As a writer, there is nothing quite like finding the perfect title for your project, a sentiment that I think crosses over into anything creative, including film. And when fans of ‘Star Wars’ learned of the title of the first stand-alone film, ‘Rogue One,’ there was definitely a sense that it was the perfect title for the solo movie, for many reasons. And recently, while speaking to Empire, ‘Rogue One’ director Gareth Edwards shared his thoughts on the title of the film now that we are fast approaching its release date in December, revealing that he himself had not fully realized how perfect a title it was at first, but is fully aware of it now. In his words:
“‘Rogue One’ is a military call sign to some extent [referring to Red Squadron during the Battle of Yavin], …this is the first film that’s gone off-piste and is not part of the saga –- or the Anakin story — so it’s the ‘rogue’ one, you know?”
“It’s kind of describing [Felicity Jones’ character] as well in a similar way…It has [all] these split, multiple meanings that made it feel like the right choice.”
So at the end of the day, there are three meanings to the title, all of which might just hint that the film itself will be more complex and deep than we at first thought, especially if this much thought went into the title alone.
Check out the full synopsis for the movie here:
From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves. In theaters December 2016.
Have you always liked the title of ‘Rogue One?’ Were you disappointed that it did not herald a movie entirely about the legendary (in the ‘Star Wars’ lore) X-Wing Unit, Rogue Squadron? Share your thoughts on the title, and your hopes for the new movie in the comments section below!