Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
14. Darth Vader slaughters the crew of the Profundity
Although it features some astoundingly beautiful cinematography, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story also has some major problems. Its protagonists are disappointingly, thinly-sketched. Its narrative, while thematically impactful, suffers from being a story that didn’t need to be told. Also, it depicts the character Darth Vader in a way that is strange, at the very least.
While not exactly breaking continuity with the other Star Wars films, Rogue One’s Sith Lord doesn’t really match up with the character as established. He seems more brash and less cunning than the character in the original trilogy, and oddly aware that he’s a supervillain.
Though the dark pun he makes while meeting with Director Krennic was eyebrow-raising, the dissonance comes in the scene where Vader boards the Rebel ship Profoundity.
In the sequence, Vader uses his lightsaber and the Force to slaughter a group of rebel commandos. Though well-choreographed, the sequence feels off for a few reasons. One is that it’s the sloppiest assault Vader’s ever staged.
Previously, the character logically leads from the rear, letting his Stormtroopers secure an area before he arrives. Charging in headfirst seems inconsistent with the cold tactical strikes Vader makes in the original trilogy.
Nevertheless, the scene is undeniably thrilling. No other Star Wars film makes Darth Vader seem as terrifying and unstoppable as he does in Rogue One. So while the character’s actions in the movie don’t line up with how he normally behaves, they do fit with the audience’s expectations. Rogue One’s Vader comes off as every bit the indefatigable monster of our collective nightmares.