[spacer height=”25″]

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story follows a band of mercenaries who make an agreement with the Rebel Alliance to steal plans that exploit a weakness in the Empire’s newest weapon.

This, of course, is the Death Star, a space station with the power to destroy a planet with a single energy bolt. The event takes place between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope on the Star Wars timeline, with the end of the film rumored to lead directly into the opening sequence of A New Hope. That sequence depicts the capture of Princess Leia by evil Sith Lord, Darth Vader, and droids, C3PO and R2D2, escaping to Tatooine with the stolen plans. 

The film marks a philosophical change in the way in which Star Wars is presented theatrically. Now, audiences will experience these “anthology” stories each year in between the traditional “episode” installments we have been accustomed to.

With a second trailer for Rogue One released this past week, Disney is sending a signal that they are officially opening up the sandbox and inviting audiences to come out and play. Let’s join them, shall we?

Purists will argue too much of a good thing runs the risk of diluting the product, but the quality of the filmmaking and the subject matter in particular speak to the contrary.

Tonally, Rogue One hardly appears whimsical. This isn’t a rescuing the princess fairytale plotline to capture the love and hearts of audiences young and old. This isn’t about a band of lovable Ewoks that can overthrow a powerful nemesis, with a lot of stuffed animals and toys being sold in the process.

This is about a very grim chapter in the Star Wars saga, when the Empire rules the galaxy, the Jedi have been exterminated, and rebel freedom fighters are hunted and desperate.

If we were to liken the Star Wars episodes to The Wizard of Oz, then Rogue One feels more like the film, Return to Oz. I instantly thought of this when I saw this shot in particular.

Anyone remember the weird and creepy Return to Oz? The 1985 sequel where no one sings, the Technicolor has been washed away, the Wheelers are nightmarish creatures, and the evil queen decapitates innocents so she can swap heads whenever she feels like it. In one sense, one could ask, “What were they thinking?” On the other hand, there was something pretty daring in the decision to follow up such a magical film with a dark antithesis. Rogue One appears similar in tone, which is absolutely fascinating to me.

Unconfirmed rumors suggest this is intended to be a “war” film. The latest trailer seems to confirm that we follow a “platoon” of sorts. These are soldiers recruited from all walks of life who, for reasons as yet unknown, have signed on to a desperate no-win scenario.

In looking at the trailer, there’s a sense of scale expected of an epic theatrical Star Wars adventure including some incredible visuals. And yet, this doesn’t appear to be a “massive” film. This isn’t a space battle with a thousand starships.

For this level of grandiose action, my assumption is that this is reserved for the “episode” installments. The anthology films appear to be honing in on more intimate, interesting stories that fill in the gaps and progress our understanding of the Saga as a whole.

There also isn’t a single lightsaber in sight in the entire trailer, perhaps also confirming the fight between the Gods, or in this case, the Jedi vs. Sith, is also to be saved for the epic “episode” installments.

None of this is a bad thing.

In fact, it adds even more intrigue to what they are creating here. By stripping away lightsabers and Jedi mysticism, we get to experience Star Wars told from an entirely different perspective, a more mortal point of view. These are the people who lack superpowers, but who possess the skills and ingenuity to give them an equally important sense of destiny. There’s something grounded in this, something tangible and relatable.

The visuals in this trailer reinforce this concept, such as rockets being fired at Imperial walkers from the point of view of one of the mercenaries. What an incredible shot!

I’m pretty fascinated by what I’m seeing here and I’m equally impressed by the class in which Disney is handling this franchise. This may not be the most lovable of Star Wars films we will see, but perhaps that’s why we’ll love it nonetheless.

I’ve decided to jump into the sandbox so I can play. Join us, won’t you?