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)!
