| “ | Rebellions are built on hope. | „ |
| ~ Jyn Erso |
Jyn Erso was the main protagonist of the movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. A human female, she was a high-ranking member as well as soldier in the Rebel Alliance and the leader of Rogue One team.
Erso played a critical role in stealing the plans for the Death Star from the Galactic Empire, sacrificing her life to ensure the successful transmission of the files to the Alliance.
She was portrayed by Felicity Jones.
Biography
Early life
The Clone Wars
Jyn Erso was born on the Outer Rim ice planet of Vallt in 22 BBY to Galen Erso, a pacifist scientist working for Zerpen Industries, and Lyra Erso, Galen's wife and colleague in the company. Born within a Separatist prison due to her father's refusal to use his intelligence and knowledge of kyber crystals to help the Confederacy in their war against the Galactic Republic, Jyn spent approximately six months in the care of her mother and the caretakers of the complex. In 21 BBY, Jyn and her parents were unexpectedly ordered onto a carriage and sent to a spaceport where, to the great surprise of her parents, Lieutenant Commander Orson Krennic of the Republic Navy, who Galen knew from their time in the Republic's Futures Program, was waiting to extract them and bring them to Coruscant.
For the next several months, Jyn lived in an apartment in Coruscant's Galactic City while her father looked for work. As the Clone Wars approached its end, Jyn's father was notified by Krennic that he had been offered a position in Helical HyperCom on the planet Lokori. Accepting the offer, the Ersos moved to the world and settled there while Galen worked on the company's renewable energy project.
In 19 BBY, after several attacks by the Separatists on the planet, the Confederacy launched a large assault on the Helical HyperCom facility and the surrounding area. With a large force of B1 battle droids advancing on the complex, Jyn's parents fled the facility with her in a carrier into the surrounding settlement. With battles raging on multiple sides, the Ersos were rerouted by a group of clone troopers but were eventually surrounded. Climbing up a mound of rubble in front of a building, Lyra and Galen attempted to get atop the structure but found it was too tall. With the battle droids approaching, killing the remaining Lokori in the vicinity, Galen placed himself in front of Jyn and Lyra. To their surprise and relief however, the droids suddenly shut down. Unknown to them, the Clone Wars had ended.
Age of the Empire
Living on Coruscant
With the war ended, the Republic was reformed as the First Galactic Empire by former Supreme Chancellor, now Emperor, Sheev Palpatine. Krennic, having convinced Galen to work for the Empire in a supposed kyber crystal sustainable energy project which was in fact a superweapon development program called Project Celestial Power, relocated the Erso family to the project's complex, built upon the former B'ankor Refuge. As Galen's work went on he became more distant from Jyn, who spent a lot of her time in the care of an MV nanny droid nicknamed "Mac-Vee." During this time, Jyn would watch bedtime holodramas, such as The Octave Stairway.
At some point, Jyn, along with her mother, Has Obitt and Nari Sable, traveled to the Outer Rim planet of Alpinn on Krennic's request to help with the archeological project being conducted there. While there, Jyn would go exploring with the three of them and would revel in being at the center of attention back at the archeological camp. After returning to Coruscant, Jyn's father was more distant than ever, especially in regards to Lyra. Unbeknownst to Jyn, their indifference was a product of their conflicting views of Project Celestial Power, with each of her parents keeping secrets from the other.
Sometime later, Galen approached Jyn and asked her about a picture she was drawing, to which she told him it was a character from The Octave Stairway named Brin. Galen noticed the figure looked similar to him, and Jyn told him he could be Brin if he wanted. A sudden flush of regret and love washed over Galen as he expressed his regrets in not being around her more. Later, Galen and Lyra shared their doubts about Krennic and realized Galen's kyber research was in fact being used for nefarious ends. Knowing they could not merely resign, the pair decided to attempt an escape. Arranging an extraction point and time with Has Obitt, Galen and Lyra, with a four year-old Jyn in her arms, left the complex and struggled through the parading crowds. However, with Obitt having been caught by Krennic, the smuggler's colleague, former Onderonian freedom fighter Saw Gerrera, met with the Ersos and led them to his own starship. Leaving Coruscant, Jyn and Gerrera surveyed the stars from the front window of the ship. Confirming a suitable planet, Jyn and Gerrera told Galen and Lyra about a world they could go into hiding on: Lah'mu. Before departing into hyperspace, Gerrera handed Jyn's parents a com card that they could use to contact him if they ever felt the need. Though she was sad that she had to leave her toys and Mac-Vee behind, Jyn found comfort in the company of her parents and the fact she had found a new friend in Saw Gerrera.
