Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, or simply Rogue One, is a 2016 American epic space opera film directed by Gareth Edwards from a script by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy based on a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta. It was produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The first installment of the Star WarsAnthology series, it is a standalone film set immediately before the events of A New Hope, and stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Jiang Wen, and Forest Whitaker. Rogue One follows a group of rebels on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star, the Galactic Empire's superweapon.

Based on an idea first pitched by Knoll ten years before it entered development, the film was made to be different in tone and style from the traditional Star Wars films, including omitting the conventional opening crawl. Principal photography on the film began at Elstree Studios near London during early August 2015 and wrapped in February 2016. The film went through extensive reshoots and additional filming in mid-June 2016, with Gilroy joining for these. The film premiered in Los Angeles on December 10, 2016, and was released in the United States on December 16, 2016.

Rogue One received generally positive reviews, with praise for its acting, action sequences, musical score, and darker tone, although some criticism was directed at its use of computer-generated imagery to recreate the likenesses of some actors. The film has grossed over $1 billion worldwide, making it the second highest-grossing film of 2016 and 20th overall unadjusted for inflation. It received two Academy Awards nominations for Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects.

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 space station-based superweapon capable of destroying an entire planet. Galen's wife Lyra is killed in the confrontation while their daughter Jyn escapes and is taken to safety by Rebel extremist Saw Gerrera.

Fifteen years later, cargo pilot Bodhi Rook defects from the Empire, smuggling a holographic message from Galen to Gerrera on the desert moon Jedha. Rebel intelligence officer Cassian Andor frees Jyn from an Imperial labor camp at Wobani before bringing her to the Rebel leaders, who convince her to find and rescue Galen so the Alliance can learn more about the Death Star. Unbeknownst to Jyn, Cassian is covertly ordered by General Draven, an Alliance military officer, to kill Galen rather than extract him.

Jyn, Cassian, and reprogrammed Imperial droid K-2SO travel to Jedha, where the Empire is mining kyber crystals to power the Death Star while Gerrera and his partisans are engaged in an armed insurgency against them. With the aid of blind spiritual warrior Chirrut Îmwe and his mercenary friend Baze Malbus, Jyn makes contact with Gerrera, who has been holding Rook captive. Gerrera shows her the message, in which Galen reveals he has secretly built a vulnerability into the Death Star and directs them to retrieve the schematics from a high-security Imperial data bank on the planet Scarif.

On the Death Star, Krennic orders a low-powered shot from the superlaser to destroy Jedha's capital, causing Jyn and her group to take Rook and flee the planet, but Gerrera chooses to remain and die with the city. Grand Moff Tarkin congratulates Krennic before using Rook's defection and security leak as a pretext to take control of the project.

Rook leads the group to Galen's Imperial research facility on the planet Eadu, where Cassian chooses not to kill Galen. When Krennic directs that Galen's main team be killed for causing the security leak, Galen confesses that he is responsible, but the research team is executed anyway. Jyn makes her presence known moments before Rebel bombers attack the facility. Galen is fatally wounded and dies in his daughter's arms, before she escapes with her group on board a stolen Imperial cargo shuttle. Krennic visits Darth Vader, seeking his support and an audience with the Emperor, but Vader dismisses his appeal for recognition.

Jyn proposes a plan to steal the Death Star schematics using the Rebel fleet but fails to get approval from the Alliance Council. Frustrated at their inaction, Jyn's group is supported by a small squad of Rebel volunteers intent on raiding the databank themselves. Arriving at Scarif via the stolen Imperial ship, which Rook dubs "Rogue One", a disguised Jyn and Cassian enter the base with K-2SO while volunteers attack the resident Imperial garrison as a distraction. The Rebel fleet learns about the raid from intercepted Imperial communications and deploy in support. K-2SO sacrifices himself so Jyn and Cassian can retrieve the data. Îmwe is killed after activating the master switch to allow communication with the Rebel fleet. Rook is killed by a grenade just after informing the Rebel fleet that it must deactivate the shield surrounding the planet to allow the transmission of the schematics. Malbus dies in battle shortly after. Jyn and Cassian seize the schematics, but they are ambushed by Krennic, who shoots Cassian.

Krennic corners Jyn, declaring the Empire's victory, but Cassian, who has survived, shoots and wounds Krennic. Jyn transmits the schematics to the Rebel command ship. The Death Star enters Scarif's orbit, where Tarkin uses the weapon to destroy the Empire's base. Krennic is killed instantly, while Jyn and Cassian embrace on a beach before dying in the ensuing shockwave.

The Rebel fleet prepares to jump to hyperspace but are intercepted by Vader's flagship. Vader boards the command ship and kills several soldiers in his pursuit of the schematics, but a small starship escapes with them on board. Aboard the fleeing ship, Princess Leia declares that the schematics will provide hope for the Rebellion.

Cast

 * Felicity Jones - Jyn Erso
 * Beau Gadson - Young Jyn Erso
 * Diego Luna - Cassian Andor
 * Riz Ahmed - Bodhi Rook
 * Alan Tudyk - K-2SO
 * Donnie Yen - Chirrut Îmwe
 * Jiang Wen - Baze Malbus
 * Ben Mendelsohn - Orson Krennic
 * Forest Whitaker - Saw Gerrera
 * Jimmy Smits - Bail Organa
 * Genevieve O'Reilly - Mon Mothma
 * Anthony Daniels - C-3PO
 * Jimmy Vee - R2-D2
 * Spencer Wilding and Daniel Naprous - Darth Vader
 * James Earl Jones - Darth Vader (Voice)
 * Guy Henry - Wilhuff Tarkin
 * Ingvild Deila - Leia Organa
 * Carrie Fisher - Leia Organa (Archieve Footage)
 * Angus Machlnness - Dutch Vander / Gold Leader (Archieve Footage)
 * David Ankrum - Rebel Pilot Wedge Antilles (Voice)
 * Drewe Henley - Garven Dreis / Red Leader (Archieve Footage)
 * Ian Whyte - Moroff
 * Warwick Davis - Bistan
 * Ian McElhinney - Jan Dodonna
 * Tim Beckmann - Captain Raymus Antilles
 * Mads Mikklesten - Galen Erso
 * Valene Kane - Lyra Erso
 * Stephen Stanton - Admiral Raddus (Voice)
 * Jonathan Aris - Jebel
 * Aidan Cook - Edrio
 * Derek Arnold - Pao
 * Ben Daniels - Blue Leader Antoc Merrick

Planets

 * Lah'mu
 * Jedha
 * Eadu
 * Yavin IV
 * Scarif

Vehicles

 * Rebel U-Wing Fighter
 * Rebel X-Wing Fighter
 * Rebel Y-Wing Fighter
 * Imperial TIE Fighter
 * Imperial TIE Striker
 * Imperial Star Destroyer
 * Ghost VCX-100 light freighter
 * Tantive IV
 * Imperial AT-ST
 * Imperial AT-ACT
 * Imperial Hovertank

Droid Types

 * Protocol Droid
 * Astomech Droid
 * KX-series security droid

Organizations

 * Galactic Senate
 * Galactic Empire
 * Rebel Alliance

Armies

 * Rebel Trooper Army
 * Rebel Fleet
 * Imperial Trooper Army

Weapons

 * Death Star