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.

Trailer Breakdown & Reaction: Rogue One - A Star Wars Story Part 1

The newest teaser trailer of the new era of Star Wars films dropped yesterday and all geekdom rejoiced. The reason for all the joy? The fact that, love or hate, they had yet another Star Wars film to endlessly debate. Aside from Marvel, DC, and the Star Trek reboot, the renaissance of Star Wars has further solidified that Hollywood wants even more of that hard-earned geek-cash.

After the advent of The Force Awakens and the absolute box-office steamroller it was, we knew that we'd see additional side stories in the following years apart from the main Episodes VII, VIII, & IX. The first non-roman numeraled Star Wars film looks like it will come out swinging though and so I thought I'd take some time to breakdown the "teaser" trailer and cast some theories of my own into the argument. (Why this got the moniker "teaser" is beyond me. It's a friggin trailer.)

Overall, the information about Rogue One has been kept very "hush hush". Honestly, I think the CIA and NSA wishes they had this kind of security. Unlike a Clinton inbox though, the information that has been leaked has been very vague and high-level. We know that the story has to do with how Princess Leia received the plans for the original Death Star. Ostensibly, we can also assume that we'll see some kind of nods to what put Darth Vader onto Leia's trail at the beginning of A New Hope since all we've had until now is the first title scroll.

Alright, let's dive right in. Unlike the first Force Awakens teaser that was basically a heavy-breathing prank phone call followed by a series of flashy costumes and punctuated by Millennium Falcon pulling an Immelman, Rogue One's "teaser" has a lot more meat and a lot less creeper to it.

Immediately, we are introduced to the second strong female lead of the new era - Jyn Erso.

Of course, geekdom has exploded trying to figure out who she is much like if you've ever seen a girl walk into a miniature gaming store. As of now, there isn't a lot out there that clues us into who she is. On the surface, it looks like she's the typical scoundrel that the Rebellion seems to attract - most of whom look like they haven't showered in weeks. Still, I like the casting of Felicity Jones.

Before we go any farther though, gotta call out somebody...

My eyes are up here buddy...

Didn't think we see it, huh, Mr Guard? Sneaking a peek at the goods? Dirty old man...

Anyway, as the trailer continues, we are shown Jyn has been taken to the Rebel's main base of Yavin IV. Nice to see the old digs again.

Uh-oh, there's some Abrams lens-flare. It's sneaking in already...

The base looks fairly well established at this point in time and we see a T-65 X-Wing in the background. Costumes all fit the aesthetic established in the original film as well. Accompanying our entry into the base, though, was a voice-over listing off all of her crimes against the Empire. All of these are explained by this guy...

Get Netflix on that Holotank?

... and Mon Mothma! Surprise?! She gives a very motherly introduction to the main character of Jyn. Aside from it being pretty much rank-and-file for pretty much any scoundrel in the SWU, we can tell Jyn has been an outlaw, neither beholden to the Rebel's idealism nor the powerful Imperials. I'd count Mon Mothma as another plus for this movie. In terms of the original movies, she's a drastically underused character and the casting director did an amazing job getting an actress who is a dead-ringer for a slightly younger version of the venerated ex-Senator.

I'm just gonna brood over here...

We also meet this handsome gent. Again, no identification or introduction, but I agree with some other sources that I think this could be maybe Poe Dameron's daddy. They look pretty similar and considering it looks like there might be a possible love-interest developed between himself and Jyn, it would give us one hell of a great origin to one of the new core characters.

The trailer continues on to show Jyn acting out her rage with a droid buddy of hers. Effectively, we find out despite her small stature, apparently she is some sort of elemental bad-ass. Not only is the vaunted "stormtrooper accuracy" in question, but I question their martial prowess. Dude, you just got beat up by a girl...

We introduce Jyn Erso-Bourne...

And boom goes the thermal detonator!

So after the soon-to-be iconic Jyn catchphrase is uttered ("I rebel..."), I loved Mon Mothma's smirk.

You go girl...

It's now we get to the money of the trailer. First we see the mission ahead of her. Of course, we already know this movie is about the stealing plans for the Death Star, but why not treat us to some new shots of the tragic monolith.

DirecTV or Dish?

I will admit this is a great scene. Very awe-inspiring, but I'm not really a fan honestly. Considering the lore I grew up with have the central spine reactor, superstructure ribs, and the superlaser in place before the rest of the Death Star was built, the fact that we get treated to a scene where they insert a continent-sized focusing dish in place again looks cool, but it just doesn't jive for me.

