‘Rogue One’: Top 10 Cameos and Guest Appearances

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. If you don’t want to be spoiled then check out our non-spoiler review of Rogue One.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the latest addition to the Star Wars franchise. Taking place before A New Hope which premiered in 1977 Rogue One tells us the story from the opening crawl of how a group of Rebel fighters managed to secure the plans to the Death Star which would ultimately lead to its destruction at the hands of Luke Skywalker (Luke Hamill) in the climatic finale of the first film.

Being a film set in the Star Wars universe and one that takes place moments before the most important well known film in the franchise it is not without its fair share of references and Easter eggs. Several characters from throughout the franchise also make guest appearances in Rogue One.

With that said here is our pick of the top ten cameos and guest appearances in Rogue One:

10. Saw Gerrera

Saw Gerrera marks a first for the franchise. He is the first time a character that debuted in an animated show has made the transition to live-action. First appearing in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series he was portrayed by Forrest Whittaker in Rogue One. Saw Gerrera is a Rebel extremist whose methods for fighting the Empire buts him at odds with the Rebel Alliance. He is also an old friend of Galen Erso and a mentor to Jyn who is vital to the discovery of the existence of the Death Star. Fans will smile in delight though when they hear him speak Admiral Ackbar’s famous line: “It’s a trap!”

9. Mon Mothma

Reprising her role from a deleted scene in Revenge of the Sith Genevieve O’Reilly plays the Rebel commander in Rogue One who we first saw in Return of the Jedi. Mon Mothma is famous for telling us of the many Bothans who died to bring information about the whereabouts of the Second Death Star to the Rebellion but in Rogue One we get to see her as a leader of the Rebellion and the person who originally recruits Jyn Erso into the cause.

8. Bail Organa

Princess Leia’s adopted father returns from the Prequel Trilogy to lead the Rebellion. Played once again by Jimmy Smits his most memorable line is his passing reference to an “old Jedi friend.” He plans on sending a message to him via someone he trusts with his life thus setting in motion the entirety of events from A New Hope onwards. Bail Organa’s appearance helps bridge the gap between the Prequel Trilogy and the Original Triology and is a good indicator of further cameos to come.

7. General Jan Dodonna

Star Wars fans will remember Jan Dodonna as the General who briefed the Rebel fighter pilots (including Luke Skywalker) before the attack on the first Death Star. Played by Alex McCrindle in A New Hope Ian McElhinney takes up the mantle in Rogue One. He only makes a brief appearance however during a scene where the Rebel Senate is discussing plans to attack Scarif to retrieve the Death Star plans. It is a nice touch and helps ground us in the timeline of the original trilogy.

6. Ponda Baba and Cornelius Evazan

In a blink and you’ll miss it cameo two familiar faces from the Mos Eisley Cantina make an appearance on Jedha, the holy moon that is home to several Jedi Temples as well as the Death Star. While escaping from the Empire Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) bump into the pair and narrowly avoid getting into a confrontation with the hot headed duo. We have to assume that they both managed to escape Jedha City before its destruction at the hands of the Death Star because they are next seen causing trouble for Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in A New Hope.

5. Red Leader and Gold Leader

Probably one of the most satisfying cameos for fans of the original trilogy during the space battle over Scarif we are reintroduced to several characters from A New Hope: Jon “Dutch” Vander (AKA Red Leader) and Garven “Dave” Dreis (AKA Gold Leader). The best thing about these cameos is not only are they portrayed by the original actors from A New Hope but they use actual footage from A New Hope. We’re also introduced to a brand new Red Five only for them to be killed off in the ensuing battle to later be replaced by none other than Luke Skywalker.

4. R2-D2 and C-3PO

What would a Star Wars film be without R2-D2 and C-3PO? Just when fans thought we were going to find out the two lovable droids make a brief appearance on the Rebel base on Yavin 4. As the Rebel fleet prepares to head to Scarif for the climatic confrontation with the Empire C-3PO comments in dismay about how nobody ever tells him anything. While it adds nothing to the overall story it is a fun cameo that reminds us that the droids have always and will continue to be a part of the Star Wars franchise.

