ROGUE ONE ROGUE ONE ROGUE ONE. Jyn Erso. Oh, Poe Dameron too.
By Mike Audette // In an absolute stroke of genius, Lucasfilm debuted the first teaser trailer of Rogue One, this Thursday on Good Morning America and wow, did Jyn Erso hit like gangbusters. Everything about the trailer was visually appealing, the music sounded great, it paints a picture of the desperation of the Rebel Alliance to get the plans to the Death Star. Be sure to check out the RetroZap Reactions for instant reactions of the teaser. I wasn’t able to share my thoughts with the rest of the crew due to scheduling conflicts, so I’ll give you them here!
First off, Jyn Erso is everything! Another strong, capable, and confident female lead in a Star Wars movie–but did that get the Uglies talking. If you ever needed help to find out who the racists and sexists are online, this trailer was the great awakening. So much hate was spewed from a loud minority, and it’s shameful. Star Wars and the Star Wars fan community is for everyone, no matter who or what you are. If you are even a little bit angered and upset about a female lead in a Star Wars film, you have learned nothing from Star Wars. I feel incredibly strong about this, and this sort of behavior and attitude is completely unacceptable and reprehensible. You are standing in the way of progress and you will be left behind–and I do not have an ounce of remorse for you.
Well then, back on track here. MON MOTHMA! She came out of no where! I can say that I didn’t even consider her to be playing a major part in this film and man I’m glad I was wrong. In an awesome casting move from Gareth Edwards and the rest of the crew, she will be played by the same actress that was featured in deleted scenes that were cut from Revenge of the Sith. Everything about the Rebel Alliance base looks just like it did in 1977. The crew on this did an absolutely bang-up job and I am blown away by how authentically Star Wars it feels. The Empire looks as terrifying and imposing as they always have, and that unknown Grand Admiral (guessing) looks like the big bad for this story. The shot of him walking on the beach with his cape billowing and the carnage all around him is absolutely awe-inspiring. The voice-over throughout the trailer provided by Forest Whitaker and his unnamed character is bone-chilling. I’m incredibly intrigued to find out exactly why Jyn Erso is wearing an Imperial Officer/Trooper/Gunner/Pilot uniform at the end of trailer, and what those apparent “poster tubes” on her back are. Surely the Empire didn’t put the Death Star plans on actual “blueprints?” (reminds me of Arrested Development) I didn’t think I could get more excited for a new Star Wars film than I was to see The Force Awakens, but now I just want to fast-forward to December to see Rogue One.
A long time ago (last week I think) In a galaxy far, far way(@PinewoodStudios ) THIS happened! Happy Birthday Daisy! pic.twitter.com/dYc9j65YBD
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) April 10, 2016
Sunday was Daisy Ridley’s 24th birthday (putting my life’s accomplishments to shame), and Mark Hamill being the greatest Uncle in all of the Star Wars community tweeted this wonderfully amusing picture wishing Daisy a Happy Birthday. Having these two guiding the future of the Star Wars saga is dream that I never want to wake up from.
This week also featured the debut of the highly anticipated comic series from Marvel, Poe Dameron! Poe captured imaginations from his scenes in The Force Awakens and now there is a comic to tell more stories about the galaxy’s greatest pilot. The series looks extremely promising after the first issue, and don’t forget to read Dennis Keithly’s review here! Charles Soule and Phil Noto are just incredible and deserve a lifetime contract to work on Star Wars projects whenever they want. I mean just look at this from Noto following the release of the Rogue One trailer:
I want this tattooed onto my back and I needed it yesterday.
I didn’t have a great week, but as bad as the majority of it was, Star Wars was there to bring me back to a happy place.