That and this...

Good looking Star Destroyer, except for what appears to be a giant drying rack or rabbit ears on top of the bridge? That or they worship the evil Chaos God Khorne...

Now we're greeted by the classic Imperial klaxon and a series of quick snapshots. On top of this we are introduced to who will likely be the foil of Mon Mothma's brilliant white outfit, Forest Whitaker's grizzled old character who is yet to be identified.

Despite the limp, I wouldn't mess with him...

His character is a giant unknown to me, but I think I am safe in saying he's probably going to be the type of character who will help our team of protagonists, but also stab them in the back. His speech about how far Jyn will go sticks to a very common pragmatism that movies tend to use for those grey-area villian/anti-heroes that end up being the guy you should have shot much earlier in the film. Ya know, not before they effectively sacrificed your whole team for some Judas-like sum of money.

Stay tuned for part 2 of my breakdown of Rogue One. There's a whole lot more to cover, and that's best done in a second post. Overall, I am really looking forward to this movie, as you will see in my next post.

Until then, may the Force be with you.

You can find part 2 of my breakdown here: Rogue One: Breakdown and Reaction pt 2





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.

AAR: Imperial Crackdown Scenario 2

Man'o'man... What a time to be a Star Wars fan huh? Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens comes out on blu-ray and the Rogue One trailer drops online (covered in a separate post). What better way to celebrate it then get another scenario of X-Wing in with my friend/nemesis Drew?

As a rule, Drew and I established that as we go through the scenarios, we will swap out who plays which side. Last time I played the plucky Rebels and Drew played the might of the Imperial Navy. The result ended up with a nail-biting ending with the Rebels destroying the Gozanti-class Patrol Carrier Vector. Now on the heels of a bitter defeat, the Imperial forces in the sector regroup at the Vector's sister-ship, the Requiem. Despite the loss, the Imperial commander of the Requiem proceeds with actionable intelligence to stop an independent freighter with suspected ties to the Rebels in the sector.

Overview
Scenario 2 is the initial root for the future branching scenarios of the Imperial Crackdown campaign. In this one, the Rebels are going to do their best impression of GTG - Grand Theft Gozanti. Wasn't bad enough they blew up the last one, now they want to rub it in and steal one to go cruising in. See, this is why we can't have nice things.

Forces:
Imperial Forces (Tioch)

• Gozanti-class w/ Docking Clamps, Broadcast Array, DLT, and Requiem title
• "Omega Leader" TIE/FO w/ adaptability (inc to PS9)
• "Omega Ace" TIE/FO w/ Push The Limit
• Epsilon Sqd Pilot TIE/FO

Rebels (Drew)

• "Kanan Jarrus" VCX-100 w/ "Ghost", "Chopper", Recon Spec., Ion Turret, & Adv. Sensors (Wing Leader)
• "Sabine Wren" Atk Shuttle w/ Twin Laser Turret (TLT)
• Blue Squadron Novice T-70 X-wing 

Objective:

• Imperials - Time for some stern parenting! The Rebels cannot drive the Gozanti tonight to the movies. Knock out the Wing Leader or the Gozanti must survive 10 rounds of the Rebels asking if they can drive.
• Rebels - Secure the keys to the Gozanti so they can go pick up their girlfriend!

Pregame Thoughts (NEW SECTION!)

• Tioch - Overall, I know in a stand-up fight the Gozanti will not last long against the Ghost so I have to focus as much fire on it as I can. I had debated using some cheap 18 pt Interceptors rather than the more expensive TIE/FOs, but Omega Ace and Omega Leader are both very apt killers. I hoped to basically "yo-yo" the Gozanti between high speed straight moves and tight turns to keep the big Ghost from getting into range 1 to board me and harass him with my DLT. The TIE/FOs would try and either tie-up his supporting cast or get as many shots off at the Ghost as possible. Still... 10 turns against a group of ships with a minimum of 3 attack dice shots. Things do not look good for the Imperial Homestar Runner...

• Drew - My goal was to hit the Gozanti hard and not risk having a failed Docking roll. With the limitations of a big-ship's maneuvers, i figured I had one chance to Dock. All my firepower was going to be focused on the Gozanti until it was down to just a few HP. Sabine w TLT was to be used to pick off TIEs. The T70 was just because T70s are sweet.

Setup

Nice Ship you got there... How much you want for it?

Again, pretty straight forward and no terrain to deal with. I'm already set up to skirt the table edge. Drew? He's going straight for the jugular.

