Galen Walton Erso Galen Walton Erso was a human male scientist and leading galactic authority on crystallography and energy enrichment . Born on the planet Grange , an agricultural backwater world , Erso was drafted into the Republic Futures Program , where his skill and intelligence ultimately led him to becoming a critical , if reluctant , component in the development of the DS - 1 platform . In doing so , Erso managed to subtly sabotage its design in a way that ultimately proved disastrous for the Galactic Empire . One of the most renowned polymaths in the galaxy , Galen was a gifted theoretician , mathematician , and experimental physicist . Galen was a recipient of the Kuat Systems Engineering Medal , the Ashgad Prize and the Roche Foundation Prize . Biography . Early life . Galen Walton Erso was born on the agricultural backwater planet Grange to a human mother and father as an only child in 56 BBY . Growing up in a poor neighborhood , Galen demonstrated high intelligence from an early age . His mother , first to recognize her son ' s genius , supplied him with whatever he needed to keep his mind busy when credit s weren ' t tight ; first providing him a music synthesizer , chemistry set , and later whatever datacron s she could find . Upon entering primary school , Galen outlearned his fellow classmates and quickly grew bored . Galen ' s mother , eager for Galen to learn of the broader galaxy , subscribed him to a HoloNet service . By secondary school , Galen ' s teacher s described him as a " prodigy . " Galen excelled in the mathematics and the sciences , learned numerous language s and magic tricks out of pure curiosity , and built his own primitive HoloNet transceiver . In school , Galen won the Grange subadult science and engineering fair scholarship . Often coming up with academic formulas and theories that surpassed his understanding and mystified his instructors , one of his solutions was eventually submitted offworld by a mentor . This submission brought Galen into the attention of the Republic Futures Program , a program designed to collect the " best and brightest " students from across the star s to become the Republic ' s next generation of leaders , scientist s , and citizens . At the urging of his mother , Galen wound up in the Futures Program on Brentaal in 40 BBY . While enrolled , he received word that his mother had died of a short illness , and , only a few years later , that his father had died in a vehicular accident . Following these losses , he soon became best friends with architect ure student Orson Krennic in 36 BBY . By graduation , Galen graduated with top honors in the Brentaal Futures Program materials competition . Following graduation , Galen wound up taking advanced studies , research internships , and teaching positions . During this time , Krennic helped Galen land a visiting professorship at the Institute of Applied Science on Coruscant , which came with a good stipend and free apartment . By twenty - five Galen had published prolifically and had earned a reputation for himself in the fields of crystallography and energy enhancement . Galen traveled the galaxy on research missions searching for rare crystal s . During an expedition on Espinar in 26 BBY , Galen met his future wife , Lyra . By the end of the six month expedition , the two were lovers . A year later in 25 BBY , Galen married Lyra on Coruscant . Sometime later , the two were trapped in a crystal cave on Chandrila , where Lyra ' s knowledge of the wilderness led to their survival . While many of Galen ' s colleagues pursued government research , Galen refused to pursue military research because of his pacifistic principles , and instead took a contract with Zerpen Industries to continue his studies into crystal synthesis and energy enrichment . Born to hardworking parents and seeing the wealth disparity in the galaxy , Galen sought to examine the very structures of existence to see if he could unlock unlimited energy and even the divide between the have ' s and have not ' s . Galen hoped to find a way to provide clean , safe , and nearly unlimited power to developing worlds by unlocking the secrets of the kyber crystal . Months before the outbreak of the Clone Wars , Galen and Lyra relocated to the Outer Rim world of Vallt , where Zerpen Industries had arranged a deal with Vallt ' s King Chai , who allowed the construction of a research facility to grow synthetic crystals in the hopes of creating a new source of inexpensive power . Clone Wars . By the start of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY and before leaving for Vallt , Lyra was already pregnant with their future daughter , Jyn . Shortly afterward , Vallt ' s Republic - aligned King Chai was overthrown in a coup by forces loyal to Marshal Phara , who received military support from the Separatist Alliance . Galen was imprisoned in a Vallt security complex after a failed escape attempt , while his wife was kept in nicer quarters in the northern wing of Vallt ' s Keep . While imprisoned , Galen was offered a chance to serve the Separatists for their freedom . Galen refused , but was willing to accept their offer if his wife willed it . The same year , Jyn was born on Vallt , and Galen was released from his cell to see his child with Lyra , who both chose the name Jyn in agreement . By roughly 21 BBY , Galen Erso was rescued in a prisoner exchange by Krennic , his longtime friend and compatriot . Unbeknownst to Galen , his earlier signal to Zerpen Industries regarding his capture and seizure of the facility was indeed heard , but ignored at request of Krennic , who was a part of the Republic Special Weapons