***This is a review of Star Wars Forces of Destiny episode ” The Stranger.” There are spoilers.***
This episode of Star Wars Forces of Destiny, “The Stranger,” features one of the newest members of the Star Wars galaxy — Rogue One‘s Jyn Erso. Jyn comes to the aid of young girl being harassed by stormtroopers. (Click here to watch this episode now on Disney’s YouTube channel.)
This episode opens with Jyn browsing for fruit in a marketplace, when she hears stormtroopers approach a young girl petting a cat (known as a Tooka) . They’ve been looking for her because, as they claim, she’s in violation of Code 310. We never get an explanation, but the creatures are thought of as nuisances, so maybe that’s why they’re frowned upon by the Empire. The troopers order the girl to turn the cat over to them. She protests it’s all she has in the world, but the troopers begin to remove the cat by force. It’s then they’re struck by fruit. Jyn has made her presence known.
Jyn advises the troopers they should pick on someone their own size, and they take her up on her offer. Clearly, they don’t know who they’re dealing with. Jyn is tougher than she appears, having been trained by Saw Gerrera and then fending for herself for years after they parted company. She makes quick work of the troopers then takes off after the cat, who has been spooked by all the commotion. The stormtroopers aren’t down for the count just yet, and Jyn finds herself being pursued.
Jyn catches up with the cat, who understands she is here to help. The two team up to put a final end to the stormtroopers mission. Underestimating Jyn Erso is their ultimate downfall, and soon she and the cat stand victorious.
The scene shifts to the young girl crying over what she believes is the loss of her best friend. She hears someone approach and turns to see Jyn and carrying her beloved cat. Owner and feline are happily reunited. The little girl asks who Jyn is, so she can thank her properly. Jyn, all too used to aliases, looks around, looks back at the girl, and decides she can be trusted.
“My name’s Jyn Erso.”
Jyn Erso has fast become one of my favorite characters in Star Wars, so I was happy to finally see her in Forces of Destiny. I was also thrilled to have Felicity Jones reprise the role she originated in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. She’s also right up there with Ahsoka in terms of the animation style. I love the color scheme used for each one, so they’ve been most appealing to me visually.
I loved the story for this episode! It was sweet, and that’s probably not a word normally associated with anything involving Jyn. She showed a heart that’s mostly kept under wraps due to the hardness she’s had to develop in order to survive on her own for so long. She remembers what it was like to be a little girl who lost everything she had in the world, so the plight of this particular girl (Am I hearing Ashley Eckstein?) tugs at her in a meaningful way. My own best friend (my pug) recently passed away, so the plight of the little girl tugged at my heart, too. That places “The Stranger” at the top for me.
If you like, please check out my previous reviews for Star Wars Forces of Destiny: “Sands of Jakku,” “BB-8 Bandits,” “Ewok Escape,” “The Padawan Path,” “Beasts of Echo Base,” and “The Imposter Inside.”
Be sure to stay up to date with Star Wars Forces of Destiny by subscribing to Disney’s YouTube channel.
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