The release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is mere weeks away. While you wait for one of the most anticipated films of the year to hit the big screen, feast your eyes on the fan film Hoshino. The short film reveals how a blind Jedi master lost her sight through interesting flashbacks. For a brief YouTube film, the movie has strong cinematography, good writing, and decent acting. It should warm those taste buds until the new blockbuster hits the big screen on December 16th.
The assignment: list my decisions for noteworthy animation for 2016. Honestly, it sent me into a panic. Despite loving cartoons, I tend to overlook a lot of the animated movies. When compared to the trailer, the movie is usually a disappointment.
That isn’t the case this year. With the exception of one highly hyped movie, most of these animated films will eventually be classics.
Here are the ones I believe to be most noteworthy. The only rule: I actually had to see it; no going off of critics’ opinions. Hence why Kubo and the Two Strings is missing.
5) FINDING DORY
Disney and Pixar know how to make terrific sequels. Just look at Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3. But Finding Dory is a disappointment.
Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) deserves her own movie; just not this one. Part of what makes Dory a great character is her partnership with Marlin (Albert Brooks). He’s the straight guy to her crazy person. Here, Marlin is barely a supporting character. Instead, Dory teams up with a cavalcade of new, quirky characters. Among these new creations, Hank the Septopus (Ed O’Neill) is the only one worth mentioning. Even so, he’s essentially Marlin with seven legs.
The memory jolts Dory experiences are a clunky, awkward device. Where were they in the first movie? They’re just thrown in so there’s something to build the story around.
Despite these hindrances, the voice actors are tremendous! It’s a real treat to have DeGeneres back. The best gag comes in the form of Sigourney Weaver as the voice of the aquarium tour. She constantly refers to herself, which provides fodder for Dory. For that, it’s worth a look-see.
4) THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS
The trailer was hysterical! A head-banging poodle?! Yes, please! It looked like Toy Story with pets.
But it wasn’t.
Instead of seeing the machinations of dog odd couple Max (Louie CK) and Duke (Eric Stonestreet) forced to co-habitate in the same apartment, we’re given a “journey home” story.
At this point, the only really interesting character is Snowball, a psychotic rabbit who leads a gang of discarded animals known as “The Flushed Pets”. As Snowball, Kevin Hart is a tour de force or homicidal rage, delusion, and grandiosity.
A sequel is in the works. Hopefully it will be contained to the apartment building. There were so many missed opportunities.
3) ZOOTOPIA
If Law & Order producer Dick Wolf ever tried his hand at animation, this would be the result. Zootopia is a well-plotted procedural that speaks about accepting those who are different.
Judy Hopps (Gennifer Goodwin) is the first female cop on the Zootopia police force. Eager to prove herself, Judy stumbles upon a missing animal case and teams up with Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a con-fox armed with slyness and snark. Their investigation uncovers a much more sinister plot: a conspiracy to rid Zootopia of all predatory animals.
Themes of race and bigotry permeate this movie. It’s the perfect allegory for our current heated, distrustful times.
2) GRAVITY FALLS
Probably the best cartoon on TV since The Fairly Oddparents and Animaniacs. If only every TV cartoon were this good. Then again, if they were, we wouldn’t appreciate them.
Gravity Falls is a Disney XD cartoon created by Alex Hirsch. It centers around Dipper (Jason Ritter) and Mabel Pines (Kristen Schaal) spending the summer with their Grunkle Stan (Hirsch) in Oregon. Stan owns The Mystery Shack, a tourist trap/museum to the town’s paranormal and supernatural occurrences.
What sets this series apart from others is that Hirsch planned it as a finite event:
“I always designed Gravity Falls to be a finite series about one epic summer – a series with a beginning, middle and end.”
It premiered on June 15, 2012. The series finale, “Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back the Falls” aired on February 15, 2016. This episode encapsulates everything that defines the series: humor, story, and memorable characters.
Of course Dipper and Mabel save the day, but it’s more than good triumphing over evil. It’s a coming-of-age story. An animated memory of how magical summers were when we were kids. When Dipper and Mabel leave for home, they take these memories with them.
And so do we.
