Even if Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is an anthology and does not have to abide by the rules of the classic saga, it was assumed Rogue One still has to follow some sort of Lucasfilm guideline. Because of this, Rogue One director Gareth Edwards expected the suits at Disney/Lucasfilm to take control of the movie's ending.
WARNING. SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON: During interviews ahead of the Rogue One's release, Kathleen Kennedy hinted that Star Wars fans may not see Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, Chirrut Imwe and the gang beyond the movie. Of course, the fans that did see Rogue One this week would know that the entire crew perished.
The ending makes sense – Jyn and her scrappy gang of rebels were outmanned, outgunned, outplanned. Obtaining the plans to the Death Star was a suicide mission in every way. A New Hope assured us that the rebels of Rogue One would succeed. However, the fact that none of the characters would appear in Episode IV already indicates the mission wasn't without its costs.
Via ScreenRant, director Edwards spoke during an interview with Empire Podcast and reflected on the script and concept development of Rogue One's ending:
"I mean, it’s a great Disney tradition isn’t it? For ever single character to die in all their movies," Edwards began. "I think there was an early version – the very first version they didn’t [die] in the screenplay. And it was just assumed by us that we couldn’t do that and they’re not gonna let us do that. So we’re trying to figure out how this ends where that doesn’t happen. And then everyone read that, and there was just this feeling of like, 'They gotta die right?' And everyone was like, 'Yeah, can we?'
"And we thought we weren’t gonna be allowed to, but Kathy [Kennedy] and everyone at Disney were like, 'Yeah, makes sense.' I guess they have to because they’re not in A New Hope. And so from that point on, we had the license and I kept waiting for someone to go, 'You know what, can you just film an extra scene where we see Jyn and Cassian, they’re okay, and they’re on another planet and la la la…' And [that] never ever came, and no one gave us that note so we got to do it."
For many fans, the ending definitely felt fitting for the movie. What's more, the final scene that showcased Darth Vader's unmatched power further convinced fans that what the rebels managed to accomplish was nothing short of a miracle. Felicity Jones may have an option for a sequel in her contract, but it's clear there will not be a followup "part 2" for the heroes in the Rogue One anthology.
Now it's your turn: are you a fan of Rogue One and its ending? Let us know in the comments!
