INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

As Teaser Premieres, Criticism Arises: What Will Set ‘Rogue One’ Apart?

By Liz Kelley
Published on: 10:07 PST, Apr 7, 2016

April 7 is now a hallmark in the history of Star Wars fandom: it is the day that the teaser for the franchise’s first stand-alone chapter premiered on Good Morning America.

But while the trailer takes us back to a galaxy far, far away (not to mention the same world that Lucas first created), there are many who are displeased with the teaser and with the plot as a whole.

As the Inquisitr confirmed, there are many unanswered questions when it comes to the “where,” “when,” and “how.” Nevertheless, we now know a lot more about the plot in general.

The story centers around Jyn Erso, a young woman who has lived much of her life on her own and has a notable track record of rebelling against authority — particularly that of the Empire (yes, they’re still the bad guys in this one). She is taken on as an agent of sorts by the Rebel forces and is sent on a mission to steal the plans to the Empire’s newest weapon — the Death Star.

“Based on the trailer, it looks like [Felicity] Jones and actor Diego Luna — whose character’s name is never revealed — will lead the dangerous mission to secure the plans to the Death Star ahead of the Galactic Empire’s ominous testing of a new devastating weapon,” Polygon reported.

In the face of the film’s impending release this coming winter, many fans have voiced concerns about the film, a few of which will be touched on in this article.

While we all love Star Wars, isn’t Disney just trying to make money off of their multi-million dollar franchise?

Well, the answer is probably “yes.”

But this is not necessarily wrong for them to do, and it does not mean that the film will be terrible.

The Star Wars franchise is indeed a huge money-maker. Disney knows this. Some fans have argued that Disney has a tendency to ruin franchises just by milking them: that is, they wear them out and make them, ultimately, worthless. However, while Disney has perhaps done so from time to time, Disney is not the only company who has made this mistake. We live in an age of sequels and prequels. Some are good, many are not. (Think of The Hobbit trilogy: let’s be honest, it just wasn’t as good as Peter Jackson’s first films.)

Seriously? ANOTHER film that centers around the Death Star?

Many fans are tired of plots that focus on a big space station that is threatening the good guys and needs to be destroyed. While we know that the Death Star will not be annihilated in Rogue One (we have to wait for Luke Skywalker to enter the scene before that can happen), the main characters will still be preoccupied with the Empire’s new weapon.

This may be alright, however. Remember: this was just the teaser, and if Rogue One is anything like The Force Awakens, there is a lot that we won’t know until it hits theaters on December 16, 2016.

There won’t be Jedi in Rogue One, so how is it even a Star Wars story?

Yes, it’s true. Rogue One will be the first film in the franchise to be completely free of a Jedi presence. Many argue that — since the galaxy far, far away focuses on the centrality of the force — you cannot have a film without Jedi. Yet this begs the question, if the force is at the center of the universe, then shouldn’t it still play a role even in the lives of the non-Jedi folk?

No, there may not be any mention of it in Rogue One, but the story of these rebels is still important because, as Obi-Wan himself said, the force is “an energy field created by all living things,” and “it binds the galaxy together.”

Producer Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that while the story will “depart” from the saga to a certain degree, it will still retain familiar elements of the series.

“Rogue One takes place before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope and will be a departure from the saga films but have elements that are familiar to the Star Wars universe. It goes into new territory, exploring the galactic struggle from a ground-war perspective while maintaining that essential Star Wars feel that fans have come to know. Gareth is such an innovative director and I’m so excited to be working with him and the extraordinary ensemble cast he’s selected for Rogue One.”

As far as any problems that social media has with another female lead in a Star Wars film, many think that fussing over this issue is not only a waste of time but also unfair and sexist. Technically, Rey was just a main character; it’s difficult to pick out a “lead” in The Force Awakens. And we have to admit — Daisy Ridley was pretty incredible. It’s unlikely that Felicity Jones will disappoint us in Rogue One.

Despite any potential faults, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story looks like it’ll be entertaining and will give an honorable nod to the classic Star Wars that we all know and love.

[Image via LucasFilm]

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