Trailer Breakdown & Reaction: Rogue One - A Star Wars Story Part 2

Welcome back! (maybe I should say that to myself... Real life got in the way last week)

I decided I'd approach the Rogue One in two parts simply because the trailer itself is really broken into two parts - an exposition introducing Jyn narrated by Mon Mothma and a slam-bam montage narrated by Forest Whitaker's character. We covered the exposition in the first part which can pretty much be summed up like this:

• Jyn Erso has been on the wrong-side of the law for a long time
• The Rebels need someone to get the plans for the Death Star
• The Rebels need someone who doesn't love the Empire and is willing to go the extra mile
• Jyn Erso likes to "rebel"

Now we get into the machine gun that is the end of this trailer. Regardless of the arguments you can present about the prequels vs the originals vs the new era, the one aspect that I appreciate is that the governing minds behind the aesthetics of the SWU are great at setting the scene. Love or hate (or despise/loathe/forget) the prequels, the atmosphere seemed less militaristic and far more shiny and new. I almost think of the prequels as if they were a memory someone had of "the good ol' days" before the Empire, much like Obi-wan's speech in A New Hope. Everything seems clean and maintained and there's a general lack of concern for the dirty stuff that still existed. Best real-world parallel I can offer is thinking back to how it felt to play my old 1st gen Gameboy, but glossing over the fact that I had to make sure the space I was in was lit by a 250W lightbulb in order to see the screen.

Then you have the originals, where everything looks pretty basic, kinda mundane, and even pretty dirty. I'm not sure if this is more an appreciation for the brilliance of the set design in the originals or an apologetic argument for the CG in the prequels, but the original trilogy's set design really had you feeling like you were in a time where "new and flashy" was a premium most couldn't afford in a galaxy both recovering from a galactic war and dealing with an active uprising. Even from the trailer for Rogue One, you can tell this has been upheld and it's a major plus. Rogue One has to look like it fits in. Like Felicity Jones could walk by a young Carrie Fisher in some "Back to the Future"-esque scene.

Regardless, then we come to the crux of the trailer. Mon Mothma's briefing gives way to Forest Whitaker's grizzled speech. Good point to make here is the difference between these two characters. Mon Mothma is clothed in white, clean, adorned clothing which personify respect and authority. Forest Whitaker's character is crippled and wearing what looks to be half-functioning armor with a breathing mask. I almost wonder if his character was someone that the Rebels may have used in the past, failed at his task (whether by the Imperial juggernaut of some selfish consequence), and was discarded by the Rebels. It would make sense for his speech, which I assume is to Jyn Erso.

As we get this cryptic speech, we get a great series of snapshots from the movie. First we see...

Bad boys, bad boys...

A collection of Rebel pilots being captured.

Insert Beatles guitar riff...

Jyn and Poe's daddy, plus an unnamed droid running from the equivalent "A Hard Days Night crowd" group of stormtroopers.

There be monsters here...

 And finally a "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" like run for freedom by the protagonists at the end of the trailer, which I'm sure doesn't go well for them. That being said, four Imperial walkers (the design isn't too bad to be a "prototype AT-AT") is one hell of response to a Oceans-Eleven-team of Rebels.

Interspersed through these scenes, there were a few other interesting catches I saw. First would be the homage to the Hoth Trooper uniform from Empire Strikes Back.

A second Abrams lens-flare in one trailer!

Elements of the First Order shuttle design before there was a Kylo Ren.

And boom goes the dynomite...

The appearance of who I ultimately think will be a tragic character in the story. Initially, I thought that he would be some kind of scary Imperial Inquisitor/Rebel Hunter, but then I remembered he is apparently part of the team. I imagine he will be some kind of Echani-style fighter who will rather fight then be captured by the Imperial troops.

Could also be a former Royal Guard since the fighting style is likely the same

Finally we get to the last couple interesting visual notes from the trailer - the Stormtroopers. Aside from your standard Stormtroopers who could be straight from a local 501st fan legion, you have some new types show up in trailer. Fans of the Imperial Assault board game should be pleased. First, there's the Imperial Tank trooper you catch a momentary glimpse of here:

On top of the tank

While that's an interesting variation, let's get to the big scary ones...

We're here for your protection...

Halo 3: ODST or Star Wars?

The minute I saw these guys I began hoping beyond all hope that we'd seen an on-screen version of the venerated Dark Trooper. I doubt that this is the case, but they could be a kind of Shadow Trooper (another reference to the Dark Forces series) or essentially some kind of counter-terrorism, wet-work, black ops Stormtrooper specialist. Still, they look fantastic.

Overall, I really liked this trailer and even after a couple weeks since it was revealed, I still find it very exciting. I feel like Rogue One has the possibility of becoming one massive hype-train though and could suffer from the both attempting to live up to "The Force Awakens" and also having a sufficient epic feeling meant to be told in one movie.

Rogue One has a very dubious distinction of being the first major Star Wars story that isn't considered an "episode #" in the Star Wars movie lexicon. It has to be a stand alone story without the benefit of another two movies to tell it's story. Honestly, I think this could be its biggest challenge.

Let me explain it this way. If you look back all of the Star Wars films, I contend that A New Hope is the only Star Wars film that can really be viewed alone without any of the other movies. Empire may be the best story in terms of acting/defining moments, but it is also the middle child in terms of the trilogy and really needs both A New Hope and Jedi to tell the complete story (as Empire really lacks the necessary character introductions). If you only viewed one Star Wars film, A New Hope really stands on its own without the rest of the saga.

Rogue One has to be a singular story and that may be a difficult accomplishment considering all of the other movies were written from the standpoint of either building on previous movies that built the universe or being able to tell a story that can be finished in another movie. Sure, Rogue One will tie into A New Hope, but unless they pull in other major connecting characters besides Mon Mothma, it can afford to be sufficiently detached from the main story. Rogue One can exist on its own SWU island, and I personally think it should.

So what do you think? Leave your comments below. Hope you liked the breakdown and reaction. I'd love to do more (perhaps a bit more brief in the future). Later sithspawn!

You can find part one of my breakdown here: Rogue One: Breakdown and Reaction pt 1

Please note, all images are screenshots from the Rogue One trailer found on Star Wars Official Youtube channel located here: https://www.youtube.com/user/starwars. Dropship Inbound is a non-profit blog and all images are protected under Fair Use. All rights reserved for the images of the trailer are Lucasfilm and Lucasfilm-affliates.