Why is Micaiah the Commander in Chapter 1-1?

[Icelerate]

Spoiler

 

Edward:
“This way’s no good either. Begnion soldiers have every alleyway blocked. A kitten couldn’t sneak past them.”

Nolan:
“It looks like this really is the least guarded path, then. Even so, it’s swarming with soldiers.”

Micaiah:
“There are more coming up behind us! We’ll be trapped if we don’t move quickly!”

Nolan:
“We can’t wait for Sothe.”

Nolan:
“The stairs by the church lead to the marketplace. We can break through there.”

Nolan:
“I’ll go first and secure the way. Micaiah and Leonardo, cover my back! Remember to keep your distance from the enemy. Team up and bring them down one by one!”

Micaiah:
“We’ll be careful.”

Leonardo:
“Leave it to us.”

Nolan:
“Edward, you bring up the rear. Your skills have improved, but you’re still new to fighting. Don’t rush the enemy. Just focus on surviving their attacks. Got it?”

Edward:
“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”

 

From the script, it is quite clear it is Nolan giving the orders. It makes sense too because he's the oldest and wisest of the Dawn Brigade. 

[maybe]

because she's the main character

[DarkDestr0yer61]

38 minutes ago, Icelerate said:

 It makes sense too because he's the oldest and wisest of the Dawn Brigade.

He's the leader

Edited September 20, 2017 by DarkDestr0yer61

[Ertrick36]

The protagonist isn't always the one issuing orders.  Or if they are, they aren't always the definitive leaders.

In Fates, Corrin isn't the actual leader in two out of the three paths.  In Awakening there are two protagonists who have varying degrees of power and battlefield command.  Heck, in the beginning of PoR, Ike wasn't even the leader of his mercenary band; he was only a junior officer-in-training accompanied by a few of his fellow mercs.  Granted, that's pretty short lived, but still.  Yet in these cases, all of them are treated as commanders both in a gameplay and a narrative sense.

And in most of them, the protagonists usually end up as the de facto leaders after proving their worth or the actual leader dying and passing on their authority to the protagonist.

[Icelerate]

47 minutes ago, DarkDestr0yer61 said:

He's the leader

Well technically yes but on the game screen, it says the commander is Micaiah. I might be wrong but I'm pretty sure I'm not. I think it is just a developer oversight. According to the story, Nolan was still the leader. 

[Dark Holy Elf]

Ike isn't the one giving orders for the first seven chapters of PoR either. The "commander" is always the main character, even if someone else outranks them militarily.

Additionally, I got the impression Micaiah already was the leader of the Dawn Brigade by the time the game starts, just this is a martial sequence and Nolan is more experienced at that, so he's giving the orders for combat.

[Interdimensional Observer]

The developer notes explain Nolan began opposing the Begnion Occupation Army independently of Micaiah and Sothe. Micaiah's leadership role likely originates in her miraculous powers, even though Nolan has more experience in practical matters. 

[Icelerate]

31 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

The developer notes explain Nolan began opposing the Begnion Occupation Army independently of Micaiah and Sothe. Micaiah's leadership role likely originates in her miraculous powers, even though Nolan has more experience in practical matters. 

I read one of your posts in the past where you linked the developer notes. Thanks again for the reminder. I feel the game should have shown the leadership transition more smoothly. First Nolan is the leader, then Micaiah promotes once she teams up with Pelleas but is still beneath Tauroneo. Once Daein is free, she is now second only to Pelleas. Then at the end of the game, she becomes queen. This way my boys Nolan and Tauroneo get more screentime and there will be less marry sue complaints. 

[Dandy Druid]

Nolan was the leader, but Micaiah was more of a "symbol" or the "face" of the group. In general, the leader is usually the face of the group, or the member that receives spotlight, but Micaiah is in this case.

Nolan was the leader, but Micaiah was the one the oppressed Daein people were most familiar with.

[Rapier]

Apparently, Nolan started as the leader, but Micaiah quickly grew into that role after meeting with Peleas and becoming a figurehead for Daein. Her reputation only skyrocketed from there on and it was inevitable that she became the leader of the Dawn Brigade, then commander of Daein's armies. Nolan lacks the "charisma" she has (in-game, at least. Let's not discuss her character structure, as this is not the point) and did not serve as a figurehead, therefore he stopped being their leader very shortly after the beginning of FE10.