3. Grand Moff Tarkin

The most impressive return in Rogue One was undoubtedly Grand Moff Tarkin (played by the late legendary Peter Cushing in A New Hope). Using CGI face stitching technology ILM was able to bring Peter Cushing back from the dead and pit him against Commander Orson Crennic (Ben Mendelson) for control of the Death Star. Tarkin ultimately wins when he orders the destruction of the Imperial base on Scarif, murdering Crennic in the process.

2. Princess Leia

In an unexpected but obvious cameo Princess Leia appears in the final moments of the film. Portrayed using the same face stitching technology that brought Peter Cushing back to life as Grand Moff Tarkin the brief appearance sets the stage for the opening of A New Hope. Leia receives the Death Star plans, a signal of hope for the Rebellion, but little does she know another famous character is hot on her tail.

1. Darth Vader

While we were aware that Darth Vader was going to be in Rogue One as early on as the second trailer we weren’t aware what role he would play in the film. He appears in the opening of A New Hope already in pursuit of the Death Star plans as he boards the ship containing Princess Leia but fans weren’t quite ready for what else we got to see from the Sith Lord. Darth Vader only makes brief appearances in Rogue One but what screen time he does have is breathtaking. Not only do we get to see him force choke Commander Crennic but we also get to watch with morbid delight as he annihilates a ship full of Rebel soldiers as he attempts to retrieve the Death Star plans. If Rogue One did one thing perfectly, it was to help remind us why Darth Vader is the most feared person in the galaxy.

Those are our picks for the best cameos and guest appearances in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Did we miss any out? Who were you most excited to see return and who do you want to see make an appearance in future spin-off films? Let us know in the comments below.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is in cinemas now. Directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) it stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen and Alan Tudyk.

Does ‘Rogue One’ solve this plot hole from ‘A New Hope’?

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. If you don’t want to be spoiled then check out our non-spoiler review of Rogue One.

Ever since Rogue One was announced people have been speculating about whether or not it would attempt to fix one of A New Hope’s biggest plot holes: Why did the Death Star have a conveniently placed hole that allowed for it to be destroyed with a single photon torpedo?

When we found out that Mads Mikkelsen was playing Galen Erso, the chief architect behind the Death Star, fan speculation entered hyper drive. People began announcing with confidence that Galen Erso designed the Death Star with the flaw in mind so that it could be destroyed by the Rebellion. Suddenly the biggest plot hole in the franchise was resolved, or so we thought.

Now that Rogue One is out we finally know the truth and it isn’t what fans were expecting. While it is true that Galen Erso did design the Death Star with a critical flaw it wasn’t the exhaust port. He explains, in a message to his daughter Jyn (Felicity Jones) and the Rebellion, that he had turned the reactor into a fuse that when lighted would destroy the entire Death Star. He made no mention of an exhaust port or how to ignite the reactor simply that any explosion inside it would trigger a chain reaction.

Which is a good thing. For too long the people behind the Death Star have been chastised for allowing such a fatal flaw to make it into the final design. Fans were hoping that Rogue One would finally explain their incompetence but what people don’t realise is that the people who designed the exhaust port deserve the Empire’s praise, not its scorn.

The Death Star is a gigantic super weapon that fires a laser powerful enough to destroy entire planets. A weapon of that size and magnitude would have created a considerable amount of exhaust and the mere fact that they managed to channel all of it through a single tunnel the size of a womp-rat is commendable if not implausible.

The fact that Luke Skywalker was able to destroy the Death Star could not have happened if it weren’t for two key facts: The Rebels had access to the Death Star plans, allowing them to find the exhaust port in the first place which would of otherwise been invisible to the naked eye, and the fact that Luke is a Jedi and was able to use the Force to make his photon torpedo make a sharp 90 degree turn and fly directly down the exhaust port for several hundred miles until it reached the reactor core.

Considering that the Jedi are all but extinct by the time of A New Hope and that the Force is considered by many, including high-ranking Imperial Officers, to be a myth it is understandable that the engineers behind the Death Star didn’t take into consideration the fact that a moisture farmer from Tattooine would use the Force to destroy the Death Star. If anything they should be commended for the job they did at hiding the flaw in the first place.

So next time you’re looking for somebody to blame for the destruction of the Death Star, don’t blame the engineers, blame the farm boy and his space magic.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is in cinemas now. Directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) it stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen and Alan Tudyk.

‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ Non-Spoiler Review

Star Wars fans have been treated to not one but two recent feature-length additions to the franchise. While J.J. Abrams explored the future of the galaxy far, far away – all the while treading familiar territory – director Gareth Edwards has taken a look at a story from its past and managed to put a unique spin on it that helps it stand out from the rest.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the tale of how the plans to the Death Star – the Galactic Empire’s planet killing super weapon – came into the possession of the Rebel Alliance. During the course of the story we’re introduced to new characters, new worlds and a new angle on the Galactic Civil War. Rogue One is very much a war story, told through the eyes of a group of resistance fighters as they embark on a seemingly impossible mission against a seemingly unstoppable enemy, it is a far cry from the epic space opera told throughout the main films in the franchise.

Some people might wonder how Edwards can tell a fresh and compelling story when we already know the ending. Anybody who has seen A New Hope knows that the rebels are successful in transmitting the Death Star plans to the Rebel Alliance, a series of events that ultimately leads to its destruction at the hands of a moisture farmer from Tattoine, but the beauty isn’t in how Rogue One connects to the original film but how it expands on an already expansive universe.

The film offers us a ground level view of the Rebellion through the eyes of a ragtag group of fighters led by Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones). The daughter of Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) – the main architect behind the Death Star – she is brought into the Rebellion to help find her father and find a way to destroy the super weapon. She is joined by Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a Rebel Intelligence Officer and his dry witted robot companion K-2SO (voiced by Alan Tudyk). Along for the ride is Bodhi Rook an Imperial pilot who has defected to the Rebellion, Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen) a blind monk who believes in the power of the Force and his guardian Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen).

The opening third of the film doesn’t waste any time introducing us to our new heroes at times feeling disjointed and rushed. It isn’t until we’re a good portion into the film, when the mission finally begins, that the film finds its pace. Due to the large cast and the speed at which they are introduced there is very little time for character development which effects the emotional pay off at the end. As there isn’t enough time to truly begin to care about these characters what happens to them at the end carries less weight.

Where Rogue One excels is in how it respects the existing lore of Star Wars while expanding on it considerably. A difficult task for a film that takes place moments before A New Hope. We’re introduced to a competing faction of Rebel fighters with different tactics that put them at odds with the Rebel Alliance as well as a new perspective on the Force in the form of the Guardians of the Will. There is also a look at the internal politics of the Empire told through the conflict between Commander Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) and a familiar face.

It wasn’t without its share of references and homages to the original trilogy with a few characters even making brief cameos much to the delight of fans. Despite this the film doesn’t rely too heavily on nostalgia and isn’t afraid to tell its own story. People who have never seen a Star Wars film before will be able to easily follow the story while the references act as subtle nods to the fans that yes, this is still a Star Wars film.

I understand the pressure that Michael Giacchino must of felt when he was brought on to compose the score for a Star Wars, an honour that up until this point was reserved for legendary composer John Williams, but I couldn’t help but feel like he couldn’t decide whether he wanted to play it safe or go off and do his own thing. His score borrowed heavily from Williams’ original and at times came across like a cheap imitation. There were times when those iconic few notes would play and I was fully expecting to break out into the Imperial March or Force Theme but then it would take a sharp left turn into unfamiliar territory. When Giacchino was creating original music, however, he excelled.

As somebody who is often the first to defend CGI in films I found myself wincing at some of the special effects. For a franchise that is known for its award-winning and industry-defining practical effects I was disappointed by the amount of times CGI was used in place of more practical effects. The CGI was noticeable and at times reached Prequel Trilogy levels of bad.

If there was one thing that Rogue One did perfectly it was to remind us exactly why Darth Vader is the most feared person in the galaxy. He may not be in the film for as long as fans had hoped but what little time he does spend on screen is breathtaking.

Rogue One isn’t without its flaws but it is a brilliant proof of concept. The first in what is expected to be a long line of Star Wars spin-offs Rogue One gives us a glimpse of what the future of Star Wars might look like, and if it is anything like Rogue One, then we are all in for a treat for years to come.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is in cinemas now. Directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) it stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen and Alan Tudyk.