Rogue One contained many differences from my previous article about what to expect. That being said, not all those differences were good. SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t seen the movie, and are planning to, please turn your eyes away.

Rogue One is about a ragtag group of people from mercenaries to ex-cons. They are recruited by the Rebel Alliance to “rescue” Galen Erso, a brilliant scientist who helped to build the Death Star. Jyn Erso is Galen’s daughter and the female lead. Captain Cassian Andor, the leader of the group, K-2SO, a reprogrammed Imperial enforcer droid, and Jyn head to the planet of Jedha to find Saw Gerrera, a veteran of the Clone Wars and a well known rebel. Jyn, Cassian, and K-2SO arrive on Jedha and are forced to lay low due to the large Imperial presence on the planet.  They eventually run into Chirrut Imwe, a blind man who believes heavily in the Force, and Baze Malbus, a mercenary. Jyn and the rest of the Rogue squadron find out that the large Imperial presence is due to the large amount of Kyber crystals, the main component in a lightsaber, present on the planet.

Basically, they fight some stormtroopers and get captured. They are taken to Saw Gerrera. Saw shows Jyn a message from her father. Galen had made a tiny, unnoticeable flaw in the Death Star, the exhaust port that Luke used to destroy it. The Empire then uses the Death Star to destroy the main city and the ancient temple that houses the Kyber crystals. This is the first time we’ve seen the Death Star be used without completely destroying the target planet. Jyn and her crew barely escape, while Saw stays behind.

The Rogue One crew goes back to the rebel base on Yavin and find out they need to find Galen. However, when the crew leaves the room, Mon Mothma tells Cassian that he needs to kill Galen to stop him from helping the empire. They arrive on a stormy planet where a secret Imperial facility is located. Cassian takes up a sniper position. Things are tense, but when Jyn decides to attack and save her father, Cassian chooses not to take the shot. A battle ensues and Krennic escapes, but Cassian is shot and killed. Before Galen died he told Jyn that the Death Star plans were on a planet called Scarif.

The Rebels plan a frontal assault led by the Rogue One crew. The Rogue One crew disguises themselves as Imperial officers and snuck past the shield in a stolen Imperial shuttle. They start a ground battle to steal the plans, however things get out of hand when the Rebel fleet can’t send reinforcements to the ground because of the shield. A brave commander of a Hammerhead Corvette decides to ram his ship into the side of an Imperial Star Destroyer that was previously disabled during the fight above Scarif. The Star Destroyer hit another Star Destroyer and both ships hit the shield generator, causing it to explode.

With the shield gone, the rebels were able to provide air support for those on the ground. Jyn and Cassian successfully sneak into the base and find the plans. A fight with stormtroopers ensues and Cassian falls off a ledge. Jyn runs and manages to get the plans transmitted to the rebel cruiser. While transmitting, Director Krennic comes to the top of the base and is about to kill Jyn when out of nowhere Cassian shows up and shoots him. The battle appears to be a victory until, suddenly, Darth Vader’s ship comes out of hyperspace and completely obliterates the rebel fleet.

With the coordinates of the attack, Grand Moff Tarkin orders the death star to fire on Scarif, the same way it fired on Jehda. The blast kills everyone at the base, including the entire Rogue One crew and Director Krennic. Darth Vader invades the rebel ship receiving the transmission with the Death Star plans.

The rebels grab the disc with the plans and flee to the Tantive IV, however when they get there, the door gets jammed. They call for help but no one can hear them, things fall silent until they hear a robotic breathing, the breath of Darth Vader. Vader ignites his lightsaber and a rebel yells, “Open fire!” What ensues is a complete slaughter of the rebel force. Vader deflects every bolt sent at him, immediately striking down the rebels who send them. The rebel at the door quickly hands off the plans before being stabbed through the chest. Vader uses the Force to open the stuck door, the rebel with runs. Two more rebels get cut down before the one with the plans makes it on the ship. He closes the door, pulls a lever and yells, “Launch!” The Tantive IV detaches and Vader watches them fly off.

The rebel brings the plans to a cloaked figure and asks, “What does this mean?” The cloaked figure turns around, revealing herself as Princess Leia, and says, “Hope”.

At first I disliked the movie because of the insane amount of death, but as I went back and watched it, I did enjoy it. I started to notice the good elements that made this movie one of the best Star Wars movies. If you haven’t seen the movie and you read this anyway, I recommend you watch it. It’s well worth the 2 hours and 13 minutes.