The Star Wars craze is back and stronger than ever now that Rogue One is out. Although the movie doesn't involve any of the signature Jedi lightsaber battles, it's still just as captivating as the other Star Wars movies. This movie does a great job of showing a bit of the "nitty gritty" of wars, even if it is a war that happens “a long long time ago and in a galaxy far away.”
All of the movies in the true series of the seven released Star Wars movies focus on the Jedi heroes of the series, and they are centered on the big character names like Kenobi or Skywalker. This movie shows how Luke's heroics in destroying the Death Star were even possible. The movie follows Jyn Urso, who is originally empathetic towards the cause of the rebellion and only helps them as a way to see her father for the first time since she was a child. However, as she journeys with Captain Cassian, she realizes that the rebels have a noble cause for which is worth fighting and dying. The core of this cause could not be more important, for it is simply freedom. They don't fight for glory, financial gain, or for the Jedi code, only to free themselves and everyone else from the Empire's oppression. Considering that every person in the "Rogue One" squadron gets obliterated by the Death Star, it is poetic justice that the mission they succeeded in moments before they were killed was ultimately what led to the rebellion's success in destroying the Death Star. Their sacrifice didn't bring them anything material, and they didn't even live to see that their mission paid off. They went into the jaws of the Empire to give everyone else a chance to be free. Unlike many movies, these characters didn't get their happily ever after, which reflects some realities in wars.
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Although no major plot events happen in the scene, the short fight between extreme rebel forces and Empire troops is extremely important because it shows the viciousness that is possible in a war of rebellion. The Empire troops are ambushed by the rebel forces in the middle of the city, with civilians all around. Troops from both sides are killed, buildings are destroyed, and in the height of battle, Jyn notices a young girl standing helpless in the midst of the fight. Of course, Jyn rushes over and carries the girl to safety just before an explosion. But what if Jyn hadn't been there to save the girl? This shows the sad truth that rebellions are a painful struggle that put everyone involved, including innocent bystanders, in extreme danger. Imagine that scene as reality every day, except unfathomably worse, and that is what is happening in Aleppo. This scene is life for the citizens in Eastern Aleppo, caught between a government and a rebellion, and it's a shame that this violence can't just be in a movie. This violence is just one real world example of the brutality involved in war of which Rogue One gives a partial view.
In one scene, Cassian says that he and his fellow members of the rebellion have all done bad things, like spying, sabotaging, or assassinating people. However, they did all of these things for the cause of the rebellion. All of these "bad" people got together to resist the oppression of the Empire. They put their pasts and prides behind them and sacrificed their lives for freedom. Every human deserves to be free and we all must fight to be free, and Rogue One does an excellent job in showing some rough realities in that fight.
