This past week witnessed the rise of a new Star Wars movie, which added a much needed addition to the Star Wars canon explaining how the Rebel’s obtained the Death Star plans. Let me take a moment to explain where this movie fits into the Star Wars canon. This movie takes place in between the original trilogy and the newer trilogy. The original trilogy (episodes 4, 5, and 6) showcases the adventures of protagonists Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa in their fight against the empire. The newer trilogy (episodes 1, 2, and 3) describes the origins of the characters in the original trilogy, specifically focusing on Anakin Skywalker (AKA Darth Vader) and the rise of the empire. This movie fits in between those trilogies. It takes place after the newer trilogy and before the original trilogy in the timeline. This movie helps to set up the main plot of the next movie in the timeline, which is the fourth movie Star Wars: A New Hope. The easiest way to express this movie’s place in the timeline is to call it Star Wars 3 ½, as that is where it is located in the timeline. Regardless of your thoughts about the movie itself, it was interesting to finally have an explanation of how the Rebel’s obtained the Death Star plans. After all, those plans set up Luke Skywalker’s initial accomplishment, which aids in establishing his credibility as the main protagonist and hero of the Rebel Alliance. In my opinion, this story is a positive addition to the canon. It was a good standalone movie as well, although there were some flaws in it.

Rogue One immersed the watcher in the atmosphere of the Rebel Alliance prior to the appearance of their “messiah”. During this time the Rebel Alliance is struggling to keep themselves together against a threat much greater and seemingly impossible to defeat. The main protagonists Jyn, Cassian, and K-2SO are intriguing characters with great chemistry, but I wish the movie had more time to explore the backstories of those characters. We learn a little about Jyn’s family history in the beginning of the movie, as we see her mother shot dead and her father taken away by imperial troops when she was a little girl. It is implied that Jyn’s father, Galen, was once willingly a member of the empire, but for some reason chose to leave the empire and was later forced to return. Jyn escaped the imperial troops and was raised by Saw Guerrera, who we later learn is a rebel extremist. The next time Jyn appears on screen she is a young adult and prisoner in an imperial labor camp. Personally, I would like to learn more about her history between those two major events. She is a very interesting character and I would like to know more about her life.

Other interesting characters include Rebel Intelligence Officer Cassian Andor, K-2SO, Chirrut Îmwe, Baze Malbus, and Bodhi Rook. I would love to have more backstory on all of these characters. Cassian Andor serves as an intelligence officer for the Rebel Alliance and mentions his life long commitment to the Rebels. It would be fascinating to know more about Cassian’s life to truly understand what the Rebellion means to him. K-2SO is a reprogrammed imperial droid that now serves as a member of the Rebellion. Again, this presents a possibly interesting side story of K-2SO’s reprogramming. I think Chirrut Îmwe is one of the most fascinating characters in this movie. Îmwe is a blind monk-like character that is a strong believer of the Force and quite a formidable warrior (watching him easily defeat a squadron of stormtroopers was one of the best parts of the movie!).

Îmwe’s closest friend, Baze Malbus, tags along with the Rogue One crew as well to continue to protect Îmwe. These two are obviously very close and have been through a great deal together, so it would be amazing to actually learn more about their friendship. Finally, Bodhi Rook, the infamous imperial pilot who defected from the Empire, would be a curious character to learn more about. Some key questions about Rook would include: “How did he escape the Empire?” and “What is the relationship between Bodhi and Galen?”.

Overall, I loved the characters and their dynamics in Rogue One, and so wish to know more about them. Rogue One was a wonderful movie that immersed the watcher into the world of Star Wars once more, although it did end on a rather somber note. Unfortunately, the characters needed to die in order to provide a more steady transition to the original trilogy. On the bright side, we now have faces and names to the brave rebels who aided the Rebel Alliance in finally destroying the Death Star. May they all be remembered and may the Force be with you!