1) MOANA
Disney is in its second Golden Age of animated movies, which began with Frozen. In Moana, a new Disney Princess joins the crowded court featuring Snow White, Belle, Jasmine, Anna, and Elsa.
Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) must return Te Fiti’s heart (an emerald stone), which was stolen thousands of years ago by the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson), in order to save her island village when resources grow scarce. She ventures forth to find Maui and his magical fish hook. After some shenanigans, they do return the stone, despite the lava monster Te Ká’s attempts stop them. Te Ká is actually Te Fiti without her heart. Once the stone is returned, Te Fiti rests again, Maui is free, and Moana returns to her village to lead them in search of new islands.
Ron Clements and John Musker direct this new classic. You might be familiar with them; they directed The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. It’s great having these two Disney legends at the helm again.
The music is outstanding! Especially the songs written by the genius Lin-Manuel Miranda. He brings the same pop/hip-hop aesthetic he applied in the musical Hamilton to Moana.
In a computer-generated movie, the spotlight is stolen by tradition 2-D animation in the form of Maui’s tattoos. The man responsible is Eric Goldberg, another Disney veteran. He was the lead animator for the character of Genie in Aladdin. Without uttering one word, Goldberg’s tattoos are their own storytelling device. Sad one minute, hilarious the next. It’s nice to see that traditional animation still has a place in film.
There you have it, folks! My decisions for 2016’s best in animation. What are some other cartoons you would include?
Looks like 2017 is going to have to step up if it wants to be anywhere near some of these animated films.
What starts out as a review of the new film Office Downe ends up with a full blown discussion about the ‘Top 5’ comic book films not based on Marvel or DC Comics characters.
Honorable Mentions: Tank Girl, Spawn, Judge Dredd, The Mask
EJ’s List:
5. Scott Pilgrim vs the World – Edgar Wright (Graphic novel)
4. The Haunted World of El Superbeasto – Rob Zombie (Comic book series)
3. Dredd – Pete Travis (Comic book series)
2. Sin City – Robert Rodriguez (Graphic Novel)
1. Oldboy – Park Chan-wook (Based on a manga)
Matt’s List:
5. A History of Violence (2005)
4. The Rocketeer (1991)
3. The Losers (2010)
2. The Crow (1994)
1. 30 Days of Night (2007)
What is your favorite film?
Strap yourself in buckaroos! Episode 102 of the Monkeys Fighting Robots podcast is here.
This series will be a brief, semi-comedic review of the CW superhero shows. You can check out last week’s review post here, or see the tally of winners below. The only shows discussed will be ‘Arrow’, ‘Flash’, and ‘Supergirl’. There WILL be some spoilers discussed, so only look at the reviews you’re up to date on!
Supergirl, “Medusa” (Nov. 28)
“Wait, the other CW universe hasn’t had aliens? All we have are aliens!”
This week’s Supergirl wasn’t as central to the crossover as the other CW shows. It’s not a weak episode, but it doesn’t feel as important, despite trying to tie up several big plot lines. The episode hits some of the same notes as last week’s episode, but not as strongly. The various mother-daughter relationships take center stage, to varying levels. The Lena Luthor double-cross was rather predictable, and the snide remarks that fly between the two Luthors quickly gets annoying. The Danvers duo has slightly better dialogue, but the mom might’ve hit the “gay isn’t normal but I’m cool with it” beat too long. There’s some standard good action, but nothing quite as amazing as we’ve seen before on Supergirl.
SCORE: 7.5/10 Alien Gas Bombs
The Flash, “Invasion!” (Nov. 29)
“I said ‘creek,’ Barry, not ‘Kree’!”
The first big episode in the CW crossover sees Flash call everyone together to fight the aliens known as “Dominators.” The majority of the episode is a rehash of this season’s “Barry made a timeline whoopsies” plot, but there’s now real anger behind it. Cisco legitimately has problems with Barry, and the other heroes that don’t know him well won’t follow his lead. The S.T.A.R Labs-owned Hall of Justice makes such little sense – why wouldn’t the team live there so HR can open his Tomorrowland? That being said, this episode featured some stellar action and inner-team conflict. Wally getting hurt in action adds a more interesting element to his storyline. The episode feels somewhat rushed, as they have to establish the team and threat, but all things considered, it does a good job.
