What can one say about Rogue One that hasn't already been said? Released almost a year after The Force Awakens, anticipation was high for the franchise's first theatrical spinoff. Nowadays, it's hard to remember if everyone knew the story would cover how the rebels stole the Death Star plans before heading into theaters.
I vaguely recall the plot of the DOOM clone Dark Forces involving the character General Nadine (seen on screen for the first time with a terrible fake beard in Return of the Jedi). I'm probably wrong, but I remember thinking Kyle Katarn kidnaps Nadine because he's the one Imperial who defects and helps the fledgling Alliance steal the plans. Kyle Katarn is also the first character in the Star Wars universe to wield the now-legendary Bryar Pistol, which Cassian Andor also carries as his sidearm.
The impetus for Rogue One originates from a throwaway line in A New Hope. We know Leia hides the Death Star plans in R2-D2, but we never learned how she acquired them—until now. We discover that the Death Star's weakness was a design flaw intentionally placed by its captive creator, Galen Erso, portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen. An excellent performance by an actor known for playing more villains than heroes. Galen's motivation for revenge after the death of his wife, Lyra, is clear and compelling.
I think everyone's favorite character ended up being K-2SO, portrayed by Alan Tudyk. Despite being a droid, Tudyk's motion-captured performance brought more humanity to the role than the rest of the cast combined. It was also thrilling to see Darth Vader in a film outside the original trilogy. James Earl Jones does an excellent job with his limited lines. Director Krennic, portrayed by Ben Mendelsohn, also stands out as a compelling villain. I believe it was Chris Stuckmann who praised Mendelsohn for going full "evil villain" in his scenes. Kudos to the casting director for that choice.
My favorite scene was, of course, the naval battle at the end, especially when Admiral Raddus notices the disabled Star Destroyer and uses a Hammerhead Corvette to ram it, turning it into a giant needle that pierces through the planetary shield protecting Scarif. An awesome sequence—I loved every second of it.
Thank you for listening to this Special Edition of the Star Wars Re-Watch Podcast. Unfortunately, no video for this episode as the encoder failed and only recorded a few minutes of footage. Thankfully, the audio was recorded separately as a backup.
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