Many fans still take issue with a lot of what was done to set Rogue One: A Star Wars Story apart from traditional Star Wars Episode films, and that includes the way the film jumps right into its storyline, without the usual proper introductions. And yet, Rogue One co-writer Gary Whitta recently revealed that he had, at one time, included a traditional Star Wars opening crawl with Rogue One – and even managed to fit in a nice big Star Wars: A New Hope Easter egg into it:
Videos by ComicBook.com
I did write a crawl, and I remember thinking it was neat that it was the same number of words as the one in A New Hope. This was before the (correct) decision not to have opening crawls for the standalones. https://t.co/DuyTcAiCVl
— Gary Whitta (@garywhitta) July 23, 2018
Rogue One: A Star Wars story is one of the more divisive entries in the Star War movie saga – probably the most divisive, before a little film called The Last Jedi came along. In both cases, triggered fans have argued (and continue to argue) that vision of the Star Wars universe present in each respective film wasn’t properly in line with what they consider to be the rigid mold of the franchise. Director Gareth Edwards and his writing team were accused multiple times of not “getting” Star Wars, and yet, time and time again, the filmmakers have revealed deep passion for the material – to the point that apparently Whitta spent time and effort sculpting an opening scrawl that had just the right word count!
Even if the opening scrawl had appeared in the film, with its A New Hope connection intact, there’s no telling if fans would’ve responded well to it. At the moment, the Star Wars fandom is coming under serious fire for the relentless vitriol that some of its more trollish members have unleashed since the Disney era began. Last Jedi director Rian Johnson and star Kelly Marie Tran have been hit especially hard, though Gareth Edwards has gotten his fair share of harassment, as well. And yet, outside the small circle of toxic fandom, Rogue One’s connections to the larger Star Wars universe continue to be uncovered with each new subsequent release (Last Jedi, Solo), which has helped the film establish itself as the Star Wars standalone prototype, and earn a strong cult-following with mainstream viewers, who like the epic wartime finale and terrifying Darth Vader end cameo.
What do you think about the Rogue One opening crawl that we almost got? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Star Wars: Episode IX is set ot hit theaters on December 20, 2019.
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Image Courtesy of Lucasfilm