Into hiding
For the next four years, Jyn lived with her parents in a homestead on the remote world of Lah'mu in order to avoid the Empire. In the event of compromise, the Ersos established a plan which involved a hatched room hidden underneath a rock that Jyn would escape to. This plan was put into effect in 13 BBY, when Orson Krennic, accompanied by a contingent of Death Troopers, arrived at their home. After contacting Saw Gerrera, Galen said a solemn goodbye to Jyn before heading out to meet with Krennic, while Lyra led Jyn around the back. Giving Jyn a kyber crystal on a necklace, Lyra told Jyn to go to the hideout before leaving also to confront Krennic. However, Jyn decided to follow and hide in the long grass, watching as Lyra pulled a blaster pistol on Krennic. Ordering his troopers to fire, Lyra managed to fire off one shot into Krennic's shoulder before being killed. Realizing it was time to get away, Jyn ran to the hideout as Krennic took Galen and ordered his Death Troopers to search for her.
After spending some time in the underground room, Jyn heard footsteps approaching above. When the hatch opened, she saw Gerrera standing there, who urged her to come out. For the next eight years, Jyn became a soldier on Onderon working for Gerrera's insurgents, whose actions were considered by many to be immoral. Jyn found a connection with the hardened warriors but when a crippling setback occurred among the rebels, Gerrera abandoned Jyn, believing her origins could compromise his cause. These events left Jyn with little capacity to trust others. For the next five years, Jyn focused on surviving, employing several aliases to hide her identity, such as Liana Hallik, Tanith Ponta and Kestrel Dawn. Her lifestyle often put her at odds with the Empire, though the cause of her violence was not political.
Rescue and capture by the Alliance
In 0 BBY, Jyn was imprisoned in an Imperial labor camp on the planet Wobani. While being transported to a location on the planet, the vehicle she was aboard was attacked by Extraction Team Bravo of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. After identifying Jyn, Sergeant Ruescott Melshi released her from her restraints but was distracted by a prisoner seated opposite, giving Jyn a chance to kick the Rebel over. Heading for the door, Jyn punched a second Rebel trooper to the ground before grabbing a shovel from the side wall of the transport, using it to strike the sergeant and the third Bravo Team soldier. Running outside to escape, Erso was forcefully seized by former Imperial KX-series Security Droid K-2SO who threw her to the ground and told her not to resist, informing her that she was being rescued.
Having been brought to the Rebel Alliance's secret base on the moon of Yavin 4, Jyn was handed over to General Davits Draven and a founder of the Alliance, Mon Mothma. After reading out her criminal record, Draven introduced Jyn to Alliance Intelligence officer, Captain Cassian Andor, who asked her when she was last in contact with her father and Saw Gerrera. Confused, irritated and only willing to give vague answers, Jyn demanded explanation. The trio told her that an Imperial defector claimed to have been tasked by her father to pass information to the Rebel Alliance pertaining to a planet-destroying superweapon. Because of her history with Saw Gerrera, Draven and Mothma asked her to meet with him on the moon Jedha, an Imperial occupied world held sacred by followers of the mystical energy field known as the Force, to acquire the message in the hopes of locating and extracting Galen. What Jyn wasn't aware of, however, was that Andor had instead been tasked with assassinating Galen.
Preparing to leave on a UT-60D transport along with Andor and K-2SO, the reprogrammed droid brought to Andor's attention that Jyn had her own weapon. Not willing to take the risk, Andor ordered her to hand it over. Refusing, Jyn told him trust goes both ways, convincing Andor to allow her to keep it.