Who's got two thumbs and is gonna get him some Gozanti? THIS GUY!

Turn 1

Maybe if we ignore the Rebels, they'll go away...

The first turn had the typical setup maneuvers. I drove towards to the edge of the map while the Ghost and the T-70 maneuvered to make a run on the aft of the Gozanti. For now, I kept my TIEs docked.

Turn 2

Excuse Mr. Gozanti, do you have a moment to hear about the Rebellion?

Turn 2 and the lasers start flying. I used the Requiem's Jam action to stress the T-70 to limit its maneuverability and deployed my Epsilon Schmoe and Omega Ace from the rear of the ship (an option I noted in the rules) to give the T-70 something to think about. Drew's Ghost plows forward toward the prize, hoping to get to me before I rack up enough shots on him.

My TIEs and his T-70 trade fire, but both sides dodge fire. My DLT opens up as well, but all blanks and a focus. The Ghost returned fire and shaved off a couple shield pts from the Requiem. Whew... the dice are hot tonight...

Turn 3

Who's in who's trap?

Turn 3 sees to start of the Rebels plan begin to take shape. I take my Ties on a run to try and trap the T-70 using my schmoe-FO to flip behind him (Spd 2 Segnor Flip is awesome) and my Ace to do a green maneuver to keep his PTL-combo going. I jumped the gun with the Requiem and turned earlier than I wanted, but this put me in jamming range of the Ghost as well (which I knew didn't have many options to shed stress) and I threw Omega Leader into the mix. To my surprise, Drew didn't dive in on the Gozanti, but instead went after the schmoe-FO instead. His Ghost did dive in on me though and...

Small, but very deadly...

Deployed Sabine! Oooph... I remember the little ball of death quite well, and this one packed a TLT.

Combat was a two-sided affair. The bucket-load of dice the Ghost can throw whittled my shields away and dealt me two crits!! Both were docking clamp hits, but luckily I had deployed Omega Leader just prior to this. Sabine plunked me for another hit on my hull with her TLT, but no dice on the second shot. The TIE's and the T-70 had a nice laser light show. I shaved off his shields, but he plinked the schmoe-FO's single shield. My Ace ended up shaving some more shields off, but nothing major.

Looked like my manuever combined with the Ghost's guns would end this game pretty quickly.

Turn 4

Darn pushy Rebel kids...

Until turn 4... Now all the maneuvering got confusing. I had to figure out a way to get the big Rebel bruiser off the Requiem. Drew, on the other hand, had to ensure the Requiem didn't run over the Ghost and get himself positioned for a boarding attempt. That was the plan...

Then my schmoe-FO did a spd 1 tight turn and everything went to hell. Omega Leader did a Spd 2 Flip to get behind the T-70 who was still trying to shave off his stress. My Ace ended up sightseeing because Drew's Ghost turned a direction I hadn't considered. Deprived of shields, I slowed the Requiem down to hopefully recharge some shields.

Expect a call from Imperial Insurance for this...

Drew, on the otherhand, bumped the Ghost right into the Requiem. And I just had it detailed... Sabine bumped the schmoe-FO and the T-70 lined up nicely in front of Omega Leader.

Shooting was a fairly nasty affair. Now at 5 atk dice boom-stick range, the big guy laid into me once again. My schmoe-FO put a shot into Kanan, but his ability absolutely nerfs basic and FO TIEs. Luckily, though, I was still outside of that crucial Range 1 distance to my front section. No boarding yet again.

Turn 5 (The Turn of Hurt)

He's on my tail!!!

At this point, I knew there was no getting away from the Ghost. Sure Jams had hampered progress and maybe forced the Ghost to take some damage in the form of the Adv Sensor/Chopper combo, but I couldn't stop the focus train. On top of that,  we were all tangled up and my TIEs weren't doing nearly the amount of damage I had hoped. Turn 5 would see that change.

I decided to try and get my Ace back in the fight with a segnor flip. I kept the schmoe-FO doing spd 1 tight turns, and Omega Leader attempted to dive in on where I hoped the Ghost would be. BUT...

Drew put Sabine in my way and decided the T-70 was done messing around and pulled a Dameron-Bro Talon flip.

The Bro is strong with this one...

 Not to mention, who taught Kanan how to drive?

At least take me to dinner first...

For those keeping count, that's now twice he's bumped me. Despite all this, it was shooting where the hurt would take place. The Ghost unloaded a shotgun blast absolutely savaging the Requiem's aft. The Ghost is definitely not a gentle lover. Sabine added insult to injury and this was the result...

