Rogue One is an underrated masterpiece

As we approach Star Wars Day, it’s time to look back on the franchise as a whole, including the underrated masterpiece that is Rogue One. While the film made over a billion dollars at the box office, it never got quite the reception it deserved. It’s now been a few years since its 2016 release, and after Andor season 1 impressed critics and fans alike, it’s a good time to look back on what makes it an underrated masterpiece.

The movie’s tragic ending may have bothered some people, and it’s something that may be debated even in the future. It’s very hard not to wonder what could’ve been if Cassian and Jyn had survived, but the writers made a choice and stuck to it with conviction. The ending, while heartbreaking, still managed to convey hope, which is everything it needed to do as a story set before Episode IV: A New Hope.

Rogue One introduced several new characters to live action and managed to make us care about them and their fates. The galaxy as a whole probably never found out the names of the heroes who sacrificed everything to steal the Death Star plans on Scarif, but that sacrifice changed the fate of the galaxy. The events of A New Hope wouldn’t have been possible if not for Jyn and Cassian’s heroics.

Anyone who’s watched Andor now understands how Cassian’s journey to becoming “Captain Andor” of Rogue One started. He is far from the man he is in Rogue One when we meet him in Andor, but he and Jyn were always meant to find each other, and their mutual fight for justice was won when they gave up everything for a sunrise they never got to see, but one that Luke and Leia did.

Along with being an inspiring story of rebellion and personal struggle, the film also stayed close to canon and didn’t try to alter anything that came before or after it. The visuals were incredible, and let’s not forget that it gave fans some of the most epic Darth Vader moments of all time, especially a certain iconic hallway scene at the end of the film.

What makes Rogue One a masterpiece is that it tells you that heroes don’t always need to be Jedi and that the slightest glimmer of hope can be enough if you are willing to take a chance at doing the impossible. Taking the enemy by surprise despite being outnumbered, taking advantage of the slimmest window of opportunity, and still succeeding, is the most Star Wars thing ever, and what ultimately makes Rogue One a very underrated masterpiece.

Rogue One is streaming now on Disney+.