Mission to Jedha
Arriving at Jedha, Jyn and Andor agreed that Kaytoo should stay behind on the ship so that they could blend into the crowds of the Holy City more easily. After entering the city, Jyn encountered Chirrut Îmwe, a blind male human who called her over. Îmwe told her about the Guardians of the Whills and their great temple, and how the Empire was at Jedha for the planet's kyber crystals. Her conversation was cut short when Andor called her over, telling her to keep her focus on the mission. Walking further, the pair came out onto a street where they noticed an Imperial combat assault tank guarded by several stormtroopers approaching. Out of the corner of her eye, Jyn spotted several people armed with weapons atop the surrounding buildings. Suddenly the Imperials were attacked from all sides. After getting to cover, Jyn noticed a child stranded in the midst of the engagement. Running to retrieve the girl, Jyn handed her over to her parent but was subsequently trapped on either side by Imperial forces. Andor, spotting one of the insurgents preparing to throw an explosive, shot the rebel, causing him to fall and detonate the explosive inside a group of insurgents, providing enough distraction for Jyn to escape to cover. With the insurgents neutralizing the last of the Imperial forces surrounding the tank, they retrieved the kyber crystals being transported on-board. As Jyn and Andor tried to escape, a group of stormtroopers caught up with them. Finding cover in the indent of a building, Jyn extended her baton and struck a pair of stormtroopers down; using a scavenged E-11 blaster rifle, Jyn fired at another pair of troopers approaching from around the corner before turning and shooting a KX-series Security Droid. Unsure if she had just killed K-2SO, the droid fell revealing the true Kaytoo standing behind. Walking over to one of the stormtroopers recovering from being struck by Jyn, Kaytoo caught the soldier's grenade mid-flight and threw it backwards into a group of approaching troopers, all the while chastising them for their decision to leave him on the ship.
Rounding a corner, the trio found themselves in front of another stormtrooper patrol. One of the stormtroopers ordered Kaytoo to tell him where he was taking the "prisoners." Before they were able to give an answer, the troopers told Kaytoo they will handle the prisoners. Before they could however, the blind monk that had spoken to Jyn approached the group. Ordered to stay back by one of the stormtroopers, Îmwe kept walking. As the troopers fired, the robed man used his hands and his staff strike the soldiers down, using some of them as cover from blaster bolts. When the last trooper was down, another group came around the corner but were suddenly killed when a human named Baze Malbus, armed with a heavy repeater cannon, came up from behind. With the fighting ended, several of Gerrera's insurgents approached. Jyn demanded that she speak with Saw Gerrera, telling the rebels that she is Galen Erso's daughter. Speaking in an alien language, one of the insurgents ordered they all be restrained and brought to Gerrera. Having arrived by foot at Gerrera's hidden base far from the city, Andor, Îmwe and Malbus, were placed in a cell adjacent to the one holding the Imperial defector, while Jyn was led to Gerrera. Coming face to face, Gerrera greeted her but noticed her obvious anger. Asking if they were still friends, Jyn scolded him for abandoning her, to which Gerrera defended himself by telling her that her history endangered him and his insurgency. Asking why she was at Jedha, Jyn explained the task she was set by the Alliance. Taking out a small holoprojector, Gerrera placed it on the ground and activated it, producing a hologram recording of Jyn's father. The message played, revealing that Galen had accepted to develop the superweapon equipped battle station, which the Empire was calling the "Death Star," in order to purposefully engineer a flaw in the form of a vulnerable thermal exhaust port leading directly to the station's hypermatter reactor. Galen went on to speak directly to his daughter, causing Jyn to bust into tears. He said that in order to find the exhaust port, one had to steal the station's plans. As the message ended, the building began to shake violently and Andor, who had escaped with Îmwe, Malbus and the former Imperial pilot, Bodhi Rook, ran up to her and told her that they needed to leave. Regaining composure, Jyn told Gerrera to come with them, but he refused, telling her that he was done running. As the group escaped towards the vast wall of rubble created by the Death Star's test firing on the holy city, Kaytoo landed the U-wing in front of them and allowed the five of them to board the vessel before escaping into hyperspace.
While in hyperspace, Andor received a transmission from the Alliance informing him that the assassination operation is still in effect. With Bodhi having informed them that Galen was currently located on the storm-striken planet of Eadu, Jyn told them about the hologram message and that they need to find him. However, Andor had doubts and asked her if she had the message in her. Jyn told him everything happened so fast during their escape and that she didn't have a chance to retrieve it. Asking if anyone else saw the message, Andor received shaking heads, causing Jyn to become angry and admonish them for not believing her.
