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The first teaser trailer came out today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wji-BZ0oCwg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wji-BZ0oCwg)

I'm really looking forward to this.  It strikes me as potentially a little darker than the previous Star Wars films, yet still within this wonderful universe, and of course the story ties up to the events of Episodes IV to VI.

 ;D Can't wait for this! I hope the rumours about Peter Cushing posthumously returning as Tarkin are true.

Those were some very cool visuals.

Especially the Death Star being put together and the AT-ATs from the POV of troops on the ground.

"Should we end the trailer with the Imperial March, or the Force theme?"
"...why not both?"

It looks like Lucasfilm is continuing with its commitment to practical effects work. The visuals were amazing in The Force Awakens, and they look absolutely beautiful here. Real sets, real location work, real costumes. It all creates a sense of tactile immersion you just don't get when 99% of the sets and characters are CG. But here it looks like Gareth Edwards has struck a nice balance between practical and digital effects.


It's great to see the Empire returning. The real Empire, not those First Order wannabes. I've always been a strong Imperial sympathiser. Whenever my friends and I would play videogames like Star Wars: Battlefront, we'd always play as the Empire. They have the best vehicles, the best uniforms, the best weapons, and of course the best British thespians.

I also like what I'm hearing about this movie being inspired by old WW2 films. I just hope there aren't any Jedi in it. I'd love to see Vader tearing into the Rebels with his lightsaber and Sith powers, but I don't want one of the heroes to suddenly whip out a lightsaber and start fighting back. Let's stick with regular warfare and leave the lightsaber duels to Episode VIII.

Quite a few sites are listing Welsh actor Spencer Wilding as playing Vader. He's 6'7, which is around the same height as Dave Prowse in his prime.

Excellent. Vader is a given. I think it'd be really effective if Vader appeared near the end, killing all the main heroes we follow over the course of the journey. Making them tragic figures, ala the Bothans mentioned in ROTJ by Mon Mothma. And also convey just how much of a monster Vader is. Have the guy strut his stuff in his prime, but also have that element of loathing about the character. For example, we love him being bad, but stuff like offing younglings isn't endearing.

Quote from: The Dark Knight on Mon,  2 May  2016, 08:41
Excellent. Vader is a given. I think it'd be really effective if Vader appeared near the end, killing all the main heroes we follow over the course of the journey. Making them tragic figures, ala the Bothans mentioned in ROTJ by Mon Mothma. And also convey just how much of a monster Vader is. Have the guy strut his stuff in his prime, but also have that element of loathing about the character. For example, we love him being bad, but stuff like offing younglings isn't endearing.

But if this a prequel to ANH, shouldn't the Bothan annihilation wait for a later film that takes place between the events of TESB and ROTJ?

I do agree with you about Vader's nastiness however.  Episode III really caught the true extent of Anakin's evil when he slaughtered the young Padawans.

Much as I like Revenge of the Sith (and I like it a lot more than most fans do), I admit I was disappointed that we never got to see cyborg Vader in action again during his prime. I'm hoping Rogue One will make up for that. There are rumours of a sequence in which POSSIBLE SPOILERS Vader takes to the battlefield and starts decapitating Rebel soldiers left right and centre, using the Force to levitate their dismembered limbs and create a shield to protect himself from blaster fire END SPOILERS. I hope this is true. The Star Wars anthology films are meant to be slightly more mature than the saga films, so they can afford to be a bit more gruesome.

And I'm very excited about the rumours concerning Tarkin. Supposedly rather than recast the role, Lucasfilm is using a mixture of deleted scenes from A New Hope and state-of-the-art CGI effects to resurrect Peter Cushing. Imagine seeing these guys on screen together for the first time since 1977. ;D


The Force Awakens brought back a load of familiar heroes but pitted them against new villains. It sounds like Rogue One is bringing back familiar villains and setting them against a new band of heroes. I've heard rumours that POSSIBLE SPOILERS Ian McDiarmid END SPOILERS has been seen on set, suggesting the return of you-know-who. And a certain bounty hunter is also rumoured to appear. If all these rumours prove accurate, then Rogue One will assemble the cream of Original Trilogy villainy in a single film. The only person missing will be Jabba.

This looks insanely beautiful. It's easily my most hyped film at the moment. A new trailer should be arriving shortly, but for now Lucasfilm has released these to whet our appetites:

The poster is phenomenal!

It certainly is. For me Star Wars has always been the number one fantasy/sci-fi movie franchise, and a major reason for that is the imaginative scope contained within each of the films. Every Star Wars movie is like a Final Fantasy game or a Tolkien novel; sure, there are elements that carry over from one entry to the next, but each instalment is densely layered with its own unique storylines, concepts and iconography: exotic planets, alien races, droids, weapons, vehicles, action sequences. And even though Rogue One is closely connected with Episode IV, it looks like it will offer its own wealth of imaginative new locations, characters and ideas. It's seeming less like a side story for A New Hope and more like a fully fledged Star Wars epic in its own right. The tropical Pacific island-inspired planet is already showing us something we've never seen in any of the earlier films. Hopefully there'll be lots of other unique components that'll allow this film to stand on its own.

