Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up... on the run as the only child of scientist Galen Erso and his wife Lyra. As a girl, Jyn is sent to hide when Empire officials track down her father to force him to complete the construction of the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the Death Star, which he had been tricked into developing. Jyn watched as her mother was shot and killed before her father was taken away. She was then raised by Rebel extremist Saw Gerrera.
Living... in captivity 13 years after she was essentially left an orphan. Let’s just say that Jyn has been a rebellious youth. She’s being transported from one Imperial prison to another when she’s freed by a small Rebel force. True to form, she fights her Rebel “saviors” as well until she’s subdued by K-2SO, the reprogrammed Imperial droid belonging to Rebel intelligence officer Cassian Andor.
Profession... essentially a professional loner. Gerrera taught her to be a great fighter, but he abandoned her a few years earlier and since then she’s been entirely on her own – and that’s the way she likes it. The rebellion has brought her nothing but pain. The Rebel Alliance, however, has other plans for Jyn.
Interests... her crystal necklace. It was given to her by her parents. When the blind, Force-feeling warrior Chirrut Imre asks about her necklace, even though it’s covered up by clothes and he’s, well, blind, Jyn first shows a crack in her hard façade.
Relationship Status... single. Ping-ponging from being a fugitive to a jailbird and back again doesn’t leave much room for a relationship.
Challenge... retrieving the secret Death Star plans planted by her father on the beach planet Scarif. Unbeknownst to his Imperial supervisors, Galen Erso built a fatal weakness into the Death Star. He’s trying to get those plans to the Rebels so they can destroy it – before the Death Star destroys entire planets. At least that’s what Galen and defected Imperial pilot Bodhi Rook say. The Rebels are skeptical, but they’ve freed Jyn in case she can help. But even if she can, will she?
Personality... distrustful, wary, and feisty, but decent at her core. Jyn has seen a lifetime of loss in her 22 years. As a result, she’s closed herself off to the world and reacts aggressively even to those offering help. But maybe fulfilling her father’s most fervent hope, alongside her new Rebel frenemies, can make her believe in something bigger than herself once more.
Get to Know her in...
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As the shadows of the Empire loom ever larger across the galaxy, so do deeply troubling rumors. The Rebellion has learned of a sinister Imperial plot to bring entire worlds to their knees. Deep in Empire-dominated space, a machine of unimaginable destructive power is nearing completion. A weapon too terrifying to contemplate—and a threat that may be too great to overcome. If the worlds at the Empire's mercy stand any chance, it lies with an unlikely band of allies: Jyn Erso, a resourceful young woman seeking vengeance; Cassian Andor, a war-weary rebel commander; Bodhi Rook, a defector from the Empire's military; Chirrut Imwe, a blind holy man and his crack-shot companion, Baze Malbus; and K-2SO, a deadly Imperial droid turned against its former masters. In their hands rests the new hope that could turn the tide toward a crucial Rebellion victory—if only they can capture the plans to the Empire's new weapon. But even as they race toward their dangerous goal, the specter of their ultimate enemy—a monstrous world unto itself—darkens the skies. Waiting to herald the Empire's brutal reign with a burst of annihilation worthy of its dreaded name: Death Star.