Encounter on Eadu
Entering Eadu's stormy atmosphere, Kaytoo and Andor struggled to guide the vessel between the planet's immense rock pillars as they listened to Rook's vague directions. As they approached the Imperial shuttle depot, the U-wing's right engine hit one of the cliffs, causing the ship to crash. Confirming no-one was injured or killed, Andor proceeded to depart with Rook, telling the group they were leaving to conduct reconnaissance. However, in reality, Andor was leaving to assassinate Galen. Unwilling to stay in the U-wing, Jyn left to follow them, while Îmwe and Malbus in turn followed her. Upon reaching a cliff that Andor and Rook had passed, Jyn surveyed the shuttle depot ahead and realized her father was likely there, and so headed for the ladder leading up to the platform. Suddenly, Krennic's shuttle passed overhead, landing at the end of a platform. When she reached the top, Jyn pulled a stormtrooper off the edge and picked up his blaster rifle. Before she could do anything however, the platform was attacked by Rebel Alliance X-wing starfighters that had been sent after the group's presumed demise, with the attack killing most of the stormtroopers. As Krennic ordered Galen into the shuttle, Jyn shouted out to her father. When Galen tried to comprehend what he was seeing, he was struck by a blast from a Y-wing's proton torpedo. As Jyn lay on the ground, Krennic hastily looked back before boarding his shuttle. As the black vessel turned, Jyn made her way over to her father but was pushed back by the force of the shuttle's sublight engines. However, she managed to hold on to the edge of the platform. Getting back atop the platform, Jyn ran over to Galen and tuned him over. Jyn told him that she got his message and after a brief exchange, Galen died in her arms. Andor, who had spotted Jyn through the scope of his A280-CFE, came up to Jyn and told her they needed to leave, telling her Galen was dead and that she couldn't do anything about it. As they regrouped, a squad of stormtroopers caught up with them and were preparing to fire. However, an Imperial Cargo Shuttle piloted by Rook and Kaytoo rose up behind the Rebels, taking out the stormtroopers with its forward laser cannons. After all the Rebels were aboard, the shuttle took off, heading for Yavin 4. As they traveled through hyperspace, Jyn confronted Andor, realizing he was going to kill her father. Andor became angry and told her that some don't have the luxury to make their own choices and that, even though he had the chance to, he didn't kill Galen.
Return to Yavin
Arriving back at the Rebel base, a meeting of the Alliance Cabinet was held to discuss how the Rebellion should deal with the Death Star. Most of the group agreed that, against such a destructive weapon, the Alliance stood no chance of stealing the plans and that the word of a "criminal" was not enough to take such a risk. Jyn interjected, telling them it wasn't a matter of chance, but one of choice and that if they let such power remain in the hands of such an evil government then they condemn the galaxy indefinitely to a future of oppression. Her speech was enough to sway many of the council members, but without full support from everyone, the chances were too great and no action could be taken. Irritated with the council's unwillingness to act, Jyn stormed off.
Inside one of the Great Temple's hangars, Andor approached Jyn with a group of Rebel Marines behind him. Agreeing with her that they have to do something, Andor offered his service, telling her he couldn't live with himself if he gave up. Îmwe, Malus and Rook soon followed suit, with Kaytoo telling her he would fight with her, but only because Andor said he had to. Boarding their appropriated Imperial shuttle, the group prepared for takeoff but received a message from an Alliance member telling them they were not cleared to leave the base and that they had to give a call sign. Desperately trying to think of one, Rook replied with "Rogue One," but was told there was no "Rogue One." Before the Alliance member could say another word, Rook lifted the ship off the ground and took off from the moon and plotted a course for Scarif, the location of the Death Star plans.
Infiltrating Scarif
As the shuttle exited hyperspace, Scarif and its enveloping planetary deflector shield came into view. As they headed towards the Shield Gate that would allow them access to the surface, Rook notified gate control and requested a landing pad. Informing them that their arrival was not scheduled, Kaytoo transmitted the clearance codes to the gate officer. As they waited for a reply, Jyn clutched her kyber crystal. A few seconds later, the reply came through, and they were granted entry. As everyone expressed their relief, Jyn headed into the cargo section to tell the others.