Group and responsible for the development of the Death Star . Krennic sought to manipulate Galen and place him in his debt to coerce him into working on the Death Star ' s superlaser , which relied on kyber crystals ; a topic in which no other galactic authority was as well versed in as Galen . Ultimately , through Galen ' s work , Krennic hoped to curry favor with high - ups and attain the position of rear admiral . Upon his and his families ' rescue , Krennic ordered the bombing of Vallt to allow pro - Republic forces to reclaim power , despite both Galen and Lyra ' s pleas to save the lives of those they had lived with for the past year . Instead of reverting to Coruscant , Krennic jumped into orbit above Grange , where a space battle had erupted over Galen ' s home planet . Krennic hoped to show Galen the chaos the galaxy had descended into since the start of the Clone Wars , and of course , manipulate Galen to ultimately weaponize his research to promote " peace and security " throughout the galaxy . Back on Coruscant , the Erso ' s soon realized the sweeping changes brought about by the war . Many of their colleagues , drafted into wartime research , welcomed Galen back from imprisonment . However , Galen ' s refusal to weaponize his genius led to him being ostracized by his colleagues , many of whom refused to meet with him . Only Prof . Reeva Demesne agreed to see Galen . For a few months , Galen was unemployed , but continued living in his apartment at the Institute of Applied Science in Coruscant ' s Central District . During a reunion of Futures Program students at 500 Republica , Galen was publicly accused of being a Separatist spy and collaborator by drunk patron Dagio Belcoze . Defending himself from punches thrown by Belcoze , Krennic stepped in to help defend Galen in an effort to further earn his trust . During his period of unemployment , Galen became increasingly restless . He was questioned several times by Republic Intelligence and COMPOR as to his imprisonment on Vallt , and was prohibited from traveling offworld Coruscant . Ostensibly , this was for security reasons and because Zerpen was profiteering from both sides in the conflict . Galen also became a casual acquaintance with Adjutant General Wilhuff Tarkin , who was willing to drop the case leveled against him by the Justice Department . Around this time , Galen offered Krennic an opportunity to quit his job at the Corps of Engineers — Krennic ' s public title — and join him in designing a new energy facility . Krennic politely refused Galen ' s offer . Eventually , Krennic offered Galen a job working for Helical HyperCom , a company that was attempting to produce crystal arrays to better serve remote areas where communications array s had fallen prey during the war . While not as prestigious or befitting his intelligence , Galen accepted the offer , as it would allow him something to do and allow them to flee Coruscant for a while . While employed at HH , Galen quickly annoyed his superior , Roman Herbane , who disliked Galen ' s inquisitiveness and suggestions for improving workplace efficiency , even if it cost him credits . This was in reality a part of Krennic ' s plan , who knew that HH would be a terrible posting for Galen . During his time there , Krennic hoped that Galen would become more and more miserable , making him more likely to suggestions offered by himself . By 19 BBY , HH ' s facility on Lokori was subject to occasional Separatist raids on the civilian population . On the last day of the Clone Wars , Separatist forces broke through the Republic blockade and landed forces on the planet ' s surface . A fierce battle erupted , and in the chaos Galen sought to protect his family from harm . Backed into a corner by Separatist B1 battle droid s , Galen was almost killed before the droids suddenly shut down . While Galen believed this was because of the destruction of a Droid Control Ship , in reality , the Clone Wars had ended . Age of the Empire . Traumatized by his near death - encounter at the hands of the Separatists , and increasingly worried for the safety of his family , Galen quickly fell under the influence of Krennic , who now served under the auspices of the First Galactic Empire . Lyra was suspicious of Krennic , and continually acted as Galen ' s moral conscience . Before returning to Coruscant from Lokori , Galen briefly stopped on Kanzi at behest of Krennic , who offered him a position in Project Celestial Power . Galen was misled into believing that Celestial Power represented the Emperor ' s dream of reconstructing the galaxy devastated during the Clone Wars by providing nearly unlimited energy . In addition to supposedly reducing poverty and aiding developing worlds , Galen was led to believe it would also deter growing Separatist holdouts from gaining new members dissatisfied at the pace of Imperial reconstructive efforts . Galen soon became enamored in kyber research in Celestial Power ' s central facility on Coruscant . Lyra worried over Galen ' s increasing remoteness and dedication to his work . Realizing that Lyra ' s morality was a danger to his plans , Krennic offered her a job scout ing a possible network of kyber crystal caves on Alpinn . By Lyra ' s return at the end of the six month period , Galen was a different man . Lyra worried that she had lost her husband in his mad pursuit of knowledge , being providing nearly unlimited resources to aid in his research , and seemingly echoing propaganda rhetoric spoken by Krennic . Furthermore , Galen had become distanced to his daughter , Jyn , and rarely spoke with Lyra except for when she transcribed his notes . Galen consciously regretted this , knowing that he was no longer allowed to due to his swearing of multiple security oaths . However , he firmly believed that what he was doing was for the ultimate good of the galaxy . Eventually , Galen became suspicious of Krennic ' s inability to provide him with examples of the implementation of his research . In 17 BBY , following his wife , Lyra ' s telling of Galen that his knowledge was in fact being weaponized by Krennic , Galen sought to escape his Imperial service . Angered at being lied to by Krennic , Galen and Lyra escaped in the chaos of Coruscant ' s All - Species Week , a holiday event that saw the streets and skylane s of Coruscant jammed with party - goers . In the chaos , Galen and his family escaped with the aid of known rebel Saw Gerrera , whom Lyra had heard of through Has Obitt , the pilot who initially rescued them from Vallt along with Krennic , and had become good friends with the Ersos . Saw helped purchase 65 hectares of land on Lah ' mu , a remote world unspoiled by the Empire for the Erso ' s to hide on . Knowing that deleting his research would only quicken Krennic ' s soon - to - be mad search for himself , Galen left his notes unspoiled , instead hoping that his insanely complicated notes would hamper Celestial Power ' s scientists ' ability to understand the progress he was making . Recruitment into the Tarkin Initiative . For several years , Galen eked out a peaceful existence on Lah ' mu , living on its less popular eastern side in a modest homestead . There , Galen and his droid s utilized hardy Pretormin Environmental GX - 8 condenser units to distill water vapor from the air , becoming simple farmer s not interested in off - world trade . Galen was content to live out the rest of his life on Lah ' mu , near the loving company of his wife and daughter . However , in 13 BBY , Krennic traveled to Lah ' mu aboard his personal " Delta " - class T - 3c shuttle with a complement of death trooper s . Galen confronted Krennic , who offered him reentry into the Empire ' s service . Galen attempted to lie to Krennic , pretending that his memory was " not as it used to be . " Despite this , Krennic saw through Galen ' s lie . Simultaneously , Galen ' s wife , Lyra , pulled a blaster on Krennic , demanding that he leave them and their daughter alone . After refusing to lower her blaster , Krennic ordered his death trooper s to kill Lyra , which they did in front of Galen ' s eye s , while Krennic took a mild glancing shot to the shoulder from Lyra ' s blaster . Galen was then pressed into the service of the Tarkin Initiative , an Imperial think tank . There , he was responsible for the fusing of crystal shards into larger forms , and the creation and redirection of a controlled chain reaction as the head of the kyber crystal research team . Galen , realizing that Krennic already possessed the ability to complete the station without him , decided to play the part of a defeated and obedient man . Knowing that whether or not he quit would not deter the further completion of the station , Galen delayed the research as long as he could and made himself indispensable . Unknown to the Empire and to Krennic , who legitimately believed that he was helping Galen achieve his greatness , he had never become truly loyal , and instead deliberately engineered a fatal weakness at the center of the space station in the form of a reactor module . Any pressurized explosion to the component would set off a chain reaction that would completely destroy the station . Hoping that his daughter was still alive and safe from Krennic , Galen codenamed the Death Star ' s structural readouts " Stardust , " the name he called Jyn as a child . Stationed on Eadu , Galen eventually convinced Imperial pilot Bodhi Rook of the true horrors of the Death Star . Overcome with a crisis of conscience , Galen entrusted Bodhi with a message to be delivered to the Rebellion , and hopefully his daughter , informing them of the station ' s vulnerability . Aiding the Rebellion . By 0 BBY , rumors soon began to spread throughout the galaxy of a new Imperial superweapon . Shortly before the Battle of Yavin , the Rebel Alliance received word that Gerrera had a message from Galen pertaining to the superweapon . Recruiting Galen ' s estranged daughter , the Rebellion tasked Jyn with traveling to the Force - sacred world of Jedha to secure a meeting with Gerrera , a former friend of hers , and retrieve the message . After traveling to Imperial - occupied Jedha and watching her father ' s message , Jyn was led to believe that the Rebellion sought to extract her father from Imperial custody , while in reality , Intelligence officer Cassian Andor was under direct orders to assassin ate Galen at his first opportunity by General Davits Draven , who was fearful of what other weapons Galen could create for the Empire . While on a covert mission to Eadu to assassinate Galen , Andor lost the will to pull the trigger after seeing Galen defend his fellow comrades from execution after Krennic realized a transmission had been sent from the facility . Threatening to shoot all researchers if the traitor did not reveal themselves , Galen announced that it was he who had sent the coded transmission , leaving his place by Krennic ' s side to plead for his colleagues lives . Galen ' s words were met with deaf ears , as Krennic ordered researchers Rasett Milio , Vlex Onopin , Ames Uravan , Sirro Argonne and Feyn Vann executed . Angered by Galen ' s betrayal , Krennic hit Galen across the face . Before any further action could be taken , a Rebel Alliance strike force assaulted Eadu owing to a