Oliver running into the Ghosts of Sidekicks Past & Present
Oliver and the primary Arrow gang struggle to get out of the alien’s weird Matrix world. It’s hard to feel that there’s a real threat to Oliver in the world – the aliens didn’t make the world as enticing as you’d think they would. They gave him back his parents and one true love (who he was cheating on with her sister), but they also PUT A GREEN ARROW IN THE WORLD SO HE REMEMBERS REALITY! It feels like the episode wants to stress Oliver’ love for Laurel, to shut down any lingering Olicity fans. Unfortunately, they kept Laurel around so long on the show as a tertiary character that this no longer feels genuine. There was no real threat to the gang in the mind palace, but there is some phenomenal action with throwback villains. It’s not a perfectly reasoned episode, but it’s a nice tribute piece.
8/10 x10 Episodes (get it? Because this was Arrow’s 100th episode? Oh, whatever)
Legends of Tomorrow, “Invasion!” (Dec. 1)
TFW you’re about to be saddled with a Barry Allen-esque storyline
The “DC on CW’s” first review of Legends of Tomorrow! Steel gets his new Iron Patriot suit, and quickly takes over as team leader. It’s unclear why the aliens hate Barry specifically for his time travel shenanigans. How do multiple timelines put the aliens at more risk? However, the resolution of Barry learning more about responsibility is nice. Arrow’s anger towards Supergirl makes very little sense, but it thankfully takes up little time. Cisco learning to forgive Barry through action is way better than an Iris/Caitlin pep talk. By the way, the Caitlin-Dr. Stein discussion of Stein’s new daughter is insufferable. There’s very little Legends character action, actually, outside of the awesome action sequence on the “not airport” helicopter bay, as the main focus is on the Big Three. But it’s an episode with great action and nice resolution, so it’s an important and lovely addition to the crossover.
What show did you think won the week? Does Legends of Tomorrow take your vote? Do you think A.o.S. or Gotham outshines all the CW shows? Let us know in the comments below!
An update on the Spider-Man: Homecoming title logo is out, according to sources at ComicBook.
While “Spider-Man” is similar to its previous design, “Homecoming” features a chalkboard-esque font with a little Spidey noggin thrown in. Check it out below:
Homecoming is the third reboot of the franchise. This time out, Tom Holland plays Spider-Man. Not much is known about the plot other than it takes the wall-crawler back to high school while tangling with the Vulture. This is Holland’s second appearance as Spider-Man. He first played the character in CaptainAmerica:CivilWar in 2016.
In his first solo MCU outing, Spidey’s costume will receive an upgrade courtesy of Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). It’s a feature missing from every previous cinematic incarnation: the web-wings.
Joining Holland and Downey, Jr. in the cast are Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Tyne Daly, Bokeem Woodbine, Hannibal Buress, Donald Glover, Tony Revolori, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, JJ Totah, and Marisa Tomei.
Speculation was rampant that Zendaya is playing long-time Peter Parker love interest Mary Jane Watson. The actress and pop singer recently put those rumors to rest.
Jon Watts directs from a screenplay written by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley.
Spider-Man: Homecoming premiers in theaters on July 7, 2017.
The verdict isn’t directly from Star Wars creator George Lucas, but from a phone call between him and Rogue One director Gareth Edwards, according to sources at Movieweb.
Disney recently held a press conference for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story where Edwards said Lucas liked the movie. Here’s what Edwards said:
“Two days ago we got to show George the movie, and we all had a phone call and I got to speak with him yesterday, and I don’t want to put words into his mouth, but I can honestly say that I can die happy now. He really liked the movie. It meant a lot. To be honest, and no offense to anyone here, it was the most important review to me. You know, you guys are important too, but he’s kind of god… I will take that conversation to my grave. His opinion means the world to me.”
Lucas had a tepid response to last year’s The Force Awakens, saying he would rather the story not gone so “retro”. Lucas himself submitted a screenplay for The Force Awakens, but Disney took a pass. Understandable considering many die hard Star Wars fans thought Lucas’ prequels subpar at best.
