Donnie Yen, who plays Chirrut Îmwe in Rogue One, was the one to suggest that the character should be blind. As a Guardian of the Whills, Chirrut has a deep commitment to the Force. His commitment holds firm even with all that has happened to him and the Temple of the Kyber.
We can see that faith and conviction Chirrut has for the Force throughout the movie.
His blindness was not a handicap for him; instead, he used it to rely more on the Force, as he says, “The Force is with me. And I am with the Force. I fear nothing. All is as the Force wills it.”
In the ninth chapter of the Gospel of John, we read the account of a blind man. Jesus’ disciples asked whether the man or his parents had sinned to cause him to be blind.
In verses 3 to 5, Jesus answered, “Neither. But to demonstrate the power of God. All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent Me, for there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end. But while I am still here in the world, I give it my light.”
After saying this, Jesus heals the blind man by putting mud on the man’s eyes and having the man go wash in the pool of Siloam (verse 7).
After doing so, the man returned and was able to see. The people were unsure whether this man was the blind beggar. This miracle led to an intense interaction with the Pharisees since the healing was done on the Sabbath.
The man became an evangelist for what Jesus has done to and for him. He did not fear the wrath of the Pharisees since Jesus was with him and had healed him.
God can and does use anyone, “even those” with a seemingly insurmountable physical disability.