communications blackout from Andor and his forces on the planet , with Draven fearing the worst had occurred . A proton bomb from a passing BTL - A4 Y - wing assault starfighter / bomber struck the platform where both Galen and Krennic were standing , sending them flying to the ground . Jyn who had watched the exchange from a distance , ran to the platform where her father lay dying , revealing herself to him in his final moments . After a few brief words with his daughter , Galen died from his wounds in Jyn ' s arms . Personality and traits . Galen Walton Erso was a highly intelligent , humble , and kind man . Noted for his intricate scribbles illegible to nearly everyone except himself , Galen was a noted perfectionist . As a child , Galen never fit in with other schoolchildren , often staying to himself when he could . Galen was noted to talk a good game , albeit it was his innate shyness talking . Galen held a greater fear of attention than he did of failure . Upon meeting Orson Krennic in the Republic Futures Program , the two instantly bonded despite their personality differences . With Galen being shy and composed , and Krennic charismatic and known for his nocturnal prowling . Despite this , the two shared a close bond , with Galen declaring Krennic as " bright and talented as anyone in the Futures Program . " Krennic even defended Galen from the bullies that picked on him during his time on Brentaal . As Galen entered puberty , he found himself confused and perplexed by the changes occurring to his body . After meeting Lyra on Espinar , Lyra had to be the one to make the first move , but Galen and Lyra quickly fell in love , sharing an extremely strong bond and stable , healthy relationship . From this relationship , Galen realized for the first time that he was not the cold , mathematical man he thought himself , but that he had a heart as well . Lyra admired Galen ' s ability for breath of knowledge , facility for sustained attention and his ability to seemingly become lost in deep thought , seemingly leaving the world for a few moments and returning to it with answers and insight no one could have expected . Despite this , Galen felt no need to demonstrate his gifts or to be groomed as an academic or scientist . Unlike some others , Galen would have been content to simply be a merchant , content to explore life and the material world in his own fashion , allowing his mind to wander where it would without being beholden to anyone . Additionally , Galen felt no initial desire to attend the Futures Program at all , feeling that he already held the entire galaxy in his thoughts . Galen was not one to hold a grudge , as noted toward his response to Roman Herbane during his time employed by Helical HyperCom . Despite frequent arguments , Galen felt sympathy for the man , knowing that he was simply a victim of his own stubbornness , lack of foresight , and limited intelligence . Deeply loving and caring for his family , Galen was willing to work for the Separatists while imprisoned on Vallt if his wife willed it , valuing her safety and comfort above his own . Galen would frequently converse with his wife as to the nature of his current research , simplifying and simplifying it until she could understand what he was so excited about . With the rise of the Galactic Empire , Galen began to isolate himself once more in his work , becoming distant from Lyra and his daughter . Galen initially believed the Emperor ' s story of a " Jedi Rebellion " having occurred , and believed that his research into kyber crystals was not dishonorable to the Jedi , but allowing the galaxy to learn of some of the secrets it had held secret for centuries . An ardent pacifist , Galen refused to have any of his research weaponized , whether it be for the Republic or the Empire . Despite this , he was fooled into joining Project Celestial Power believing that the Emperor sought to create a source of clean , renewable energy for developing worlds . However , Galen ultimately became suspicious of Krennic ' s motives , and listened to Lyra ' s warnings about him . Angered that his research had been weaponized , Galen retreated to Lah ' mu , where he strove to eek out a simple existence . When his family was threatened once more by Orson Krennic , Galen reluctantly joined the Tarkin Initiative to protect Jyn . Engineering a weakness into the Death Star , Galen hoped his sacrifice would allow the Rebel Alliance to destroy the thing he unwillingly spent half his life to build . Behind the scenes . Galen Walton Erso , portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen , is a character created and developed for the 2016 film " " . Mikkelsen ' s involvement was announced on August 15 , 2015 . Mikkelsen revealed on that he would be portraying Jyn Erso ' s father . Mikkelsen later revealed that her father would be portrayed when Jyn is a child , and stated that the film would " jump forward and backward in time " . His name was revealed by " Entertainment Weekly " on June 22 , 2016 . The first photo of the character was revealed at Star Wars Celebration Europe on July 15 , 2016 . Galen Walton Erso was one of the main protagonists for the 2016 tie - in novel " " . Author James Luceno envisioned him as a brilliant researcher who lacked the ability to communicate with others , instead relying on his wife Lyra to act as an anchor to the world . Luceno described Galen as a " conscientious objector , " willing to reject any research that was directly tied to politics or warfare . In an interview , Mikkelsen noted that his role character bore real - life similarities to the famous 20th century physicists , and .