald in helping...

• Edward Snowden (played by Edward Snowden) — minor
• Gabriel Sol (played by Ben Schnetzer) — supporting

  An experienced electronic-surveillance specialist whom Snowden meets while serving under diplomatic cover in Geneva. Sol's expertise exposes Snowden more directly to intelligence operations, while the...

• Corbin O'Brian (played by Rhys Ifans) — supporting

  A CIA deputy director who chooses to take a chance on Snowden after his initial screening answers prove insufficient. O'Brian oversees his cyberwarfare training, is impressed by his rapid completion o...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Gabriel Sol → Corbin O'Brian (Professional Intelligence Colleagues) — Both are connected to the intelligence organization employing Snowden.

  Sol is introduced as an experienced electronic-surveillance operative during Snowden's CIA assignment, while O'Brian oversees Snowden's intelligence t...

• Edward Snowden → Corbin O'Brian (Professional Recruiter) — O'Brian gives Snowden his entry into the CIA.

  O'Brian decides to take a chance on Snowden after his initial CIA screening answers are insufficient.

• Edward Snowden → Gabriel Sol (Professional Colleague) — Sol is a colleague who exposes Snowden to the operational realities of surveillance work.

  During Snowden's assignment in Geneva, he meets Gabriel Sol, who has extensive experience in electronic surveillance.

• Glenn Greenwald → Ewen MacAskill (Professional Press Collaborator) — They work together to publish the leaked material.

  The plot states that MacAskill helps disseminate the information with Greenwald and Poitras after the Hong Kong meeting.

• Laura Poitras → Ewen MacAskill (Professional Press Collaborator) — Poitras and MacAskill cooperate in the publication and protection of the source.

  MacAskill works with Greenwald and Poitras to disseminate the information and to assist Snowden's departure from Hong Kong.

• Edward Snowden → Lindsay Mills (Romantic Partner) — Their relationship provides Snowden with emotional support while also being strained by his work and decisions.

  Snowden meets Mills through a dating website, and they develop a relationship despite their political differences. They later reunite and remain toget...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Lindsay Mills → Ewen MacAskill (Alliance Indirect Ally) — Their connection is indirect, arising from the coordinated escape effort.

  MacAskill helps Snowden leave Hong Kong after Snowden has separated Mills from the immediate disclosure meeting by sending her home.

• Lindsay Mills → Glenn Greenwald (Alliance Indirect Ally) — Mills supports the conditions that allow Greenwald to receive Snowden's material.

  Snowden asks Mills to return to Maryland before contacting Greenwald about releasing the classified information.

• Lindsay Mills → Laura Poitras (Alliance Indirect Ally) — Their alliance is indirect and mediated through Snowden's escape plan.

  Mills is connected to the disclosure operation because Snowden asks her to fly home before contacting Poitras and Greenwald.

• Laura Poitras → Glenn Greenwald (Alliance Reporting Partner) — They form the core journalistic partnership handling Snowden's disclosures.

  Poitras and Greenwald participate together in the Hong Kong meeting and later help disseminate Snowden's information to the press.

• Edward Snowden → Ewen MacAskill (Narrative Whistleblower Contact) — MacAskill connects Snowden's disclosures to wider press publication and later helps him leave Hong Kong.

  MacAskill assists Greenwald and Poitras after the Hong Kong meeting, and the information is disseminated to the press on June 5, 2013.

• Edward Snowden → Glenn Greenwald (Alliance Disclosure Partner) — Greenwald helps turn Snowden's evidence into public reporting.

  Snowden meets Greenwald in Hong Kong and discusses releasing the classified information in his possession.

• Edward Snowden → Laura Poitras (Alliance Disclosure Partner) — Poitras is one of Snowden's principal partners in exposing the surveillance program.

  In Hong Kong, Snowden arranges a clandestine meeting with Poitras to discuss releasing classified information about mass surveillance.

Story Analysis

A technically gifted intelligence worker becomes a whistleblower after discovering that surveillance systems support global intrusion and lethal operations.

Plot Progression

1. From Soldier To Analyst — Snowden's Army career ends after a leg injury, but Corbin O'Brian recruits him into the CIA. His exceptional cyberwarfare performance establishes his technical value.
2. Love And Moral Doubt — Snowden meets Lindsay Mills and begins a relationship while working under diplomatic cover in Geneva. An abusive intelligence operation makes him question the ethics of his profession and resign from...
3. The Hidden Weapon — At the NSA in Japan, Snowden develops Epic Shelter and discovers that the agency embeds malware throughout allied infrastructure. The scale of the system damages his relationship with Mills.
4. The Moral Breaking Point — Snowden returns to Maryland and moves to Oahu after an epilepsy diagnosis. In The Tunnel, he learns that Epic Shelter supplies real-time data for lethal drone strikes.
5. The Leak And Exile — Snowden copies the relevant data onto a microSD card hidden in a Rubik's Cube and contacts Poitras and Greenwald. The disclosures reach the press, but passport revocation leaves him in Moscow, where l...