Back in June, LucasFilm presidentKathleen Kennedymade a surprising revelation during an interview, where she said that the firstStar Warsspin-off,Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, may not have anopening crawllike the originalStar Warsmovies. Then, just a few weeks ago,Kathleen Kennedysaid that they most likely would not have a crawl, but it wasn’t set in stone. Now that post-production is finally complete,Gareth Edwardshas confirmed that there is no opening crawl at all. But there will be something else fans can enjoy at the beginning of the film. Here’s what he had to say about what he’s using to take the opening crawl’s place.
“There is no opening crawl. But there is a prologue at the beginning of the film that takes place 15 years before the action of the film and that is how the action is exposed. Our film comes from the text of Episode IV if we give the text, it would be endless. We really had to differentiateRogue Onefrom the rest of the saga.”
There have been rumors that theRogue One endingtakes place just minutes before Princess Leia gives the Death Star plans to R2-D2 in the opening moments ofA New Hope. As for this prologue, which fills some of the large gap betweenRevenge of the SithandA New Hope, it will focus on young Jyn and her relationship with absentee father Galen Erso, who is taken away from their home by new villain Director Krennic to work on the Death Star. Jyn’s mother will also be introduced in this opening, as she teaches Jyn about the force, giving her a Kyber crystal, a mineral that is used to fuel and power the Death Star. A great big portion of this opening prologue has been shown in some of the trailers, with a lot of it revealed in an international sneak peek, which we’ve included below.
Gareth Edwardswas also asked a number of “yes or no” questions in this interview, courtesy ofStar Wars News Net, and his answers are quite telling. The director was asked point-blank whether or not three iconic characters from the original trilogy will make appearances in the movie, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker). While he did state that Luke Skywalker definitely wasn’t in the film, he would only say, “I cannot answer”, when asked about Princess Leia and R2-D2. Given the previous plot rumors about Princess Leia and R2-D2, it certainly seems possible that they could surface at the end of this film.
The director was also asked if there would be any lightsabers shown in the movie, but he would only state that, “Darth Vaderhas one,” although he would not confirm if the villain uses it or not. Regardless, we’ll find out answers to all of our burning questions in just 15 days whenRogue One: A Star Wars Storyhits theaters. We’ll be sure to keep you posted with more updates on this exciting adventure as the countdown towards this release continues.