Rogue One centers around a battalion of Rebels led by Jyn Erso. Their plan: steal the blueprints for the Death Star. Events in this movie take place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. It is the first Star Wars movie outside of the Skywalker storyline.
The movie stars Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, Forest Whitaker, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Alan Tudyk, and James Earl Jones returning to voice Darth Vader.
With a screenplay by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy, Rogue One A Star Wars Story will hit theaters December 16, 2016. Tickets are available now.
Actor Michael Rooker shared a new image of his character from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Yondu. Check it out below.
As you can see from the photo, the character is getting a much more comic accurate look in the sequel to Guardians.
“Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.”
Are you a fan of Yondu’s new look? Let us know in the comments section below.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters on May 5, 2017.
If there’s one thing Star Wars fans love to do, it’s speculate. Who are Rey’s parents? Is Ahsoka Tano alive or dead? Was Jar Jar Binks secretly a Sith lord? We obsess over the endless possibilities in the galaxy far, far away, and now we have standalone anthology films to keep the obsession alive. Thanks Lucasfilm! Here are our top ten predictions for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story…
1. Darth Vader Will Kill Director Krennic
Director Orson Krennic’s main goal is to get himself in a position of power. He worms his way into the Death Star superlaser project with aspirations of being one of the Emperor’s right hand men. Clearly he doesn’t achieve his goal, as he’s never seen in the original trilogy. Krennic fails to stop the rebels from stealing the Death Star plans. That’s not the kind of failure that gets you demoted; that’s the kind of failure that earns you a visit from the Dark Lord of the Sith.
2. Grand Moff Tarkin Will Make An Appearance
There’s been a lot of talk that Tarkin is “confirmed” for Rogue One, especially after a recent teaser trailer was released. This is all hearsay, and there’s no proof that Tarkin will definitely appear. However, Tarkin does run the Death Star in A New Hope, and his role in the Rogue One novel Catalyst shows that he has a (hostile) relationship with Director Krennic. The Grand Moff will appear in the film, if only to revel in Krennic’s failure.
3. Jyn’s Whole Company Will Die
A lot of people have been saying that these rebels have to die in Rogue One to explain their absence from the original trilogy. That’s not true; it’s a big galaxy, and there’s a lot happening there that has nothing to do with the Skywalkers. However, this is being sold as a gritty war picture, so there’s going to be some losses. Jyn’s troops may all have to sacrifice their lives to ensure that the Death Star plans get into Princess Leia’s hands. The only one that might make it out is Jyn, but I contend that even she’s not safe.
4. Vader Will Be The One To Kill Them
Darth Vader loves killing rebels; it’s one of his favorite things in the galaxy. Moreover, he’s the Empire’s version of Winston Wolfe, its go-to guy to clean up other people’s messes. So when Krennic fails to stop Jyn’s squad, the Dark Lord will step in and take care of business. The fact that he’s hot on Princess Leia’s tail at the start of A New Hope proves that he’s in the vicinity when the Death Star plans are delivered.
5. There Will Be A Traitor In Jyn’s Company
Rogue One is a spy movie, and what’s a staple of spy movies? The double cross. Someone in Jyn’s band will be revealed as a traitor who’s been reporting to the Empire. The most likely candidates are Chirrut Îmwe or Baze Malbus, both of them being outsiders. My money’s on Baze.
6. Galen Erso Sabotages The Death Star
Jyn Erso’s father Galen plays a pivotal role in the construction of the Death Star. And if you read Catalyst (which you should), you’ll know that he was basically tricked into helping. He’s actually a pacifist, and wants nothing to do with the war. Galen’s work is on the Death Star’s superlaser, something that gives off a tremendous amount of energy. Perhaps his designs called for thermal exhaust ports to help release the excess heat. The exhaust ports would only have to be two meters wide, roughly the size of a womp rat, and just big enough for Luke Skywalker to target and trigger an explosion.
