Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the first of Lucasfilm’s new “anthologies” entries to the franchise, which will tell stories in and around the established Star Wars universe. Set between Episode III and Episode IV, Rogue One tells the story of how an unlikely group of rebels team up together to steal the Death Star plans. As the end of the movie shows us not only what the rebellion has won, it also shows us what the rebellion has lost.

When Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was first announced, I had my doubts about it. I was concerned about how a stand-alone movie that would lead into the plot of one of the greatest movies of all time was going to work. After seeing Rogue One, though, all those concerns and doubts were swept away as Rogue One was probably the best Star Wars movie I had ever seen. Its plot fully enhanced the hard work and sacrifices made to steal the Death Star plans, and gave a tragically loving backstory to the flaw in the Death Star.

This movie also explores the side of the rebellion that’s not seen in other movies. It shows how rebels like Cassian Andor aren’t all that innocent, having done awful things in the past to keep the fight going. Throughout the movie, the continuous building of relationships with the characters and their importance to the rebellion allows you to become emotionally connected them, as I was. One of my favorite aspects of the film was the friendship between Chirrut and Baze. For around thirty years, they have been friends, and it’s obvious that they have a certain fondness of each other, which can be easily seen through their emotions towards each other. The only problem I had with this relationship was that we never find out why or how this friendship was established. Another one of my favorite parts of the movie, along with other Star Wars fans, was Darth Vader’s inclusion in the movie. Although I would have liked for Vader to have been more included, his scenes definitely helped amp up the movie.

The saying “every good thing must come to an end”, is taken quite literally in the final scenes of the movie. As the battle on Scarif begins, we watch as each one of the main characters, and many side characters, are killed. Starting with K-2SO’s death, a chain reaction of characters’ deaths is started, with each one leading to the success of obtaining the Death Star plans. Baze’s death, however, affected me the most. After having Chirrut die in his arms after being hit by an explosion, Baze sees a flare of fire off in the distance. That flare of fire was their ship where Bodhi, a defected rebel pilot, was transmitting a signal to the rebel fleet. Without knowing whether the signal was successful or not, Baze continues fighting on until at last he is shot down and then killed by an explosion. His loyalty to his friend and the rebellion is what affected me most about his death. However, by the end of the movie, I was crying tears of joy and sadness, for even though the Death Star plans were successfully obtained by the rebel fleet, the new characters I had begun to love were gone too soon.

Another Star Wars fan, Nicole Gutierrez (10) said, “…the overall plot was great, from introducing new characters to explaining intricate pieces that were in the original movies. This movie certainly did not disappoint me.” Overall, I thought Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was an excellent addition to the Star Wars universe, though there were some filming flaws, it definitely is my new favorite movie.