Rogue One
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a 2016 American epic space opera film directed by Gareth Edwards and written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy. Produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the first Star Wars anthology film and a prequel to Star Wars. It stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen, and Forest Whitaker. Set a week before the events of Star Wars, Rogue One follows rebels who steal the schematics for the Galactic Empire's ultimate weapon, the Death Star. It details the Rebel Alliance's first effective victory against the Empire, as referenced in the Star Wars opening crawl.
John Knoll, who served as the visual effects supervisor of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, pitched Rogue One story as an episode of the unproduced television series Star Wars: Underworld in 2003. He pitched it again as a film following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012; Edwards was hired to direct in 2014. Edwards sought to differentiate Rogue One from previous Star Wars films and approach it as a war film, omitting the opening crawl and transitional screen wipes used in the main "Skywalker Saga" installments. Principal photography began at Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire, in early August 2015 and wrapped in February 2016. The film went through extensive reshoots in. The score was composed by Michael Giacchino, rather than the Skywalker Saga composer John Williams. With an estimated production budget of $200–280.2 million, Rogue One is one of the most expensive films ever made.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story premiered in Los Angeles on December 10, 2016, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 16. It received positive reviews, with praise for its acting, story, visuals, musical score, cinematography, and darker tone than previous Star Wars films, but criticism for its pacing and digital recreations of Carrie Fisher and Peter Cushing. Rogue One grossed $1 billion worldwide, becoming the second-highest-grossing film of 2016, and received two Academy Award nominations for Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects. Andor, a prequel television series, aired on the streaming service Disney+ for two seasons from 2022 to 2025.
Plot
Research scientist Galen Erso and his family are in hiding on the planet Lah'mu when Imperial weapons developer Orson Krennic arrives to press him into completing the Death Star, a superweapon capable of destroying planets. Galen's wife Lyra is killed in the confrontation while their daughter Jyn escapes and is rescued by Rebel extremist Saw Gerrera.Fifteen years later, cargo pilot Bodhi Rook defects from the Empire, taking a holographic message from Galen to Saw on the moon Jedha. Rebel Alliance intelligence officer Cassian Andor learns of the Death Star and Bodhi's defection from an informant at Kafrene. Jyn is freed from an Imperial labor camp on Wobani and is brought to the Rebels' base on Yavin 4, where Rebel leader Mon Mothma convinces her to find Galen so the Alliance can learn more about the superweapon. Cassian is covertly ordered to aid Jyn but to kill Galen rather than extract him.
Jyn, Cassian, and reprogrammed former Imperial droid K-2SO travel to Jedha, where the Empire loots kyber crystals to power the Death Star. In Jedha City, Saw and his partisans are engaged in an armed insurgency against the Empire, and Jyn and Cassian get caught in the crossfire. Aided by blind spiritual warrior Chirrut Îmwe and his mercenary friend Baze Malbus, Jyn makes contact with Saw, who is holding Bodhi. Saw shows her the message in which Galen reveals he has secretly built a vulnerability into the Death Star. The schematics are located in an Imperial data vault on the planet Scarif.
Onboard the Death Star, Krennic orders a test-fire, which destroys Jedha City. Jyn and her group take Bodhi and flee the moon, but accidentally leave Galen's message behind. Saw chooses to stay behind and dies in the explosion. Imperial governor Grand Moff Tarkin congratulates Krennic before using Bodhi's defection as a pretext to take control of the Death Star. Bodhi leads the group to Galen's Imperial research facility on the planet Eadu, where Cassian hesitates to kill Galen. Rebel bombers then attack the facility; Galen is wounded and dies in Jyn's arms before she escapes with her group on a stolen Imperial cargo shuttle. Krennic is summoned by Darth Vader to answer for the attack on Jedha City. Krennic seeks his support for an audience with the Emperor, but Vader instead Force-chokes him to ensure no further problems occur.
Jyn proposes a mission to steal the Death Star schematics, but the Alliance Council feels there is no chance of victory. Frustrated at their inaction, Jyn's group leads a small squad of volunteers to raid the vault using the stolen Imperial shuttle, which Bodhi dubs "Rogue One." They gain entry through the planet's shield, and Jyn, Cassian, and K-2SO infiltrate the base while the others attack the Imperial garrison as a diversion.
The Alliance learns of the raid from intercepted Imperial communications and deploys the fleet in support, engaging in a space battle against the Imperial forces. K-2SO sacrifices himself so Jyn and Cassian can retrieve the data. Chirrut is killed after activating the switch to allow communication with the Rebel fleet, and Baze is killed shortly afterward. Bodhi is killed by a grenade after informing the Rebel fleet that it must deactivate the planetary shield to let the plans be transmitted. Rebel Admiral Raddus uses an Alliance ship to crash two Imperial Star Destroyers into each other; the wreckage destroys the shield generator. Jyn obtains the plans but is ambushed by Krennic, who is shot and wounded by Cassian. Jyn transmits the plans to the Rebel command ship moments before the Death Star arrives above Scarif. Tarkin then orders the Death Star to destroy the citadel; Krennic is vaporized by the demolition beam, while Jyn and Cassian find themselves unable to escape the explosion, and embrace as they are killed in the ensuing shockwave.
The Rebel fleet begins to jump to hyperspace; however, many ships are intercepted by Darth Vader's Star Destroyer. Vader boards the Rebel command ship and slaughters many troops in an attempt to reclaim the plans, but a smaller ship escapes with them. Aboard the fleeing ship preparing to enter hyperspace, Princess Leia Organa declares that the plans will bring hope for the Rebellion.
Cast
- Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso: A young renegade who is detained for her crimes against the Empire until she is freed by the Rebel Alliance to help steal the plans for the Death Star.
- * Beau Gadsdon as eight-year-old Jyn
- * Dolly Gadsdon as four-year-old Jyn
- Diego Luna as Cassian Andor: A rebel captain and intelligence officer.
- Ben Mendelsohn as Orson Krennic: The director of advanced weapons research for the Imperial military.
- Donnie Yen as Chirrut Îmwe: A blind warrior who believes in the Force but is not a Jedi or a Sith. He is said to be one of the Guardians of the Whills.
- Mads Mikkelsen as Galen Erso: Jyn's father and a research scientist.
- Alan Tudyk as the voice and motion-capture of K-2SO, a former Imperial enforcer droid who was reprogrammed to serve the Rebellion.
- Riz Ahmed as Bodhi Rook: A former Imperial cargo pilot who defects to the rebels under the influence of Galen Erso.
- Jiang Wen as Baze Malbus: A longtime companion of Chirrut Îmwe and one-time devoted Guardian of the Whills, now a rebel warrior and mercenary.
- Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera: A veteran of the Clone Wars and a friend of the Erso family who had mentored Jyn in her later childhood years.
Duncan Pow plays Ruescott Melshi, a sergeant in the Rebel Alliance. Additionally, Alistair Petrie plays General Davits Draven, Ben Daniels plays General Antoc Merrick, and Valene Kane plays Lyra Erso, Jyn's mother. Jonathan Aris, Fares Fares, and Sharon Duncan-Brewster appear as Senators Nower Jebel, Vasp Vaspar, and Tynnra Pamlo, respectively. Simon Farnaby plays a member of Blue Squadron. Jordan Stephens appears as Rebel Alliance member Corporal Tonc. Nick Kellington plays Bistan, a door gunner on a U-wing during the battle on Scarif. Ian Whyte plays Moroff, a member of Saw Gerrera's Partisans. Daniel Mays appears as Tivik. Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman, director and producer of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, respectively, cameo as two Death Star technicians.