Written by Sydney Paley
Alright, friends. It’s come to my attention that Space Warrior™ Jyn Erso has not been receiving all the love she deserves. On this #WomanCrushWednesday, we’ll go in-depth on all the reasons why Jyn Erso is not only my favorite Star Wars character, but also one of my favorite characters in general.
Reason #1: She can take care of herself
Listen up, kiddos. Jyn had to leave her home at the age of eight because her dad was taken away and her mom was killed. She was subsequently taken in by Uncle Saw Gerrera but then abandoned again at age sixteen. Do you know what I was doing for myself at ages eight and sixteen? Not a thing, because I lived at home with my parents. It gets better--during the events of Rogue One, Jyn is twenty-one. I AM TWENTY-ONE. Let’s take a look at what she’s doing versus what I’m doing.
Jyn: pulling together a rogue team to help destroy the Death Star, generally being a super cool member of the Rebel Alliance, looking fab while doing so
Me: typing a blog post, avoiding responsibility, debating on whether or not I should eat some more goldfish crackers
See what I mean? She’s awesome. I have so much to live up to.
Reason #2: Despite her size, she’s assertive and people listen to her
Fun fact: I am the same height as Felicity Jones, therefore I am the same height as Jyn Erso. (Yeah, I know it’s weird that I know this; I promise--I really do--that I did not go out and look this information up. I have tumblr to thank for it.) That height is a smol 5’3”. I am easy to lose in crowds.
Just because Jyn is tiny, though, doesn’t mean people don’t listen to her. She knows that going on what will surely be a suicide mission to get the Death Star plans is the right thing to do, and even though she doesn’t officially get her way thanks to the Alliance Council she does manage to rally a small group of volunteers to go on the mission with her. She commands every room that she’s in and people want to follow her into action.
Reason #3: She finds a family throughout the course of the movie
This is one of my favorite tropes--a group of lonely people comes together because of a common goal or interest and end up becoming a family along the way. The core Rogue One team--Jyn, Cassian, Baze, Chirrut, Bodhi, and K-2SO--does just this and it warms my cold, dark heart every time I think about it. Though their group has only been together for a few days, they trust each other with the mission at stake and with their lives, and Jyn is the catalyst for this. She is the reason the six of them come together (or are thrown together) in the first place and she’s their unofficial leader. One of my favorite moments in the film is when Baze--big, strong, surly Baze--calls Jyn “Little Sister.” Jyn has gone so long without feeling any sort of familial love, or really any love at all, and suddenly she has a whole group of friends who are willing to put their lives on the line for something she believes in.
...I’m not crying, you’re crying.
Reason #4: I just get really emotional every time I think about her okay
I have lived my life constantly looking up to different fictional characters--nearly always women whose personalities and/or accomplishments were things I wanted to live up to. Jyn is the type of woman who I would like to be: independent, resilient, fierce, and tough. Unfortunately even in this day and age women still have to fight for many things, and Jyn Erso has helped me find my voice and learn how to stand up for what I believe in.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you too can appreciate Jyn a little more now. Fangirl out.
*gifs not mine; found on Google
