While Rogue One’s rebellious Jyn Erso certainly follows in the footsteps of Star Wars heroes like Princess Leia and Rey, Felicity Jones says her character actually derives inspiration from a different sci-fi badass: Ellen Ripley!
Sigourney Weaver played the alien-killing survivalist Ripley across the entire Alien franchise, though is probably most beloved for her tough-as-space-nails performance in the original Ridley Scott Alien and its sequel, James Cameron’s Aliens. The latter film was infused with militaristic sci-fi trappings, partially inspired by Robert A. Heinlein’s novel Starship Troopers.
“Jyn … is very much inspired by Sigourney’s character in Aliens.” Felicity Jones said last week. And while many, many sci-fi lead actors could probably make this claim, the parallel makes particular sense with Rogue One. The entire aesthetic of the new Star Wars spin-off looks to be a pseudo-war film, which probably makes it closer to being like Aliens than the the original Star Wars film, A New Hope.
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“I’ve been so inspired by her work,” Felicity Jones said of Sigourney Weaver. The two actors are both appearing in the forthcoming film A Monster Calls, making it tragically unlikely that Sigourney Weaver will ever appear in a Star Wars film. Still, because all of Star Wars takes place “a long time ago,” it’s not inconceivable — from a certain point of view — that the descendants of that galaxy far, far away are somehow related to the characters in the Alien franchise. What we’re saying here is this: Where’s our fan fiction in which Jyn Erso is Ellen Ripley’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother?
Rogue One releases December 18. A Monster Calls is out December 26.