After the shuttle settled down on landing pad 9, an inspection crew consisting of two stormtroopers, an officer, and a ground technician, boarded. When they descended into the cargo bay to check the ship's supposed manifest, the four Imperials were taken out. After donning their disguises, Jyn and Andor along with Kaytoo left for the facility while the Marines sneaked out through the underside the ship. While the trio headed through the complex, the others began preparing for the diversion by planting explosives at various landing pads. Finding a lone KX-series droid, Kaytoo accessed its data banks and retrieved a map of the complex. Discovering there were too many stormtroopers to make it to the data vault, Andor ordered Melshi to detonate the explosives to divert the Imperial forces away. Making it without resistance to the data vault, Kaytoo knocked out the technician in charge of the vault and assumed control over the computer. After opening the door, Kaytoo informed them that the Alliance Fleet had amassed over Scarif and that the Shield Gate had been closed. When Jyn realized they were trapped, Kaytoo suggested transmitting the plans but told them that the size of the data files meant that the shield would have to be taken down to in order to send them to the fleet. Before she left into the vault, Jyn handed Kaytoo a blaster pistol and the droid told her that her behavior was continually unexpected. As Jyn and Andor skimmed through the files in search of the plans, a group of stormtroopers approached Kaytoo and saw the technician's body on the floor. Kaytoo attempted to divert the stromtroopers to supposed "Rebels," but Andor asked through comms why he had closed the vault door, forcing the droid to take out the soldiers. Jyn continued to search through the files and stopped at "stardust," the same nickname her father gave her, and realized that they must be the plans. As Kaytoo tried to fight off stormtrooper reinforcements, he read out the data-tape's position. Andor used the retrieving mechanism to get it, however, before he could fully extract it the door control was shot and the device's power went out. Kaytoo implored them to climb and locked the vault before being killed by stormtroopers. Jyn shot the glass and jumped across onto the data tower, with Andor following after her. After she retrieved the data-tape, they climbed up to escape, but before they could a door opened in the wall revealing Krennic and a pair of Death Troopers. Andor covered Jyn's escape, killing two Death Troopers before a bolt from Krennic caused him to fall and hit a platform unconscious. Jyn, knowing she couldn't save him, continued climbing. Reaching a continuously opening and closing hatch, Jyn timed her escape, climbing through the malfunctioning exit just in time. Reaching the top of the Citadel tower, Jyn inserted the data-tape into a console connected to the large dish above her. However, the computer told her that the dish was misaligned. Making her way across an extended platform to the orientation control, Jyn aligned the dish with the Rebel fleet but noticed a TIE striker heading in her direction. Moving hastily back to the transmission console, the starfighter fired at the platform, pushing Jyn backwards and forcing her to grab hold of a railing to prevent falling to the ground. Getting back atop the platform, Jyn once again made her way over to the console but was stopped by Krennic. Demanding Jyn tell him who she was, she told him she was Jyn Erso, daughter of Galen and Lyra and that he has lost. Dismissing it, Krennic reminded her that the shield was still up before preparing to fire. However, before he could, Andor emerged and shot Krennic, rendering him unconscious. Jyn ran over to the console and managed to transmit the plans to the Rebel vessel Profundity before going over to Andor to brace him. Following the captain's gaze to Krennic, Jyn tried to run over to him in anger but was stopped by Andor, who calmed her down. Unknown to them, Îmwe, Malbus and Bodhi had all already died.
Death
Exiting the turbolift onto the beach, Jyn and Andor looked into the distance to see that the Death Star had fired its superlaser at a point several kilometers away. As the fireball approached, Jyn and Andor embraced before being engulfed.
Legacy
Jyn's determination and bravery led to her becoming one of the most important figures of the war. Her actions at Scarif allowed the Rebel Alliance to exploit the Death Star's weakness with the help of Luke Skywalker and pave the way for the Empire's defeat at the Battle of Jakku five years later.
Personality and traits
Standing at 1.6 meters in height, Jyn Erso was a human female with short brown hair, green eyes, and light skin. Even as a small child, Jyn began developing a rebellious attitude but had a clear sense of right and wrong gained from her parents while growing up on Lah'mu. During her time with Saw Gerrera's insurgents, she developed a strong bond with the extremists. After being abandoned at sixteen, Jyn was forced to adapt and developed fighting skills and a keen knowledge of the galactic underworld. Initially, Jyn cared little about the Rebels' cause, but after watching the hologram message from her father, Jyn realized how important it was that the Empire be rid from the galaxy and sacrificed herself for their cause.
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