7. Leia Will NOT Make An Appearance
Rogue One ends just a few minutes before the start of A New Hope, leading many to think that Princess Leia will make a cameo. However, Her Worshipfulness won’t actually make a physical appearance at any point. Jimmy Smits is returning to play Bail Organa, Leia’s father, so she will probably get mentioned, but that’s all.
8. The Star Wars Rebels Crew Will Get A Small Reference
If you’re not familiar with the Disney XD show, it takes place shortly before the events of Rogue One. None of the characters will actually make an appearance in the film*; they don’t have enough mainstream recognition for that. But there is a good chance that we’ll hear a reference to Phoenix Squadron, or maybe Commander Sato. Star Wars loves its easter eggs, and this would be a great one for the hardcore fans.
(*The only possible exception to this is Chopper. We might get to see the cantankerous droid rolling around in the background at some point.)
9. Krennic Kills Galen
Spoiler alert: the Death Star is fully operational in A New Hope. So Krennic is obviously able to bleed Galen of his knowledge and get what he needs from him. There’s not much reason to keep him around after that, even if they were old school chums (seriously, read Catalyst). Galen will do something to help Jyn and her band of rebels in the third act, something that allows them to succeed, and Krennic makes sure he pays for it.
10. Rogue One Will Plateau At 87% On Rotten Tomatoes
While I obviously hope it gets 100%, Rogue One will actually end up earning a solid B+, making it the 4th “best” Star Wars movie according to the review aggregator.
What’re your predictions for Rogue One? Tell us in the comments, or tweet us @monkeys_robots (tweet me @The_Great_Ace)!
During Brazil Comic-Con this past week, new Logan footage was shown. UniversoX-Men published a description of the unseen footage, which was then translated by X-MenFilms.com. Read the description down below.
“Hugh Jackman himself debuted an exclusive clip via video message. There’s no big spoilers. It showed Logan, Charles Xavier and Laura (X-23) having dinner with a family in a house on a farm. They’re on the run, fleeing from someone and don’t reveal to the family that they’re mutants. When questioned about their true intentions for being on the road, Xavier and Logan give different responses, in comedic fashion.
Laura is described as acting wild, eating dinner with her hands and no silverware. Logan tries to teach her how to eat and there’s a sense of a father-daughter type relationship between them.
Logan then tells the family that Xavier used to be a school principal. Xavier expands on this, calling it a ‘school for students with special needs.’ He says that Logan was also at this school.”
Manchester by the Sea is a hard movie in every sense of the description.
It focuses on emotionally hardened characters whose lives have been defined by tragedy and loss. It’s set in a place and time defined by the harsh cold of winter.
Most importantly, it approaches those characters, that place and time with a deliberate lack of sentimentality. The goal for writer/director Kenneth Lonergan seems to be harsh, but liberating emotional truth.
Lonergan achieves his goal in the film thanks in part to the work of a brilliant ensemble led by Casey Affleck. The cast all around should be in the various awards conversations come Spring, but its Affleck and the emotional barrenness that he projects that drives the film. It’s no overstatement to say his is career-defining work here.
What’s it about?
Affleck plays Lee Chandler, a janitor for apartment buildings in a Boston suburb. Lee’s good at his job — he’s handy and versatile. But he keeps himself closed off to everyone, and often rubs tenants and those around him the wrong way with his aloofness.
Lee finds himself called back to his hometown of Manchester-by-the-Sea when his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) dies after a long illness.
To Lee’s great surprise, Joe asked in his will that Lee be made guardian to his teenage son, Patrick (Lucas Hedges, Moonrise Kingdom). As he tries to adjust to his new responsibilities, he’s forced to face a number of difficult challenges.
The first is, of course, Patrick. Though they were close when the teen was a child, Lee finds he barely knows his nephew, or how to handle him.
Then there’s the question of staying in Manchester, a place full of ghosts and painful memories for Lee. Townsfolk see him on the streets and whisper about him. His ex-wife, Brandi (Michelle Williams), still lives there, a reminder of the heartbreak that drove him to leave.
The longer Lee stays, the more difficult it becomes to remain closed off, to keep his pain to himself. He finds that in order to be what Joe hoped he could be, he’ll have to make peace with the past.
