With exactly 173 days away from the next Star Wars feature, the world is preparing for its most unique and abstract storyline yet.
The first of its kind, Star Wars: Rogue One will take place immediately before A New Hope as the Rebellion scrambles to acquire plans for the Empire’s newest and most sinister weapon, the Death Star.
With a familiar feel of an original trilogy return, we are bound to see old friends and foes as they grace the screen with their fantastic presence.
Might we see a young Han Solo? Possibly.
A regal Princess Leia? Could be.
But that one character who we all can’t get enough of? Yes, he has officially been confirmed.
Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, fallen Jedi and the faceless visage of evil will be a mainstay in Rogue One.
I’m not one to keep up with the endless swirl of rumors surrounding Star Wars but when this broke and the news was out that Vader will return, I found myself fist pumping and jumping to the skies.
It’s no secret that the popularity of Darth Vader has him forever etched in the pantheon of all-time movie greats but what does this do for Rogue One?
Does this change things?
To be honest and to put it rather bluntly, I think a lot of us knew this was coming for quite some time.
Regardless when it would announced however, this most definitely catapults this movie into rarefied air.
Darth Vader is to Star Wars as fireworks are to the Fourth of July.
He is the most important quintessential piece to Star Wars in any capacity.
Hey, there is a reason why the next trilogy (Ep. VII, VIII, IX) is based on Vader’s legacy…
What he brings to the table that the minds behind all Star Wars material realized is pure, untapped entertainment that can revitalize a previously visited time period that needed an extra spark.
Don’t get me wrong, even without Vader in Rogue One I still think the film would have been extremely successful.
But with the man in the suit donning the screens again Star Wars recaptures some of that original flare that made this franchise so dynamic.
In the last couple of months there has been talk of a “darker” Star Wars movie.
Something where brutality and mutilation are rampant and shrill screams of agony stained with the stench of fear are everywhere.
So I’ll say it again…Why is it important that Vader is in Rogue One?
Simple. Vader is fear, Vader is death, Vader is the human representation of all these emotions bundled together in a wrecking ball of a cyborg-like human being.
He brings to the table what the movie needs. Without reinventing the wheel, Rogue One has their swashbuckling villain all warmed up and ready to go.
Movies like these, and when I say “movies like these” I mean movies that are part of a longstanding series that are all in a single direction and then a new one comes along marching on a different path.
A movie like Rogue One needs a galvanizing force.
It needs someone who moviegoers will continuously sit on the edges of their seats desperately waiting for the first appearance of this attention-grabbing character.
Vader owns this factor and so much more.
Not to mention the fact that he is the perfect hunter to go after these “plan stealing Rebels” but hey, he ties the whole story together!
Darth Vader’s presence will elevate everything related to Rogue One and then some…
He’s a man of torture and results. Someone who enjoys others pain.
Ever since he was birthed by the fiery brimstone and molten lava rivers of Mustafar Vader has craved the brutal destruction of others.
With the Dark Lord, everything just adds up.
If you start to analyze what the movie would look like without a Darth Vader and maybe someone that is similar to Darth Vader in the form of a punisher, things start to look a little strange.
For starters, the timeline of the movie would mean that Vader is in his absolute prime. He’s at the height of his killing and mangling.
It would be at the point in time when he is still unaware of his offspring’s survival which therefore wouldn’t take up his time, the wounds and the death of Anakin Skywalker would still be relatively fresh in his mind and his orders by the Emperor would still be to spread fear.
Is it just me or does that almost sum up the Empire’s approach to Rogue One perfectly!?
I know I’m supposed to make a case why he must be in this movie but it’s virtually impossible to omit Vader from the script.
I mean, during this time in the Galaxy Vader is the face of the Empire emanating vile hatred.
To many of the people around the universe he is public enemy number one.
With that being said, of course Darth Vader will be in it!
If by some terrible mistake Vader was not in Rogue One, in being a Star Wars superfan I would see the movie no matter what.
But when you tell me that it’s going to be a “darker” more visual movie and Darth Vader will be a mainstay, you can count me in every day of the week.
-Sith Pacify out