Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: Scenes from Trailers That Weren’t In The Movie

Fans who frequent blockbuster movies know by now that when it comes to movie trailers, what you see isn’t necessarily what you’re going to get. Trailers have an increasing pattern of showing moments from a movie that will never make it into the theatrical cut, and that can sometimes cause serious blowback from viewers, especially those who become interested in a film based on a trailer’s false promise.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is no different; the first Star Wars standalone movie has several key moments shown in trailers and advertisements that don’t appear in the theatrical cut of the film. We’ve gone back through and pulled them together, and some of them were definitely sold as “big moments” in the film that fans were expecting to see.

Here are Scenes from Rogue One Trailer that Weren’t in the Movie.

Meet the Director

Ben Mendelsohn’s Rogue One villain Director Orson Krennic always looked like a great Imperial commander antagonist, in the vein of Grand Moff Tarkin. Mendelsohn indeed turns in a great performance, but this particularly stunning shot from trailers seemed to tease a grand introduction of Krennic that we never got. 

 

Shadow of the Empire

This dramatic turn from Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso was sold as THE climatic moment in Rogue One‘s first teaser. Though she wears the Imperial disguise in the film, this particular shot never appears. 

“I Rebel”

This is a big one, in that Jyn Erso’s (Felicity Jones) big line was both a character defining moment (read: she looked badass), and an illustration of the film’s themes. Not having it in the theatrical film left Jyn in a weird place of characterization, and the scene is arguably weaker without it. 

Krennic Walks Through the Fire

This moment was another big one from the trailers, illustrating the true majesty and menace of Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn). It never appeared in the movie, arguably robbing Krennic’s cape of its most stunning scene.

 

Vader’s Death Star View

Another big moment from early trailers and TV spots was the first tease of Darth Vader in Rogue One. We saw the Sith Lord in an iconic pose, back facing the screen as looked at a schematic of the Death Star. It was an image of pure Star Wars iconography, and yet it didn’t make it into the film. 

Jyn vs. TIE Fighter

Another character-defining moment from early Rogue One previews was Jyn Erso looking battered yet militant as she hobbled her way up a platform towards (we know now) a communications array, facing down a TIE Fighter with nothing but a blaster in her hand. 

In the theatrical film, there is no TIE Fighter to be found in the shot.

Storm Trooper Ocean Party

This was another gorgeous shot used in Rogue One marketing, but it never appears during the climatic battle in the film’s theatrical cut. 

Smooth Heist (Mild Spoilers)

This particular scene shows Jyn, Cassian and K-2SO all running through the Imperial facility with the drive containing the Death Star plans clearly hanging from Jyn’s belt. 

MILD SPOILERS: As we learn in the film, the mission never went so smoothly as to allow the three friends to flee with the plans together.

Beach Jog

More evidence that there was (at one point) a much different version of the Rogue One mission: This shot of Jyn Erso running on the beach with Cassian, Death Star plans in hand.

It’s something fans jumped on as soon as they saw it; but again, what you see in trailers ain’t always what you get! 

More Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Links: Our Official Review | Kevin Smith’s Rogue One Review | There’s A Huge Book Of Backstory To Chirrut Imwe | First Reactions to Rogue One Overwhelmingly Positive | Why Darth Vader’s Costume Changed for Rogue One| How Rogue One Opens Without a Crawl | 

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.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is directed by Gareth Edwards and stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker. Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur and Simon Emanuel are producing, with John Knoll and Jason McGatlin serving as executive producers. 

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on December 16.