2 - ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY - DECEMBER 14, 2016
STAR WARS ROGUE ONE
A STAR WARS TIMELINE
A LONG
TIME
AGO
DON’T CALL IT A PREQUEL!
HOW THE NEW FILM FITS
INTO THE STAR WARS CANON
BY JESSE DARLAND
CTW FEATURES
Feeling spaced out? “Rogue One,”
the new Star Wars film coming
December 16, doesn’t pick up with the
immediate adventures of Rey (Daisy
Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Poe
Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and all the
other characters introduced in 2015’s
“The Force Awakens.” Instead, we’re
going back to time period of the origi-
nal 1977 “Star Wars” film to tell a
brand new story.
But that’s confusing. Why would we
go farther back into the past, instead
of finding out what happened when
Rey finally found reclusive Jedi master
Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill)? Well,
that’s because this new film isn’t a
sequel. In fact, it’s something that’s
acquired a bit of a mixed reputation in
Star Wars circles.
That’s right. The new film is a pre-
quel.
Well, that isn’t strictly true, either.
“Rogue One” is the first of what
Disney hopes will be a long line of
“standalone” Star Wars films. You can
even see it in the film’s official title,
which is Rogue One: A Star Wars
Story.
It’s very simple: movies whose titles
begin with “Star Wars” will follow the
adventures of the Skywalker clan,
This winter’s film fits into a unique place in
the Star Wars canon. Here are all the stories
we know of so far, in order.
“Star Wars: Episode I – The
Phantom Menace” (1999)
Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn
and apprentice Obi-Wan
Kenobi help Queen
Amidala when her planet
is invaded by the evil
Trade Federation. Along
the way, the Jedi discover
Anakin Skywalker, a nine-
year-old slave unusually
strong in the Force, and sinister agents of
the Sith, the ancient enemy of the Jedi
Order.
from Anakin to Luke and Leia. But
those with the “Star Wars Story” subti-
tle can be anything else.
Just as Disney’s Marvel films have
showcased a wide range of influences
and genres – from the “Ant Man” heist
film to the nourish spy thriller
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”
– the new studio hopes to showcase a
wide variety of storylines.
We don’t know much about the plot
of “Rogue One.” Much like last year’s
“The Force Awakens,” Disney is tight-
lipped about what’s coming to movie
screens this December. What informa-
tion we do know comes mostly from
the oldest piece of Star Wars storytell-
ing out there – the original 1977 film.
Remember the iconic opening text
crawl? Just before the story began, it
informs us, Rebel spaceships had won
a crucial victory against the Galactic
Empire and stolen secret plans to the
Death Star, the Empire’s moon-shaped
battle station.
Though those events did not occur
onscreen, the stolen Death Star plans
were the main driver of the original
movie’s plot. They were the reason for
Darth Vader’s pursuit and imprison-
ment of Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher).
They were the reason that farm boy
Luke Skywalker teamed up with Obi-
Wan Kenobi. And they provided cru-
cial information that allowed Rebel
pilots (led by Skywalker) to destroy
the feared battle station once and for
all.
“Rogue One” aims to expand those
few sentences of introductory text into
a full-length film. The storyline will
tell us how those plans got into the
hands of the Rebel spies in the first
place.
So that means that fans will see the
original 1977 stormtroopers, X-wings,
TIE fighters – in short, everything that
evoked the feel of the original. Make
no mistake, the evil Empire hasn’t yet
been vanquished. We’re looking at a
time period long before Han Solo or
Princess Leia. The sinister hordes of
the Empire are spreading their influ-
ence across the galaxy, and only a few
scattered and outnumbered Rebels are
fighting back.
There are dozens of new characters
to follow. (Turn a few pages to see
more.) And filmgoers can still expect
to see some new locations in
December:
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heavy Imperial occupation. With an
arid climate that’s stuck in permanent
winter, Jedha would be low on most
galactic travelers bucket lists except for
one thing: it was at one time holy to
the outlawed Jedi order. Thus, it draws
its share of spiritual pilgrims who trav-
el to the remote world for mystical
guidance from the Force.
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beaches and palm trees. This world
would be a tropical paradise if the
Imperial war machine wasn’t con-
structing the planet-destroying Death
Star in orbit. Because of the heavy mil-
itary presence, the world is surrounded
by nearly impenetrable energy fields.
All signs point to there not being
much of the Force in “Rogue One.”
Sure, the mystical energy field that sur-
“Star Wars: Episode II –
Attack of the Clones” (2002)
Now a Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker
must protect Amidala when her life is
threatened by assassins. Together with his
master Obi-Wan Kenobi, the three are
swept up in the beginning of the galaxy-
wide Clone Wars.
“The Clone Wars” (2008-
2014)
This half-hour animated TV series showed
the continued adventures of Anakin, Obi-
Wan, Anakin’s apprentice Ahsoka Tano,
and hosts of other fan-favorite characters.
Along the way, further mysteries of the
Jedi and Sith are revealed.
“Star Wars: Episode III –
Revenge of the Sith” (2005)
The evil Sith step from the shadows to
reveal their plan to eliminate the Jedi and
rule the galaxy. When
Jedi hero Anakin
Skywalker falls to the dark
side of the Force, the gal-
axy’s last hope rests his
and Amidala’s newborn
children – twins who will
one day be heroes.
Untitled Han Solo stand-
alone film (2018)
Not much is known about this film. Written
by Lawrence Kasdan (who penned
screenplays for “The Empire Strikes Back”
and “The Force Awakens”) and his son
Jon and directed by comedy duo Phil Lord
and Chris Miller (“The Lego Movie,” “The
Last Man on Earth”), the move has so far
cast Alden Ehrenreich as the titular smug-
gler.