Rogue One: What We Know So Far
The wait is over, it’s almost here:
The first thing everyone will want to understand is what Rogue One aspires to be. Does it want to be a stopgap created due to the Star Wars Episode 8 delay? Is it a money grabbing play by Disney to milk Star Wars fans? Or is it a genuine attempt at creating a new Star Wars series that could harbor unlimited new possibilities and stories? On December 16th, fans across the US will find out, although their counterparts in Europe will know a day before. I don’t want to add spoilers in this article, but I have heard a few things certain to ruffle the feathers of any seasoned Jedi.
What we know:
Lord Vader returns
First and foremost, we know Darth Vader is back. The initial teaser trailer gave us a vague plot of the Rebel Alliance stealing the plans to the Death Star. It was only logical that Darth Vader would be involved, even if he only had a cameo appearance. The latest trailer, however, shows that he might have a more significant role in the movie; well, if you have the greatest villain in cinematic history, you might as well use him right? James Earl Jones will be back to voice Vader in his chillingly asthmatic tone.
Death Troopers
Storm Troopers were always a pretty wimpy enemy. They really should have been given more time in the ranges to hone their target practice as they fired a million laser blasts and rarely hit anything. It seems as though Disney has understood that they may never be taken seriously and has instead brought in specially trained troops known as Death Troopers. They are easily recognizable as they look almost identical, except that the suit is entirely black. Maybe they will instill a little more fear.
We have to have a droid
What is a Star Wars movie without a droid? We had R2-D2, C-3PO, IG-88, 8D8 and recently BB-8, so it makes sense that we would have a name with some letters and numbers, rather than perhaps Danny the Droid or Robert the Robot. We haven’t yet been given a name, but we have been shown that it will walk on 2 legs like C-3PO, rather than on a football or looking like a vacuum cleaner. Another unconfirmed rumor also has the droid originally employed by the Empire, only to be reprogramed to be loyal to the rebels.
40% of the movie has been reshot
When Suicide Squad trailers were released months before the movie, the directors realized they’d shown audiences all the funny parts and had to reshoot to add more jokes. Similarly, when Rogue One directors looked at the trailers from initial shooting, they realized they’d left all the fun out and didn’t have any jokes or humor involved. They reshot as much as 40% of the movie to tie up plots and inject some fun into the movie.
Han Solo could be involved
Whilst I am excited by the prospect of Vader back in the mix, Han Solo has no reason to be in this movie. He wasn’t even involved with any part of the rebellion or stealing the Death Star plans. Rumors have surfaced that some of the reshooting was because the execs wanted him to have a small role, in order to generate interest. I loved Han Solo as a character, as did millions of others. Unfortunately, adding a character and mixing storylines to generate interest is not how they should proceed.
The studio is worried
Reshooting 40% of the movie shows that Disney is worried. Adding Han Solo in the mix is also clearly a sign that they are concerned about the movie not performing on par with other Star Wars movies. Some in the know have revealed that they think the movie just isn’t as good as the other Star Wars installments. The movie has a big budget and the studio are banking on its success to have a whole series of spin-offs.
Expectations:
It has a stellar cast, a big budget and a dedicated audience. It has all the hallmarks of a great science-fantasy action movie among one of the most successful franchises of all time. There is no reason to think that Rogue One will be a failure, unless it fails to capture the audience as the other movies have. The characters will need to be loveable, endearing, fallible, funny and human. The sets will need to be interesting complex and detailed. The enemy will need to be scary, dark and corrupt. The plot will need to be tight and the story needs to be endearing. They need to bring all of this together and we might just have a classic on our hands.
