Out with the old, in with the new! “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is in theaters, which means there is less than year until “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” tells the official tale of how those Death Star plans ended up in Princess Leia”s possession. 354 days to be exact.
The movie is filming right now, but the box of mystery is still air tight. Lucasfilm has released only the very basics. “Rogue One” will be a heist film about stealing the Death Star plans. It is being directed by Gareth Edwards with Gary Whitta and Chris Weitz as screenwriters. An ensemble cast starring Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Forest Whitaker, Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, and Jonathan Aris is in place. The late Peter Cushing will be digitally added to “Rogue One,” reprising his role post-mortem as Grand Moff Tarkin.
And that”s it. No character names. No synopsis. Nada. But that doesn”t mean we can”t piece together a rough idea of what to expect! All information below comes from new canon sources, be it the films, “The Clone Wars” cartoon, or the novels “Tarkin” by James Luceno and “Aftermath” by Chuck Wendig.
#1: “Rogue One” will be revisiting Geonosis.
First seen in “Star Wars: Attack of the Clones,” Geonosis was the birthplace of the Death Star plans. During the Clone Wars, the desert planet was the capital of the Separatists and housed many of their droid factories. In the wake of the Empire”s rise to power, Geonosis was targeted as a potential planet to strip mine for minerals. When that didn”t pan out, the Empire wiped out most of the native population and began construction of the Death Star above the planet. If the stars of “Rogue One” are going to heist the plans from somewhere, Geonosis is the best bet as a backdrop.
#2: The cost of building the Death Star.
One thing that was glossed over in the original trilogy is how many sentient species were sacrificed to make the Death Star a reality. From conscripts to Wookiee slaves, stealing the Death Star plans has the potential to show the cruelty of the Empire on a ground level. A project of such size not only housed the laborers of the facility itself, but an entire network of bases to establish a supply chain. Perhaps interrupting that lifeline is how the rebel spies will gain access.
There is also the possibility that several characters created for the Star Wars novels could put in an appearance, including Rebel cell leader Berch Teller and Imperial Officer Rae Sloane, along with Easter eggs such as the coliseum on Geonosis or the remains of the droid factory.
We”ll find out on December 16, 2016!
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