Every prequel or sequel must straddle the line between being fresh and being familiar. Indeed, given how the latest trilogy of Star Wars films concluded, the movie can be seen as something of a minor miracle.Ĭonsider the way the film looks. Rogue One, though, is a spin-off that doesn’t feel like a knockoff. Today’s pop culture is overwhelmed with cinematic-universe expansions, many of which feel like unnecessary trivia-delivery machines rather than original stories set in a well-known world. Nearly six years after its initial release, the film stands apart as a rare franchise-extending project that has actually justified its existence. But the continued success of Rogue One doesn’t come only from its association with recognizable intellectual property. Star Wars, of course, is always good business.

Read: 15 underseen TV shows that you should watch now Since being rereleased in theaters at the end of August, Rogue One has added another milestone to its sales tally, breaking into the top-10 list of IMAX earners-a promising sign for the upcoming Disney+ series Andor. Released with the subtitle A Star Wars Story, the film netted more than $1 billion worldwide, becoming the 20th highest-grossing film of all time during its initial run. Not that these differences mattered at the box office. Rogue One aims, as the director Gareth Edwards put it, to portray “the reality of war” and thus features a tone that is darker and grittier than that of other Star Wars movies. It primarily follows an ensemble of new characters, none of them named Skywalker, Solo, or Palpatine. But beyond that connective tissue and the galactic setting, the film bears little resemblance to past tales about Jedis, Sith Lords, and Chosen Ones. There is merely the title card informing viewers that it’s “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away”-and then bam: The action begins.Ī prequel taking place at the height of the Empire’s militaristic might, 2016’s Rogue One chronicles how the Death Star plans came to be possessed by the rebels.

The franchise logo doesn’t appear, and the John Williams fanfare doesn’t kick in.

There is no opening crawl, no wall of yellow font drifting into a star field. Rogue One sets itself apart from other Star Wars films seconds after it starts.

George lucas rogue one