10 Ways That Rogue One Could Change Star Wars Forever

The first trailer for the latest Star Wars adventure, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, dropped recently, fuelling the next round of speculation, rumor and anticipation. Star Wars fanatics and those new to the saga alike are getting ready for another exciting entry into the galaxy far, far away, and as many people have acknowledged already, this Star Wars film will be strikingly different from its predecessors. As the first of the Anthology films, Rogue One is also a Star Wars experiment. It’s the first time Lucasfilm has diverged from its traditionally Skywalker-based story template. It’s also rumored to be a far more realistic rendition of the typically black and white, Flash Gordon-esque cinematic saga which has fueled the franchise thus far. If the experiment works, and Rogue One succeeds in a major way, it could change the Star Wars universe forever. And here, we look at 10 ways in which that might just happen. 10) Front-Loading Teaser Merch Classically speaking, Star Wars invented the multimedia assault, between toys, comics, TV shows and other tie-ins. The Force Awakens was a slight departure from the traditional marketing onslaught though. It premiered the concept of “Journey to the Force Awakens,” which deluged the market with toys, books, comics and merchandise before the film's release. Many of these "Journey" materials teased the upcoming film and fleshed-out minor characters' backstory. Because there’s such a major gap between the Prequels and the Original Trilogy, the forthcoming "Journey to Rogue One” will include a major effort to bring fans and viewers up to speed. Starting next October, Lucasfilm will publish five novels (including the prequel novel Star Wars: Catalyst – A Rogue One Story), five short stories, a comic series and two video games in support of the film. If this overarching pre-release push continues to be successful after the first Anthology movie – as it likely will be – expect the franchise to build their mythos in advance rather than flesh them out afterwards. This also indicates Lucasfilm's commitment to building a shared universe (more on that later). 9) Diverse Casting Despite the ridiculous backlash, J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens was unabashedly open-minded about casting actors who accurately represented the unique Star Wars world (and our own), and Rogue One will be no exception to that. The upcoming standalone features Felicity Jones (Jyn Erso) as the main character, meaning that the franchise now has back to back female-fronted films. Edwards and crew also cast a swath of minority actors in lead and supporting roles, including Riz Ahmed, Diego Luna, Forest Whitaker and Jian Wen. Not only does the casting trend bode well for Hollywood’s slowly broadening horizons, but it also makes sense for the overall franchise. Before The Force Awakens, the Star Wars galaxy was filled with countless alien species, but only one African-American. Finally, the future of franchise is looking culturally accurate. 8) A New Sound? The new Anthology features another franchise first. It will be the first Star Wars endeavor not to utilize multi-Oscar-winning composer John Williams. Rather than using the stalwart cinematic auteur – perhaps due to the radically different tone and feel embodied by Rogue One – Edwards instead recruited composer Alexandre Desplat. Known for scoring Godzilla, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 1 and Argo, Desplat has massive shoes to fill. But with 30 years of film-composition experience, the dramatic composer ought to be up to the task. This change in direction likely comes as Lucasfilm updates their array upcoming features. It may also represent their desire to work with each Anthology filmmaker to create a unique if interconnected soundscape – with Williams' iconic theme likely acting as the underlying motif for each soundtrack. Of course, there is also a practicality to their musical direction. The legendary composer is in his mid-80s. Williams may retire before the expansive new Star Wars franchise even hits its stride. Kennedy and crew also recognize that its time for the next generation of composers to lend a hand in scoring the future. 7) A Grittier Far Away Galaxy Director Gareth Edwards has been adamant that his movie will make limited use of the Force. He’s also made it clear that the first Anthology film is less-Buck Rogers and more Full Metal Jacket. His addition to the Star Wars universe will represent a darker edge only hinted at during the more disturbing moments of The Empire Strikes Back, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Trailer footage has already revealed a more realistic form of combat than the explosion-of-sparks/Stormtrooper-falls-down formula from the first six films (although The Force Awakens was a bit bloodier), and in addition to that, several characters may have shady backgrounds, such as protagonist Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and Forest Whitaker’s possible bounty hunter. Rogue One’s gritty take may also come without a survival clause, making it the first Star Wars film where no main characters are safe. 6) Putting The War In Star Wars Whereas the previous seven Star Wars films are concerned with the fantastic elements of the Force and their effect on galactic destiny, Rogue One has a different take on things. Edwards’ vision for the franchise will trade in the upbeat tone of the Skywalker story arc for a much darker place. Edwards has compared his film to Saving Private Ryan. His desire to tell a Star Wars war story, as well as his “no Jedi” policy, will ensure that his entry focuses more on the rebels and their dicey mission rather than esoteric energy fields. Sure, there will probably be a handful of "may the Force be with you" lines strewn throughout the standalone, but the main thrust of the film will center on an urgent need to destroy the Death Star before it destroys the Rebellion. And desperation often calls for extreme measures. From the looks of the trailer, Rogue One won’t sugarcoat the catastrophic losses suffered by the rebels (witness the Normandy beachfront-homage with At-Ats). The film will also delve deeper into the ambiguous waters of guerrilla warfare only toed by Rebels, The Force Awakens and The Clone Wars thus far. 5) Rebels