Page 120 - Star Wars Insider (Special Edition 2019)

A HEROINE’S JOURNEY

Compressed motivation to help the rebels (in it takes Anakin three movies to
Storytelling the form of her father’s message), reverse (from selfless Ani; through

So, Leia, Padmé, and Jyn all on the way to committing selfl essly romantically involved Anakin; to
progress from their “ordinary” to the rebel cause. This is a similar possessive, selfi sh Vader).
lives to become warrior leaders, journey to the one it takes Han Knowing also that Jyn’s story
and all have similar motivations: Solo four movies to complete (from must also have a defi nitive end—
to right a wrong and to fi ght self-interest, through personal and that it precedes a greater period
oppression. But Leia and Padmé’s commitment to his friends and of strife in the wider story—further
arcs have multiple films in which Leia, to seasoned believer in the truncates her Hero’s Journey. She

to evolve and expand. In time, light and dark sides), or the one is denied the fi nal stage—the
both characters add romantic love
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to their motivations, for example.
Jyn, however, was conceived as
a character who would reach

a definite end point within a
standalone movie. Her arc must take
us to a point we already know—
from A New Hope—and no further.
This limitation does not
make Jyn’s journey less involved,
however. It simply requires some
compression in the telling. For
this reason, Rogue One is the
fi rst Star Wars movie to jump
forward in time after establishing
its protagonist. It establishes a
background for Jyn that allows
her to hit the ground running
as a justifi ably selfi sh character,
who then quickly gains a personal

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