Let the rogue one in

Gareth edwards’ Star Wars spin-off launches

LACK-CLAD stormtroopers staring impassively as something burns in the background. AT-ATS clomping around on a tropical beach. And not a lightsaber in sight. Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One is Star Wars, alright, but viewed from a whole new angle.

We’ve known for some time that the first in the Star Wars Story anthology, which will fill in the blanks around the Skywalker-focused Episodes, would centre on the Rebel mission to steal the plans to the first Death Star, and that it would be more of a war movie than any Star Wars yet. When the movie’s stunning first trailer hit in early April, it was a surprising and pleasing mix of classic references (not one, but two Gonk droids) and things we haven’t seen in Star Wars before.

Although we know, broadly speaking, that the Rebel’s scheme to half-inch the plans proves successful, we know little else. The trailer confirms that Felicity Jones’ character is called Jyn Erso, a badass loner who can take out a squad of stormtroopers in a blink, but all other character names remain elusive, including Diego Luna’s Rebel captain and Ben Mendelsohn’s Imperial villain, wearing a uniform that may mark him as a Grand Admiral. But that didn’t stop the speculation — is Jyn Erso the mother of The Force Awakens’ Rey? Is Donnie Yen’s robed fighter blind? Does one shot, of a black-clad figure kneeling in a room containing Imperial guards, suggest the presence of Darth Vader and the Emperor? Was one Death Star corridor scene filmed in Canary Wharf Tube station?

The answer to the last question, amazingly, is yes. The rest will have to wait for December. Unless we put a team together and break into Lucasfilm HQ to find the Rogue One plans…

rogue one: A star wars story