Connections In the modern Star Wars universe, it's easier to include aspects of The Force Awakens in the TV shows and vice versa (such as Ezra Bridger’s cross-guard lightsaber from Season 2 of Rebels) because they were created around the same time. However, with the possible exception of Episode VII, Rogue One could be the first film with pre-orchestrated connections to the Star Wars: Rebels universe. In fact, Lucasfilm higher-ups have teased that players from the show, perhaps even members of the Ghost crew, could wind up in the upcoming standalone. Conversely, Rebels’ showrunner Dave Filoni and Star Wars continuity guru Pablo Hidalgo have a lot of interesting ideas bouncing around which studio head Kathleen Kennedy could greenlight into Rogue One, assuming she feels they're appropriate. Of course, nothing is set in stone yet. But it wouldn’t be surprising if a few familiar faces pop up in Rogue One. It also would make sense that, from this point on, that future Star Wars films draw heavily from their shared universe. 4) Star Wars Easter Eggs? If the Prequels did anything right (which they did), it was introducing integral characters from Star Wars lore like Bail Organa and the Lars family. The Rogue One trailer has already featured iconic red-haired rebel leader Mon Mothma. However, rumors persist that other familiar faces including Han Solo and Darth Vader (and an outside shot at Boba Fett) might show up to wink at the camera as well. Assuming some of the standalone films like Rogue One operate without the existing story tropes or characters, a few familiar faces will be integral to tying the films into the overall mythology. Fan favorites and minor characters, if given the proper treatment, will score points with older fans and introduce new viewers to the Star Wars pantheon. Character-based Easter eggs, along with interlaced connections to currently running shows and future installments, may also indicate Lucasfilm’s attempt to emulate Marvel’s universe-building strategy. It’s even likely that the franchise has incorporated an overarching story arc even beyond the Skywalker saga that will show up in Rogue One and future films. 3) Retconning Star Wars A cinematic galaxy as broad and diverse as Star Wars allows for a little reconfiguring of elements. As with the possible connections to Rebels, Edwards and his screenwriters (John Knoll, Chris Weitz and Gary Whitta) have some liberty to play with the established conventions. This wouldn't be the first time new characters or technology was introduced after the fact, but it would be the first time after George Lucas' departure. For example, before Return of the Jedi, we’d never got much of a look at the Emperor and his entourage. As a result, the ominous, crimson-clad Imperial Guards were an added bonus. Similarly, before Jedi, the films hadn’t visited a wooded planet yet. Scout Troopers then entered into the franchise as a specialized element which the environment (and budget) allowed. Even though Rogue One takes leads directly to the formative period in franchise history, the universe is large enough to allow new elements. So yes, there may be another Dark Side force user (possibly one of the Knights of Ren as depicted in the trailer), but he or she won't necessarily be a Sith Lord. And yes, there could easily be elite squads of what are being called “Deathtroopers” that operate beyond the scope explored in the Original Trilogy. That's the magic of the Star Wars universe. And the perks of meddling with an era just prior to A New Hope is that it opens the door for more exciting surprises hidden behind the vagaries of history. 2) Extending A Hand To The Expanded Universe When Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, they ostensibly dissolved the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Deleting decades worth of lore left a bad taste in many fans’ mouths. However, the non-canon has been slowly but surely seeping into the official history, albeit in somewhat altered formats. Fans may recognize the Ben Solo character in TFA as an amalgam character from the EU. Star Wars: Rebels also included elements from the EU as well, incorporating lore from the popular game Knights of the Old Republic II and the Sith Holocron (originally from the comics and games). There are even rumors about a certain blue-skinned naval officer making an appearance in Season 3. Rogue One could, if rumors are true, pick up on additional aspects of the Expanded Universe. Shots of a kneeling figure in front of a bacta tank could reveal a cloned Emperor first explored in the Dark Empire comics (okay, so that's a long shot). It's also possible those menacing "Deathtroopers" could be reformatted Shadow Troopers from the video games. The first Anthology entry could open a can of space-slugs on the Star Wars universe, letting disgruntled fans know that, yes Margaret, there is an interconnected Expanded Universe. 1) No Skywalker’s Allowed Admittedly, this is a slightly inaccurate title, because Darth Vader is rumored to make an appearance in Rogue One. But as the first movie not prominently featuring a member of Star Wars' preeminent family, the first Anthology outing diverges sharply from the established films. This lack of Skywalker – what Edwards calls a “no Jedi” film – unbinds his storytelling hands. He and his screenwriters won’t have to worry about injecting mysticism into the proceedings, just getting the spirit of the rebellion right. His Force-light film also means, at least at this point, no Deus Ex Machina. As Edwards told fans at last year’s Star Wars Celebration, “ about the fact that God’s not coming to save us, and we’re on our own.” All bets are off. However, without the constraints of the Force-hero archetype, other directors tackling Anthology films are free to explore those smaller yet infinitely fascinating cogs within the Star Wars universe - the very things which attracted fans to the franchise in the first place. Sure, the world may not ready for a Gonk droid movie, but we wouldn’t mind if it showed up as scenery in a Rogue Squadron one-off. And the mere possibility of a certain green-armored bounty hunter standalone is enough to give a legions of fanatics wet dreams. After Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, all of this is possible and the franchise can now truly become the cinematic universe it already is in our minds.