*Jyn-related spoilers.*
As I was thinking about different possible topics for Star Wars Wednesdays posts, it occurred to me that I hadn’t written about some members of the Rogue One crew yet, and I searched the blog to see what Rogue One posts I’d already made. Color me surprised when I realized that, while I did a Relationship Spotlight for Jyn and Cassian, I never made a post for Jyn herself! So that’s the first oversight that needs rectifying, but there will definitely be other Rogue One characters popping up in the not-too-distant future.
Jyn Erso has a rough beginning. As a child, she witnesses her mother’s murder on the same day that the Empire takes her scientist father away, conscripting him to work for them. She manages to get away, and she’s taken in by Saw Gerrera, a salty rebel fighter who doesn’t play well with other rebels. During her teen years, she and Saw separate, and her attempts to look out for herself get her in trouble. The first time we see her as an adult, she’s riding in a prison transport.
In Star Wars, we’ve seen plenty of reluctant heroes, those who try to refuse the call but get pulled into the fight in other ways. After being raised by Saw, Jyn wants nothing to do with the Rebellion. Her objective is simply to keep her head down, ignoring the suffering around the galaxy if it means she can carve out a bit of safety for herself. This might be called cowardly or selfish, but it’s also a response rooted in her trauma. Jyn runs away from thoughts of the Rebellion, telling herself that the Empire’s oppression won’t bother her if she doesn’t look at it.
When the Rebellion comes a-calling, it’s not specifically to recruit her for the fight. Rather, it’s because of her connections: her father has sent Saw a message, and Saw is too isolationist and paranoid to share it with the Rebel Alliance. As Galen’s daughter and Saw’s former surrogate daughter, Jyn seems likely the most likely candidate for being able to get the information they need.
So Jyn goes along with the mission, and while she gets in on the action—saving a small child on Jedha, showing off her blaster skills against Stormtroopers—her main focus remains this personal, familial connection. Honestly, kudos to her for being able to comprehend the content of Galen’s message, given how overwhelmed she is to see his holo-image after so many years apart. This mission is littered with ghosts for Jyn, forcing her to confront everything that’s been taken from her, and although these weigh her down, she manages to bear up.
When it comes out that Cassian’s true mission isn’t to find her father but to kill him, preventing his scientific genius from benefiting the Empire any further, that could easily spell the end of Jyn’s time with the Rebellion. Even though Cassian ultimately isn’t the one who pulls the trigger, her feelings of betrayal are palpable, and it would be entirely within reason for her to cut ties and return to her old M.O. of looking out for herself.
However, between Cassian pressing her to recognize what they’re fighting for and the knowledge that Galen spent years working to sabotage the Empire from within, Jyn can’t run anymore. She knows she needs to finish what her father started, making his sacrifice worthwhile by getting the Death Star plans to the Rebellion—if they can isolate Galen’s sabotage, they can bring it down. As Jyn makes her case to the Alliance, she’s inspired by Cassian and repeats his words: “Rebellions are built on hope.” When they refuse her, she still believes in this mission so strongly that she does it anyway, with Cassian and some of her new friends behind her.
Jyn Erso gives her life fighting to give the Rebellion the spark of hope it needs to strike an important blow against the Empire. This is a huge change for someone who wanted nothing to do with them only a few days earlier. After years of running, she finds something worth standing for, and she gives her all to accomplish it.
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