My personal favorite Star Wars film since the prequel trilogy, Rogue One opens on the remote planet Lah’mu, where Imperial scientist Galen Erso lives in hiding with his wife Lyra and daughter Jyn. Director Orson Krennic arrives to force Galen back into the Empire’s service to complete the Death Star. Lyra is killed and young Jyn escapes, only to be rescued and raised by Rebel extremist Saw Gerrera.
Years later, an adult Jyn Erso is imprisoned by the Empire. Meanwhile, Rebel intelligence learns that a defecting Imperial pilot, Bodhi Rook, carries a message from Galen Erso about the Death Star. Jyn is broken out of captivity by the Rebels so she can help track down Saw and retrieve the message.
The novel Catalyst by James Luceno provides the crucial backstory for Rogue One. It chronicles the friendship between Galen Erso and Orson Krennic, and the manipulation that led Galen to unknowingly contribute to the Death Star project. Catalyst gives emotional weight to Galen’s betrayal and guilt, enriching the film’s family drama.
Captain Cassian Andor is introduced as a morally grey Rebel intelligence officer, willing to kill for the cause. His orders are to kill Galen to prevent further Death Star development. Cassian’s character is explored further in the Andorseries, which shows his transformation into the man we meet in Rogue One.
The crew travels to the desert moon Jedha, a sacred place for believers in the Force. Saw Gerrera has gone rogue from the Rebellion and uses guerrilla tactics. Bodhi’s message is delivered to Saw, and Jyn finally sees her father’s holographic message: Galen reveals he sabotaged the Death Star by building a fatal flaw into its core.
On Jedha, we meet Chirrut Îmwe, a blind warrior who believes in the Force, along with his companion Baze Malbus. Though not Jedi, Chirrut’s spirituality highlights the theme of hope and belief. The duo joins the team after the Empire tests the Death Star by destroying Jedha City, killing thousands and confirming the weapon’s power.
Back at the Death Star, power struggles emerge. Grand Moff Tarkin seizes control of the weapon from Krennic after the successful test. Their rivalry, explored in Catalyst, reveals the political backstabbing within the Empire and sets up Tarkin’s command in A New Hope.
The team locates Galen on the stormy planet Eadu. Cassian hesitates but ultimately does not kill Galen. Instead, Rebel bombers attack, resulting in Galen’s fatal injury. Before dying, he sees Jyn and confirms his intentions, giving her resolve to finish his mission.
Jyn returns to the Rebel Alliance’s base on Yavin 4 to warn them about the Death Star’s weakness. However, the leadership is divided and unwilling to launch a full-scale assault without proof. This moment shows the political complexities of the Rebellion—a theme further explored in Andor and Rebels.
Jyn, Cassian, and a small team of volunteers—including Bodhi, Chirrut, Baze, and the reprogrammed Imperial droid K-2SO—decide to act without official support. They travel to Scarif, the location of the Imperial data archive that contains the Death Star plans. Their ship is appropriately named Rogue One.
On Scarif, Jyn and Cassian infiltrate the tower while the others cause a diversion. The battle on Scarif is one of the most visually striking and emotionally charged in Star Wars, showing both the courage and the sacrifice of the Rebel soldiers who give everything for a sliver of hope.
As the Empire fights back, K-2SO locks down the data vault but is ultimately destroyed, holding off stormtroopers to buy time. His death marks the first in a series of sacrifices that underscore the film’s themes of loss and heroism.
Chirrut walks into blaster fire, chanting “I am one with the Force,” and activates a switch allowing the team to transmit the Death Star plans. He dies in Baze’s arms, and Baze soon follows, finally accepting Chirrut’s faith. Their deaths are spiritual bookends to the film’s message about belief and courage.
Bodhi manages to connect the team’s transmitter to the Rebel fleet above but is killed in an explosion. His arc—from frightened defector to brave soldier—completes the trio of support characters whose bravery makes Jyn’s mission possible.
Jyn and Cassian retrieve the Death Star plans and transmit them just before Krennic finds them. The Death Star fires on Scarif to cover up the breach. On the beach, Jyn and Cassian embrace as the blast wave engulfs them. Their quiet, tender death is one of the most emotionally resonant in Star Wars.
As the Rebel fleet receives the plans, Darth Vader arrives in one of the saga’s most iconic scenes. He cuts through Rebel soldiers in a terrifying display of power. This moment directly connects Rogue One to A New Hope, showing just how close the two films are chronologically.
The plans are handed off to Princess Leia aboard the Tantive IV. In her final scene, she declares the one word that defines the Star Wars saga: “Hope.” This leads directly into the opening scene of A New Hope, creating a seamless bridge between the two films.
The Andor series expands upon the foundations laid in Rogue One. It reveals Cassian’s background, his evolution from a disillusioned thief to a Rebel spy, and the workings of Mon Mothma, Luthen Rael, and others building the Rebellion’s framework. The tone, espionage, and moral complexity echo Rogue One’s style.
Rogue One also ties into Rebels (with a brief mention of General Syndulla), the Clone Wars (Saw Gerrera’s radicalization), and The Bad Batch (early Imperial projects). It bridges the prequel and original trilogies, showing how systems of oppression evolved and how people fought back, even at great cost.
Rogue One is a gritty war film about sacrifice, belief, and the power of ordinary people to ignite change. By anchoring itself in realistic characters and painful consequences, it stands apart from other Star Wars stories while strengthening the saga’s core message: that even in the darkest times, hope is a powerful weapon.