While I don't expect this to do as well financially or commercially as The Force Awakens, I'm starting to wonder if I might enjoy it more as a fan. It's a bit early to tell, but so far it looks incredibly promising. I'm generally not very enthusiastic about the idea of these anthology films – especially the Han Solo movie – but this one at least has won me over. I can't wait!

Quote from: Silver Nemesis on Fri, 15 Jul  2016, 20:12
It certainly is. For me Star Wars has always been the number one fantasy/sci-fi movie franchise, and a major reason for that is the imaginative scope contained within each of the films. Every Star Wars movie is like a Final Fantasy game or a Tolkien novel; sure, there are elements that carry over from one entry to the next, but each instalment is densely layered with its own unique storylines, concepts and iconography: exotic planets, alien races, droids, weapons, vehicles, action sequences. And even though Rogue One is closely connected with Episode IV, it looks like it will offer its own wealth of imaginative new locations, characters and ideas. It's seeming less like a side story for A New Hope and more like a fully fledged Star Wars epic in its own right. The tropical Pacific island-inspired planet is already showing us something we've never seen in any of the earlier films. Hopefully there'll be lots of other unique components that'll allow this film to stand on its own.

While I don't expect this to do as well financially or commercially as The Force Awakens, I'm starting to wonder if I might enjoy it more as a fan. It's a bit early to tell, but so far it looks incredibly promising. I'm generally not very enthusiastic about the idea of these anthology films – especially the Han Solo movie – but this one at least has won me over. I can't wait!

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Star Wars is getting so many slam dunks these days. The Marvel comic series is top quality. I have read the ongoing main line and the Vader series, and boy, they have nailed the characters. The plots are engaging and faithful to the era as well. I also really dig Star Wars Rebels. And Clone Wars. And obviously I liked The Force Awakens. Rogue One seems like it'll be another good outing. I have fallen in love with the franchise again much like my younger self, sitting up watching the original trilogy on VHS on weekends.

Looking good!

I really want Vader to essentially be Jason Voorhees in this. There's difference between his character from what we saw at the end of Episode III and how he was portrayed in Episode IV. I want this film to reflect that. You don't try to reason with him or fight him, you just run for your life, and he's going to catch you anyway.

In fact, I'd almost prefer if he didn't even have any dialogue. Just this looming terror in black who just ... keeps ... coming ... after you. However, having James Early Jones lending his voice to Vader in another live action Star Wars film is undoubtedly going to be bliss.

Just got back from watching it.

Bottom line, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was damn good, certainly not without some flaws, but the third act made it the best SW prequel we've had.

Oh, and perfect use of Vader! His scenes were WELL worth the price of admission.  ;D

I watched this last week, and I thought it was really good! I was surprised at how it worked so well as a standalone story, and even how gritty it was with all the characters making sacrifices to alert the Rebels about the Death Star. As sad as it was to see Jyn and company perish in the end, it was quite refreshing to see compared to a typical action movie ending where everybody lives happily ever after.

I didn't mind The Force Awakes, but let's face it, it does rehash ideas from the original trilogy. Rogue One dared to do something different and I appreciate it more.

Quote from: The Laughing Fish on Sun, 17 Sep  2017, 12:11
I watched this last week, and I thought it was really good! I was surprised at how it worked so well as a standalone story, and even how gritty it was with all the characters making sacrifices to alert the Rebels about the Death Star. As sad as it was to see Jyn and company perish in the end, it was quite refreshing to see compared to a typical action movie ending where everybody lives happily ever after.

I didn't mind The Force Awakes, but let's face it, it does rehash ideas from the original trilogy. Rogue One dared to do something different and I appreciate it more.

Agreed. I didn't know what to expect with Rogue One and the ending really took me by surprise but I did enjoy it. Some other SW fans I know didn't appreciate it as much, but I thought it was a great new Star Wars adventure. I also really liked that they set it right before the start of the original Star Wars and so we got to see how the plans got to Leia. I believe Rogue One will still be enjoyable to see again.

I watched it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I'm a huge fan of AC Crispin's Han Solo novels and that trilogy of books ended with a variation on Rogue One that affected Han in a very direct and personal way... even though he wasn't really fully aware of it.

I realize those books were never really canon under the old regime anyway. But I sort of liked the idea of Han's ex-girlfriend handing the Death Star plans to his soon-to-be new girlfriend. Passing the baton and all that.

Crispin's Solo trilogy might've gotten nuked out of "continuity" when the EU was scrapped. But we could at least pretend it still happened since continuity and canon are so subjective anyway. But Rogue One pretty much quashes any hope of that.

I dunno. It isn't like it's a terrible movie or anything. I didn't hate it. And it does arguably prove there's more to Star Wars than just Jedi and lightsabers and stuff. But so far, Disney is 0-2 in making Star Wars movies that rank among the original trilogy for me. So hmm.