Mads Mikkelsen Wants to See the Empire Explored in New Star Wars Films

The ambitious experiment of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story paid off both financially and critically, proving that audiences would be interested in seeing stories that didn't directly feature characters from the Skywalker Saga and also utilized different filmmaking techniques. In the film, Mads Mikkelsen starred as Galen Erso, a member of the Empire forced to work for the evil organization to protect his family. The actor recently revealed his desires to see more characters like his portrayed in spinoff films to show that not everyone in the Empire was pure evil.

"I think there's an unlimited source to go back and tell those stories," Mikkelsen told IGN. "I think people are curious about the Empire as well, to see some back story on the Empire. What kind of people are they? (Galen's) family, his wife and daughter, we were part of the Empire – and we're not monsters. So obviously there are (regular) people in there. And why do they do what they do? What do they believe in?"

Not only did Galen show the complexities of the Empire and prove that not all issues were black and white, his role also solved a mystery created 40 years ago in the original Star Wars with the reveal that his character intentionally sabotaged the Death Star by incorporating a flaw in its design for the Rebels to exploit.

Mikkelsen's character might not have gotten much screen time, but Galen faced some of the most complex issues in the entire film.

"(Galen) lives under the impression that they have his daughter as a captor and that's why he has to work for them," Mikkelsen pointed out. "It's a hypothetical dilemma, but would you sacrifice millions of people in order to save one, because it's your daughter? It is a brutal choice."

Luckily for his daughter Jyn, she was able to escape capture and become a member of the Rebellion under the tutelage of Saw Gerrera. Galen, unfortunately, was lied to by the Empire in order to get him to cooperate. Conversely, Jyn believes her father is willingly creating the Death Star, making their relationship even more complex.

"And obviously she's not captured; she's alive and she has the impression that her dad is working voluntarily for the dark side," Mikkelseon confessed. "And that's a very terrible situation for any dad – that your daughter might think for the wrong reasons that you are with the Nazis instead of the good guys."

Galen met his demise in the film, but the actor reaffirmed just how rich his character was for involvement in future films.

"We don't see him a lot (in Rogue One); we get a feel of him," Mikkelsen shared. "Obviously you could elaborate on a character like that for his own movie. The story (of Rogue One) is about his daughter, and for that reason he plays a sidekick in her life. If he had his own film it would be different."

The next spin-off in the saga, Solo: A Star Wars Story, hits theaters on May 25, 2018.

[H/T IGN]