New Photos From The Set Of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Continuing their Rogue One: A Star Wars Story palooza, Entertainment Weekly unveiled a batch of official photos straight from the film’s set.

Official photos of the Rogue One cast and set are here, and they are exquisite (via Entertainment Weekly). Truly, the Empire has never been more beautiful… wait, did I just say that out loud?

But seriously, this movie has been set up to display the Empire at its prime. Stormtroopers in gleaming white armor, deathtroopers presiding over what could be a killing field or the remains of a village, an Imperial director who is as hellbent on rising up in the ranks as he is on point with his cape game.

Check out the Empire’s offerings from Rogue One below.

via Entertainment Weekly

via Entertainment Weekly

After you’ve finished squealing over the beauty of a stormtrooper legion invading a shoreline, note what the deathtrooper in the photo above is holding. It’s a stormtrooper doll, and while that could be taken comically (jokes already abound on Twitter), it’s more likely a sign of something far more dire and deadly. The doll is probably the remnant of a village, or a large group of people which includes children. The fact a deathtrooper is holding it…let’s just hope it doesn’t spell death for an innocent Imperial kid.

via Entertainment Weekly

Take a gander at the person who is probably the stormtroopers’ and deathtroopers’ commander, Director Orson Krennic. He’s playing a dangerous game, pushing and shoving his way to the top of the Imperial hierarchy alongside the other backstabbers. In comparison to Tarkin, the paragon of Imperial coldness, Lucasfilm’s head of story development Kiri Hart says, “Krennic runs a little hotter than that, so that’s kind of fun and it’s a little bit different. … He is unpredictable and volatile.” He sounds like a worthy opponent to the film’s unpredictable and rebellious main lead, who you’ll see in a new image below.

via Entertainment Weekly

Jyn Erso is going to be an incredible addition to Star Wars, for her personality and drive as much as her backstory. Rogue One will see the introduction of the father/daughter dynamic into Star Wars movies with Jyn and her father Galen (played by Mads Mikkelsen), a dynamic which will open up all kinds of doors for new drama,  new emotions, and best of all, a new story.

Speaking of relationships, a charming new friendship has been promised in the form of Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen) and his gruff protector, Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen). The two are essentially best buds, despite the fact Chirrut believes in an all-powerful Force while Baze is more of a here-and-now, punch-it-out kind of guy. But opposites attract, and we know well enough from C-3PO and R2-D2 that a friendship between opposite personalities can last a lifetime.

via Entertainment Weekly

Someone who may not be anybody’s friend is Riz Ahmed’s Bodhi Rook. A cargo pilot with awesome flying skills but a less than endearing personality, Rook is the “tense” and “volatile” person in the Rogue One bunch.  It’s his technical skills, says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, that are the reason the team needs him so desperately.

Finally, the photo below grants a peek behind the camera on set.

via Entertainment Weekly

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The photo was taken on the set of the Yavin IV base (!), and features director Gareth Edwards, Jiang Wen, Alan Tudyk in a motion capture costume for his role as K-2, Diego Luna, Felicity Jones, and Donnie Yen. It seems like a lot of humans, but Entertainment Weekly says there will be “a healthy mix of creatures and aliens” added to character roster. The diversity of the actors, meanwhile, is meant to reflect a coming together of sorts of different people from different worlds. Kiri Hart implied this is a crucial point of the movie.

"“People are coming to the Rebellion because something has happened that has galvanized or politicized them,” says Hart. “The question just becomes: What are those triggers for different people in different places?”"

I’m excited to see a wider array of ethnic groups in starring roles in Star Wars. Not only does it enrich the plot and the film experience by implying not all humans come from the same place, and each color still has its own cultures and histories, but it allows people of color in our world to see themselves in Star Wars for the first time. Before, white actors and actresses as main characters were the norm. Now, everyone gets a chance to have a story told about them in a galaxy far, far away.

Next: Rogue One: The Return Of Darth Vader

Keep checking Dork Side as we post Rogue One character dissections based on the new information we received from Entertainment Weekly. To see the full gallery of Rogue One photos, which includes portrait shots of the main characters, head to EW’s website.