Rogue One

Do you think it was an accident or coincidental that this movie came out shortly after Donald Trump was elected President? In my world, there are no accidents…

Today is International Women’s Day: my youngest grandchild is staying with us overnight; she wanted to watch something. She chose this movie.

I think she relates to the girl whose story this is. I think everyone can.

Jyn Erso

It’s a clever name, Jyn:

Jinn (also known as Djinn or Genies) are supernatural creatures. They appear to come from someplace ‘hidden’ to help whomever frees them from their prison. (See Aladdin for an example.)

In this Star Wars story, Jyn was left for dead after her scientist father was ‘persuaded’ to help the Imperial forces build a Death Star. It was he who built a flaw in that Death Star which was exploited by the Rebel Alliance in the very first Star Wars episode known as IV: A New Hope. (All epic stories ‘start’ in the middle of the story.) She is the reason that the Rebel Alliance got the Death Star plans after her father was killed.

Sacrifice

Whereas, most Star Wars heroes live long lives, Jyn died along with the rest of her Rogue One crew. This is unusual. But, I suspect, the producers didn’t want characters from the intervening years to clog up the Star Wars universe.

The sight of Jyn and Cassian facing the destructive forces of the Death Star is the epitome of bravery.

It is also an echo of the final scene from Pompeii. Just sayin’…