Disney officially de-canonized the Star Wars Expanded Universe when it purchased the franchise from creator George Lucas in 2015, and that actually made sense. The countless Star Wars book, comics, and video games released over the decades had been hit-or-miss at best. A fresh slate was needed. However, Disney’s own spin-off material has also uneven.
However, even among otherwise uninspiring stories, there are some real gems to be found. One such gem is Marvel’s current comic, Jyn Erso, written by Ethan Sacks with art from Ramon Rosanas and GURU-eFX. Unlike Cassian Andor’s solo comic, which delves into the narrow gap between Andor and Rogue One, Jyn’s comic has far more room to breathe and follows her time in the notorious labor camp on Wobani. Whether Sacks meant it to or not, Jyn Erso, also perfectly mirrors Cassian’s own stint in prison during Andor’s first season.
Going by the name Liana Hallik, Jyn is approached by fellow prisoner Dunning Tredup, who asks for her help in getting him and a few other prisoners out of the camp. At first, Jyn brushes him off, reflecting on how taking “a leap of faith” in people usually leads to disappointment. However, she is eventually convinced by the pleas of another prisoner, Theera, who challenges Jyn’s cynicism enough that she joins the last-minute prison break. We won’t spoil what happens next, but considering Jyn is rescued from Wobani in Rogue One, we can safely assume that Jyn and her fellow prisoners meet some resistance.
Andor fans will remember that the critically-acclaimed series also had a prison-break arc after Cassian gets imprisoned in an Imperial encampment known as Narkina-5. Much like Jyn, Cassian starts his time there with his head down, unwilling to help others. However, he is quickly moved to act after the mistreatment of his fellow prisoners becomes too much for him to bear.
While subtle, Jyn’s comic arc parallels Cassian’s in one key way: it underscores how similar their journeys are. Much like Jyn, Cassian has a jaded and cynical side. Before his recruitment into the Axis Network at the end of the first season, Cassian was broken down by the Empire’s iron grip on the galaxy, stoking his belief that resistance was futile. Even so, just like how Jyn is in her standalone comic, Cassian still cares about others. During the prison break at Narkina-5, he helps his fellow prisoners escape, whether by helping them climb from level to level or by defending them from Imperial troopers.
The similarity between Jyn and Cassian has been discussed before. Diego Luna, who plays Cassian, previously spoke about how Cassian sees a lot of himself in Jyn — and that seeing his own reflection “hurts” the most. This time around, the parallel is literal: both characters face remarkably similar circumstances, which makes it all the sadder that Jyn and Cassian never really had the time to sit down and discuss their shared pasts.
Jyn Erso is available for purchase at your local comic store.