Yep, 2 hit points left. That's an auto-win if he can pull off a boarding action.

I responded by using my schmoe-FO and the Leader to decimate the T-70, first blinding him and then schmoe-FO dealt the final blow.

Turn 6

Can't catch me!

Turn 6 and the realization suddenly hits me. If he destroys the Requiem, the mission ends in a draw. Not a win, a draw. With only 2 hull left, neither the Ghost of the Phantom can really shot me anymore. Matthew Broderick's character in the movie "The Freshman" once said, "there's a kind of freedom in knowing you're totally screwed because you know things can't possibly get any worse."

So change of tactics for me. I only need enough energy to keep the DLT firing so screw the shields. Drew's now on the clock to catch me and I've passed him. He's cleared his stress, but his T-70 is gone. Sabine's still in play, but so are all of my TIEs, who are now pointed the right way.

Maneuvers were pretty straight forward. My TIEs all doved for the Ghost. The Ghost on the otherhand...

Geez, again?

Yep, bump number 3. At this point, I'd like to think the Requiem crew just thinks its fun. Not to mention, Drew was consistently able to avoid a damage from the collision. I mean, the Requiem just isn't that kind of girl Mr. Ghost...

Unable to get within striking distance for the boarding, Drew had to suffice with stand-off shots with my TIEs. My schmoe-FO found itself in Sabine's crosshairs, but...

Slippery little bastard isn't he?

I, meanwhile, hammered home the damage on the Ghost, stripping the shields and dealing some critical damage to the Ghost. After this, time was running out for both of the big ships on the board.

Turn 7

Despite the hand of God on Sabine, my TIEs defend the Requiem's honor!

Turn 7 was just like Turn 6 in terms of maneuvering. My TIEs swarmed the Ghost, Sabine flanked them, and the Ghost attempted to get within range one of the forward section. My TIE's clogged up the Ghost's flight path, though, and a maneuver that would have put him in a game-winning position turned into the fourth... THE FOURTH time the Ghost bumped the Requiem. Well, the TIEs will not let this stand!

Drew's last attempt was to try and nail a few of my TIEs before the feeding frenzy began. Unfortunately, they fell silent when the Omega Leader and Ace laid into the Ghost.

OH NO! OH NO! OH YEAAAHHH!

And down went the Ghost. Imperial's win!

Final Thoughts

• Drew (Rebels) - Brutalizing the Gozanti was the easy part, and probably the only thing that went well for my strategy. The Ghost hits like a hammer, and Kanan's ability means he's got Focus to spare on that attack.
  
  Sabine has huge potential for positioning, even at PS5. The TLT build didn't help me pick off TIEs however, either because the dice didn't go my way, or I didn't have enough action economy to TL or Focus both attacks to ensure hits. Even so, she didn't take a single hit that game, in some part due to her ability to augment her position without action.
  
  The T70 was a limp addition to my squad. He didnt really contribute anything besides a Target for Omega Leader. He pulled off a sweet Talon Roll, but took a crit that prevented him from taking his Range 1 attack that round. I would have likely been better off taking a Ywing with TLTs. That might have survived just as long, but aided me with TIEs better.
  
  Overall, I should have held the Ghost back another round or two, or come at the Gozanti from the front rather than trying to chase it.  
• Tioch (Imperial) - Wow, that was unexpected. If I'm honest, I seriously thought Drew had that one in the bag on turn 3. Not to mention, in the column of things I should have realized from the start, the fact that I didn't have to really keep the Requiem alive was a revelation to me. I could have kept it moving much faster.
  
  The Gozanti is surprisingly fragile, especially against a shotgun like the Ghost. I'm glad I didn't load up the ship with any additional survival mods like optimized generators and shield techs because it really didn't end up being necessary. Once Drew realized that with 2 hull left he couldn't pound me any further, the Gozanti was free to run for the hills. The DLT was such a disappointment this time, though. Without a focus and considering I never really TL'd the entire match, it was just nerfed by Kanan.
  
  The TIE/FOs were better than I expected. Again, Kanan's ability hurt their damage production, but combined with my defense dice waking up, the PS, and that spd 2 flip, they were great flankers. Ace and Leader's abilities were strong, but I never got the production I wanted. Still, quantity over quality I guess. The true star was the Schmoe-FO. He was unexpectedly useful. Blocked ships, soaked up fire, and got a kill to boot. I'm glad I took them over the Interceptors (which I think would have worked much better with the Vector title anyway). 

Until next time, you stay classy.