Most importantly, he’ll have to forgive himself for his role in the terrible tragedy that left him broken.
Lonergan keeps things stark, minimal
Lonergan scripts many scenes in Manchester by the Sea with little to no dialogue. Many of these scenes are built around depicting Lee’s solitary existence.
Unclogging toilets. Shoveling snow. Fixing leaks in ceilings and getting furnaces working. Drinking a beer at a crowded bar after work without saying a word to anyone nearby.
Lonergan tasks Affleck with informing these scenes with tension. He challenges the actor to convey Lee’s efforts to stay walled off even when forced to deal with people day in and day out. Those efforts are especially complicated when he’s asked to look after Patrick and to face Brandi again.
Through it all, the writer/director trusts his lead actor to come through, and shows faith in audiences’ ability to comprehend without it all spelled out in exposition. Lonergan also avoids a chronological telling of the story — it flows in and out of past and present, following where Lee’s emotions direct in each scene.
What results is a film that captivates because it demands audiences’ investment. There’s nothing easy here, nor should there be, and ultimately it leads to a rewarding experience.
Affleck, cast tremendous
Casey Affleck meets the challenges set forth by Manchester by the Sea with impressive command of his craft. His Lee is like an old wound, scarred over and kept hidden, but still raw. The role demands projecting a very complex array of conflicting emotions, all of which he delivers. It’s nothing short of a masterpiece of a performance.
There isn’t a false note to be found anywhere in the supporting cast, either. Williams, who is darn near always excellent, shines in limited screen time – her scenes with Affleck inform much of emotional landscape of the whole film, though they only share a handful of scenes.
Lucas Hedges, meanwhile, shows talent to watch out for in the future with his strong take on Patrick. Had it been written and performed differently, it’s a role that could have dragged the film down with forced sentiment. Hedges keeps Patrick real and relatable — his experience with loss and dealing with difficult change feels “true.”
Worth seeing?
Make no mistake. Come Golden Globes and Oscar nomination time, Manchester by the Sea will be in the conversation in a number of categories. If you like looking at the list of Best Picture nominees and noting that you’ve seen all of them, make a point to see this film, because it will be on that list.
Is it a fun movie to watch? No. But it is a rewarding one, one that should set a standard for talent and execution in character-driven dramas. In that regard, it’s one of 2016’s best, and thus should not be missed.
Manchester by the Sea
Starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges, Gretchen Mol and C.J. Wilson. Directed by Kenneth Lonergan.
Running Time: 137 minutes
Rated R for language throughout and some sexual content.
Disney and Pixar know how to make terrific sequels. Just look at Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3. But Finding Dory is a disappointment.
If Law & Order producer Dick Wolf ever tried his hand at animation, this would be the result. Zootopia is a well-plotted procedural that speaks about accepting those who are different.
Probably the best cartoon on TV since The Fairly Oddparents and Animaniacs. If only every TV cartoon were this good. Then again, if they were, we wouldn’t appreciate them.
Disney is in its second Golden Age of animated movies, which began with Frozen. In Moana, a new Disney Princess joins the crowded court featuring Snow White, Belle, Jasmine, Anna, and Elsa.
Homecoming is the third reboot of the franchise. This time out, Tom Holland plays Spider-Man. Not much is known about the plot other than it takes the wall-crawler back to high school while tangling with the Vulture. This is Holland’s second appearance as Spider-Man. He first played the character in Captain America: Civil War in 2016.
Joining Holland and Downey, Jr. in the cast are Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Tyne Daly, Bokeem Woodbine, Hannibal Buress, Donald Glover, Tony Revolori, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, JJ Totah, and Marisa Tomei.
Director Orson Krennic’s main goal is to get himself in a position of power. He worms his way into the Death Star superlaser project with aspirations of being one of the Emperor’s right hand men. Clearly he doesn’t achieve his goal, as he’s never seen in the original trilogy. Krennic fails to stop the rebels from stealing the Death Star plans. That’s not the kind of failure that gets you demoted; that’s the kind of failure that earns you a visit from the Dark Lord of the Sith.
