Jyn Erso: The New Han Solo?

Has the Star Wars universe become overly feminized or could it be that a portion of our fandom is just not in-touch with their feminine side of the force? Or maybe we’re just not asking the right question. Perhaps the correct question would be: what’s wrong with a female leading the charge? It’s a straightforward question. No hidden agenda so don’t go looking for one or assume that there is one. So again, what’s wrong with it? Or better yet, what’s wrong with the question? Ok I’ll admit, I’m being a bit pretentious or rather, rebellious.

“This is a rebellion, isn’t it? I rebel.”- Jyn Erso

Can’t even put into words how this dialogue moved me! Seriously, my lips curled up like the “Grinch Who Stole Christmas” and I’m definitely ok with that, ha! Let me just also add, that we got more dialogue in the Rogue One trailer than we did in the first two trailers for The Force Awakens! That’s saying a lot. Ok, that’s a poorly used pun, but you get my meaning.

All-in-all, we have more to go on with the Rogue One characters than we did with our initial introductions to The Force Awakens, at least from my point of view. And I wasn’t even that excited for Rogue One until the trailer aired. Blasphemy, I know, but whatever! I’m ecstatic now. It was like … my life was suddenly put on rewind and my inner child was watching A New Hope all over again. The wonder, the anticipation, the goose-bumps, the ambiance, and yes, even the hope for something far greater than I could possibly imagine was staring back at me – evoking the feelings of nostalgia.

“We have a mission for you. A major weapons test is imminent. We need to know what it is and how to destroy it.”- Mon Mothma

Oh. My. Gosh! Mon Mothma [portrayed by Genevieve O’Reilly] is back, to an extent, but still Miss O’Reilly had not only the look, but the enunciation down pat! Ever since Return of the Jedi, I’ve always wanted to see more of her character and we did get a little taste of that with Chuck Wendig’s novel “Aftermath” and now, with Rogue One well underway, this hope I have for more Mon Mothma looks promising.

Reckless, aggressive, and undisciplined – Jyn’s character traits are not unfamiliar to other personas we have seen in the galaxy far, far away, including some rather distinct “bad-boy” qualifications i.e.: forgery of Imperial documents, possession of stolen property, aggravated assault, and resisting arrest. Perhaps the term “bad-boy” is a bit stereotypical? Trust me, I mean no offense. On the contrary, you can’t deny that these charges don’t remind you of a certain smooth talking smuggler, who just happened to make the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs. Yes, Han Solo.

Is it possible that Han Solo could’ve been a major influence on Jyn’s character development? Am I really that far off base here or is there some plausibility to my assumption? She’s a rogue and so was Han, well, in the beginning. He was unprincipled, and so is Jyn, and would like to avoid all, if any, Imperial entanglements. Like Solo, Erso seems to, for the most part, act alone a.k.a. solo. Another noticeable similarity [yes, even after less than two minutes of screen time] was the notion that she is willing to risk it all, no matter what the stakes. Wasn’t Han willing to do the same? After all, when Leia asks “Han, how?” referring to how he plans on getting Finn to Starkiller Base, he responds with, “If I told you, you wouldn’t like it.”

I don’t know, maybe I’m way off here, but it’s fun to think about and it makes my inner child giddy with anticipation for this Star Wars story. I wasn’t thrilled with losing Han Solo in The Force Awakens, but maybe, just maybe, his legacy will live on with Jyn Erso … “If you continue to fight – what will you become?”

 

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*You can find Becca on Twitter @urangelb or at any of these affiliated outlets: @thcantinacast @TarkinsTopShelf or contact Becca directly via email at Becca@thecantinacast.net or beccab@coffeewithkenobi.com and to read more of her Star Wars ruminations, check out Becca’s Chava Chats at coffeewithkenobi.com & TheBeardedTrio.com

**Also listen to Becca on the following Podcasts: Tarkin’s Top Shelf and TGR Star Wars Hour

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