I Think Star Wars Just Secretly Retconned Rogue One's Hero As A Force Sensitive

Published May 13, 2025

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One subtle detail in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story character could be Force-sensitive. As soon as Andor was announced, it was clear that it would serve as essentially a prequel to Rogue One, given we sadly know the titular character, Cassian Andor, dies at the end of Rogue One. Even so, it's been surprising (and delightful) to realize how hand-in-hand these two Star Wars projects really are.

The most significant of those connections may even be yet to come, as Andor season 2's final 3 episodes have not yet been released. Based on Andor season 2's place in the Star Wars timeline, these episodes should lead directly into the beginning of Rogue One, presumably meaning this will be the most touchpoints the show and the movie have had thus far. Even before that final three-episode arc, though, Andor season 2 has revealed one small detail that suggests one of the biggest Rogue One heroes could be Force-sensitive after all.

Rogue One Hinted Jyn Erso Had The Force

One Scene In Particular Suggested This Could Be True

Jyn Erso holding a Kyber crystal in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Although Rogue One never explicitly showed Jyn Erso wielding the Force, one specific moment in Rogue One heavily hinted that Jyn did have the Force after all. Specifically, at one point, Jyn can be seen gripping the kyber crystal that her mother gave her when she was a child, almost seeming to be meditating on it. It is only after that moment with the kyber crystal that Jyn, Cassian, and their entourage are let onto Scarif.

It is only after that moment with the kyber crystal that Jyn, Cassian, and their entourage are let onto Scarif.

While this isn't as explicit as a Jedi using a Jedi mind trick, or any other of the Force powers in Star Wars, it is significant. Kyber crystals, which power lightsabers and give them their color, are directly connected to the Force; in fact, they seem almost alive at certain points, calling out to the Jedi who are meant to use them to create their lightsabers. The fact that this is the object Jyn is holding, and that this is then when she is permitted onto Scarif, is notable, at the very least.

A kyber crystal with a lightsaber on the left and Starkiller Base on the right.

Star Wars: Everything You Need to Know About Kyber Crystals

Kyber crystals have become an essential part of Star Wars lore, from their debut in the first Expanded Universe novel to the current Disney canon.

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It also makes sense that, if Jyn did possess any Force-sensitivity, that wouldn't have been made explicit on screen. Rogue One is special among Star Wars movies and TV shows (in the same way Andor is, as it happens) because it isn't focused on the Jedi, the Sith, or even really the Force. Although Chirrut Îmwe speaks of the Force, he himself does not use it. It would have undermined this focus in Rogue One had Jyn's potential Force-sensitivity been directly confirmed.

Star Wars Hinted Jyn's Mother Was Force-Sensitive

Even Lyra's Final Words To Jyn Suggested Some Connection To The Force

Lyra Erso giving a kyber crystal on a necklace to her daughter, Jyn, in Rogue One

As notable as it is that Jyn grips this kyber crystal before being let onto Scarif, it seems even more telling that Jyn's mother, Lyra, had the crystal in the first place. Lyra is only in Rogue One very briefly, as Orson Krennic sadly kills her at the beginning of the movie. However, even in that minimal span of time, it is suggested that she herself could also have the Force. In addition to her possession of this kyber crystal, Lyra's final words to her daughter Jyn reinforce her awareness of, if not connection to, the Force.

In the earliest scenes of the movie, Krennic arrives to take Jyn's father, Galen, and his family along with him to force Galen to work on the Empire's superweapon, the Death Star. Fairly quickly, Lyra decides to risk her own life to attempt to take Krennic down, and she therefore sends her daughter off to escape on her own. During their final goodbyes, Lyra tells Jyn to "Trust the Force."

Again, as Chirrut Îmwe proves, one need not be Force-sensitive to have a knowledge of and appreciation for the Force. However, this is a fascinating moment that again reinforces some possible connection between Lyra and the Force. What makes this all the more compelling is the fact that, in earlier drafts of Rogue One, Lyra was actually a Jedi. It's possible that, even with that story arc tossed aside, some references to her Force-sensitivity remained.

In earlier drafts of Rogue One, Lyra was actually a Jedi.

Andor's Force Healer Wears The Same Kind Of Clothing As Lyra

These Visual Parallels Are Almost Certainly Intentional

A Force Healer in Andor Season 2 — Image via Disney+

In Andor season 2, episode 7, Cassian Andor and Bix Caleen visit a Force Healer (much to Cassian's annoyance) to attempt to heal an injury he sustained that doesn't seem to be improving. Notably, the clothing that the Force Healer is wearing is highly reminiscent of Lyra's own attire in Rogue One. While there are myriad reasons this could be the case, Andor has proven its thoughtfulness and intentionality throughout the show's two seasons. There's little doubt that this parallel was intentional.

In fact, Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide, by Pablo Hidalgo, reveals just how similar the costuming of these two characters really is. The book even explains that Lyra wears a "red sash of the enlightened." While the clothing the Force healer is wearing in Andor season 2 is not identical to that sash, the red color of her outfit is very reminiscent of it.

Purchase Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide

I Think Jyn Really DID Have The Force After All

But What Does That Really Mean?

Based on all these details, I'm more convinced than ever that Jyn Erso was Force-sensitive. The Skywalker family tree alone proves how hereditary Force-sensitivity can be, and given all the hints that her mother had some connection to the Force, this feels more than plausible. Of course, that raises questions about how important this fact really would be in Star Wars and what the larger implications would be.

As mentioned, one of the key, and arguably most interesting, aspects of Rogue One is its avoidance of a heavy focus on the Jedi, the Sith, and the Force. For that reason, I do think an on-screen confirmation of Jyn's Force-sensitivity would detract from the movie. Yet, that just makes the theory that she did actually have the Force all the better. If Jyn was Force-sensitive but Rogue One didn't focus on it, that really only makes the movie all the better, as it would prove its dedication to highlighting other themes and concepts in Star Wars.

Ultimately, I think it's unlikely Star Wars will ever give a confirmation of Jyn or Lyra's potential Force-sensitivity one way or another. That simply isn't what these characters are really about, and leaving that an open-ended question works better. Even so, these subtle details in both Andor season 2 and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story do offer some compelling evidence that both characters may have secretly had the Force.