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.