Does Jyn Feel The Force In 'Rogue One'?

While the Jedis are not a part of the Rogue One story, the Force is definitely present — but is that really a surprise? The wielding of the Force by Darth Vader and, peripherally, Chirrut Imwe, leaves me to wonder about other characters. For example, is Jyn Erso Force-sensitive? Major Rogue One SPOILERS ahead. Despite carrying a Kyber crystal around her neck, it is highly unlikely that Jyn ever achieved Force sensitivity. The crystal in question was given to her by her mother, Lyra Erso, shortly before she was murdered. It's only when you take a look at the connection between Kyber crystals, the Force, and their use in Rogue One that things become a little clearer on Jyn's Force-wielding potential. Sadly, you'll realize that Jyn may have been told to trust the Force, but she probably never felt it.

First things first: What the heck is a Kyber crystal? Growing wild in nature, the crystals are worshipped and harvested by Jedis. The Jedis use the crystals to power their light sabers because they are so attuned to the Force, which is also a naturally-occurring entity. The amount of Force-related power the crystals have means that they can harness different elements of the Force and sometimes even be used to store information that can only be accessed by using the Force itself.

Unlike Rey's jarring awakening to the Force, Jyn's interaction with her Kyber crystal was somewhat different. Unfortunately, Rogue One didn't spend enough time explaining how Lyra came to possess the crystal (although the Rogue One prequel, the novel Catalyst , notes Lyra probably stole it before the Ersos fled the Empire). Still, no matter how she got the Kyber crystal, it's clear that it has some important meaning to Lyra, otherwise she wouldn't have given it to Jyn. She even tells Jyn to "trust the Force" before Jyn runs to hide in the family's secret bunker.

Since the power of the Kyber crystals is rooted in the Force, there is a possibility Jyn could have felt the Force after spending years wearing it. This notion is further supported by the fact that in Rogue One, even non-Jedis can feel the Force. In an August 2016 interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Gareth Edwards explained how the Force is felt by the Rogue One characters:

"In a wider level, there must be loads of people who just believe in the Jedi and believe in the Force and have been affected by it. If it’s a really ancient religion, as Obi-Wan Kenobi said, it’s got to exist in thousands or millions of people in the galaxy."

However, Jyn fails to prove that even as a non-Jedi, she ever felt the Force that her Kyber crystal carried. Considering how Rogue One ends, we may never truly know the answer, but it sure seems unlikely that Jyn was ever Force-sensitive.

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