Jyn Erso is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise, portrayed by English actress Felicity Jones in the 2016 film Rogue One. Jyn aids the Rebel Alliance in a desperate attempt to steal the plans to the Death Star, a weapon of the Galactic Empire with enough power to destroy an entire planet. The character was introduced as a child in the 2016 prequel novel Catalyst by James Luceno. Character Origins Industrial Light & Magic chief creative officer John Knoll, credited for the story of Rogue One, told Vanity Fair in 2016 that he conceived the plot of the film while working as a visual effects supervisor on the 2005 film Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Hearing about the development of a live-action Star Wars television series, he conceived a story, inspired by a plot point mentioned in the opening crawl of the original 1977 film Star Wars, which would eventually become Rogue One. Knoll envisioned Jyn as a female protagonist who could be an inspiration for his daughters. Portrayal In January 2015, The Hollywood Reporter stated that numerous actresses, including Tatiana Maslany, Rooney Mara, and Felicity Jones were being tested for the lead role in Rogue One, the first stand-alone Star Wars film. In February 2015, it was reported that Jones was in final talks to star in the film, and her official casting was announced on March 12, 2015. Description Jyn is the daughter of Galen Erso, a scientist forced by the Empire to develop their Death Star superweapon. Young Jyn escapes when Galen is captured and his wife Lyra is killed by Imperial forces. She grows up under the watch of "extremist militant" Saw Gerrera, who also mentors and trains her in military combat. IGN's Eric Goldman wrote that she has "put up a brash, stern wall to protect herself, thanks to a traumatic childhood". Chris Barsanti of PopMatters added that Jyn's childhood tragedy leaves her "just cynical and bereft enough to make her hold out a respectable length of time before agreeing to assist the Rebel Alliance". Writing for Vanity Fair, Hilary Busis suggested that with Jyn's backstory, the film was drawing on "the Star Wars franchise's greatest natural resource: daddy issues". The Daily Telegraph described Jyn as "a roguish, Han Solo-style heroine", and Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter called the character "a female warrior driven by destiny to take