Summary

• Rogue One stands out as one of the most beloved Star Wars movies, balancing adventure and emotion successfully.
• The movie ties in characters from animation into live-action, paving the way for more beloved characters in the franchise.
• Rogue One's dark and impactful ending sets it apart from other Star Wars movies, with a beautifully crafted narrative.

Disney’s era of Star Wars movies has seen many interesting additions, but none as well-crafted as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Released in 2016, Rogue One takes place immediately before the events of A New Hope, helping to bridge the gap between the prequel era and the timeline of the original trilogy. The movie follows the story of Jyn Erso as she discovers the plans for the Empire’s Death Star and delivers them to the Rebel Alliance.

Rogue One is unique among the Star Wars movies, as it was the first spin-off film to be released. Since then, Disney has released Solo: A Star Wars Story as well, though to mixed reviews. Out of all the movies released by Disney since its acquisition of the Star Wars property, Rogue One has managed to be one of the most beloved, despite its status as a spin-off. This is for a variety of reasons, the most important of which are listed below.

10 Rogue One Balances A Fun Adventure & An Emotional Journey

The Film Manages To Pack So Much Into A Two-Hour Runtime

Although Disney’s movies for the franchise both before and since Rogue One have often been filled to the brim with adventure, there are many times they fall short in their emotional journeys. Solo failed to grip new and returning audience members alike, unable to raise the stakes for a character so firmly established in the series’ canon. The sequel trilogy, while filled with both new and returning characters, was inconsistent with its tone and story across each different film.

Not only does Rogue One avoid this trend, but it instead actively makes an effort to tie together the action and the underlying emotional threads. Each sequence is filled with tension, and because the characters are new to the franchise, their fates are not tied to any other movie or television appearances. From families reuniting to infiltrating the Empire, Rogue One has it all and ties it into a complete and satisfying narrative.

9 Rogue One Began The Trend Of Bringing Characters From Animation To Live-Action

Saw Gerrera Was The First Of Many From The Clone Wars

Before the release of Rogue One, the Star Wars movies and Star Wars: The Clone Wars felt like completely separate entities. The two were both canon, but because the television series was kept so separate with its own characters and storylines, there wasn’t much tying it to the rest of canon, aside from the already existing prequel trilogy. This changed with the inclusion of Saw Gerrera in Rogue One, a character who had previously appeared in The Clone Wars.

Although he was not the first animated character to appear in franchise live-action, both Boba Fett and General Grievous have made the jump previously, he did mark the first time a character from The Clone Wars was brought to life. This paved the way for many of the show’s beloved characters, including Ahsoka Tano and later Star Wars Rebels’ Sabine Wren, Ezra Bridger, and Grand Admiral Thrawn, to name a few. Without Saw Gerrera’s successful inclusion in Rogue One, it is possible that Disney would never have brought these characters to live action.

8 Rogue One Led To The Amazing Andor Disney+ TV Show

Andor Exceeded All Expectations Because Of Rogue One