Putting the “Wars” in “Star Wars:” Five epic battles that should influence Episode IX
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Star Wars (@starwars) on Feb 17, 2017 at 12:07pm PST
The Battle of Scarif
From the movie that no one really thought they wanted, to one of the most popular of the Star Wars films, Rogue One surprises on almost every level. A quick search shows Dork Side contributors have a lot to say about this film.
The last act of Rogue One is almost entirely the Battle of Scarif. A small Rebel force, acting outside of their orders, lands on Scarif, which houses an Imperial data facility. Their goal is to steal the plans to the new Imperial superweapon, the Death Star.
What begins as a clandestine infiltration mission soon turns into a special operations sabotage and assault mission, which in turn escalates into a space battle and aircraft assault for the ages. Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, and K-2SO try to steal the plans, while Bodhi Rook, Chirrut Îmwe, and Baze Malbus lead the external guerrilla assault.
As the ground forces use subterfuge to make “ten men feel like a hundred,” word gets back to the Rebel base on Yavin that the Rogues are fighting.The fleet comes to their aid.
Perhaps the most realistic factor of the whole battle? In the end (spoiler alert) none of our heroes survive. Despite U-Wing delivered reinforcements, despite Mon Calamari cruisers facing Star Destroyers in the space above, despite Gold Squadron’s masterful flying against TIE Strikers, the Rogues fall one by one. It was not something most fans were expecting from a Disney film, and it is incredibly effective.
There is much speculation regarding which characters may or may not survive Episode IX (or if they should!). A heartfelt farewell or stunning sacrifice we didn’t see coming could make any battle in the final film one to remember.