Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, fans now have the official rundown of the Star Wars prequel Rogue One‘s new set of characters. Releasing this December, this is the most information we have come across thus far on the film with only 6 months left to wait. Not only do we now know more about our rebel heroes, but also about the movie’s villains, which will include an appearance by the one and only Darth Vader.
Directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will follow the team of rebels that set out to steal the plans for the Death Star. Not much else is known about the plot, but with the character descriptions below, more and more pieces are being added to the puzzle.
“A streetwise delinquent who has been on her own since 15, she has fighting skills and a knowledge of the galactic underworld that the Rebel Alliance desperately needs.” According to producer Kathleen Kennedy, “She has been detained [by the Rebellion] and is being given an opportunity to be useful. And by being useful, it may commute her sentence… She’s a real survivor. She becomes a kind of Joan of Arc in the story.”
“Andor is a by-the-book Rebel intelligence officer, brought in to steady the volatile Erso, but he’s no square. He’s committed, steady, and practical, and has seen more than his share of combat.” He brings experience and wisdom to Erso’s rebellious mission.
“Pronounced chi-RUT, he’s no Jedi, but he’s devoted to their ways and has used his spirituality to overcome his blindness and become a formidable warrior.” Although he is a rogue warrior, he still very much believes in the Jedi way, and according to Edwards, “This idea that magical beings are going to come and save us is going away, and it’s up to normal, everyday people to take a stand to stop evil from dominating the world.”
“Heavily armored, Baze prefers a blaster to hokey religions and ancient weapons, but he is devoted to protecting his friend Chirrut at all costs.” Malbus is therefore much less of a mission supporter and more of a companion to his friend Chirrut’s journey.
“Bodhi is this Rebel squad’s lead pilot. He tends to be hot-headed, but any abrasiveness is overshadowed by his skills in the air — and the void of space.” With a volatile pilot at the helm, it will surely be an unpredictable mission for the rebel force.
Edwards describes the latest droid, Kaytoo, as “a little bit like Chewbacca’s personality in a droid’s body. He doesn’t give a s— about what you think. He doesn’t fully check himself before he says things and does things. He just speaks the truth.” In other words, he is the polar opposite to C-3PO and also has a connection to Erso in that he is also seeking his own redemption.
“Jyn’s estranged father is like the galactic version of nuclear pioneer J. Robert Oppenheimer, with doomsday knowledge that is sought by both the Empire and the Rebellion.” He and Jyn are estranged, suggesting plenty of dramatic material to fill the gaps between their reunion. LucasFilm has also mysteriously not released an image for Galen yet which builds further suspense between these two characters.
“On the opposing side, this villain is an ambitious Imperial apparatchik who intends to use his squad of Deathtroopers to pulverize the Rebel uprising and ascend into the Emperor’s graces – while hopefully avoiding the wrath of his enforcer, Darth Vader.” In other words, there sounds like there are multiple villains in this one all ready to scheme and turn on whomever gets in their way.
This character has a deep history in the Star Wars-verse beginning with The Clone Wars. Gerrera aligns himself with the rebel fighters, however, his troubled history fighting alongside Anakin Skywalker (pre-Darth Vader) as an insurgent has soured him on all forms of authority aside from his own. It is therefore going to be imperative that Jyn and the rest of the rebel fighters keep a close eye on him and his true intentions.