EF Classics: Rogue One (2016)

“I am one with The Force, and The Force is with me.”

May The Force be with you my friend. This Star Wars Day I invite you to celebrate the 10-year Anniversary of this sweeping Star Wars epic. It is hence the only movie I have reviewed twice, and it is vital to the next montage.

(Rewatched 05/03/2026)

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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) follows Jyn Erso, daughter of the Death Star’s creator, who joins the resistance to fulfill her father’s dying wish— to steal the plans for the ultimate Imperial weapon. Set immediately before Episode IV — A New Hope, and immediately after Andor, Rogue One is a staple in the Star Wars saga. Cassian’s origin series cemented it as such.

It may feel contrived as any other Disney installment in the beginning with so many new locales and characters. And nearly every line about hope lands awkwardly. But the heroes’ urgency is as true as Mon Mothma’s Senate speech. And, as the plot converges with The Original in the second half, more classic characters enter the picture and make fans feel right at home. The final hour is masterful, top-tier Star Wars in my book.

Of all the film’s superlatives, the restraint of Darth Vader is the most praise-worthy. Director Edwards understands that cheat code of horror, that what you don’t show is always scarier than the thing you do. Vader is not the central villain here, he’s not overseeing the battlefield marshalling directives like he is in the originals— he’s a full-on supernatural wraith. And every minute he’s on screen is the next most menacing Darth Vader moment of the entire saga.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

The seal between the ending of Rogue One and the beginning of A New Hope is airtight like the bulkhead doors of a Rebel Hammerhead Corvette, which only a lightsaber can cut through. Rogue One is the mission Luke Skywalker yearns to be a part of, even if he doesn’t know it’s happening. And while the following two events may not align precisely, I’ve come to romanticize the notion that when Luke gazes toward that iconic Binary Sunset on Tatooine, as John William’s Force Theme swells for the very first time, it was Jyn and Cassian’s final embrace that caused him to bow his head. (We bow ours)

Experience Film🪐🤖🌅