# Some people seem to be confused by "Rogue One" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470 "2016-11-30T17:17:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/21 "2016-11-30T20:30:15Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > I swear, at this point I’d like to see a Star Wars Rom-com with nothing epic on the table. Somebody show him the Star Wars Holiday Special; make sure it has the “Fighting the frizzies, at 11” news tag. ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/22 "2016-11-30T20:50:45Z")
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that I think the reaction to Rogue One is going to be lukewarm (No pun intended) think about it, yet _another_ movie about a Death Star, it seems Star Wars is just reduced to its base parts, Desert planet, Storm Troopers, Darth Vader-esque character and Death Star type weapon and we already had a film last year about a similar thing. Plus some of the acting in the trailer left alot to be desired. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/23 "2016-11-30T21:15:08Z")
My dad asked about it when a commercial came on the other day. The only way I could really get anything across was to not entirely accurately say it was pretty much Episode 3.5. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/24 "2016-11-30T21:31:20Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > The biggest problem I have with Rogue One - and I understand the timeline perfectly - is… > > ENOUGH WITH THE FREAKING DEATH STAR ALREADY > > Seriously, is it too much to ask for a movie that doesn’t revolve around the familiar families/events/hangers on? > > I swear, at this point I’d like to see a Star Wars Rom-com with nothing epic on the table. I think the marketing is intentionally playing down the connection to the original movie for this very reason. They realize that Star Wars fatigue is a real risk, and this movie is an attempt to expand the universe. Fans will already know the connection, and for others who are more prone to fatigue, it seems more like a separate story line. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/25 "2016-11-30T22:28:17Z")
> [@edwards\_beard](#): > > Seeing as though Darth Vader is in the Trailers…I don’t see how anyone could think it is after Return of the Jedi… I have not been paying close attention and I thought “huh, they’re bringing Vader back to life. How are they going to make that work?” But no, I didn’t realize it was a midquel. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/26 "2016-11-30T22:50:56Z")
I’m one of those who assumed it was going to be episode 8. But in my defense, all of my media watching is virtually commercial free. It wasn’t until I was visiting with my mother a week ago when I happened to catch a trailer on the TV. I saw a brief image of Darth Vader and thought: “Hey, wait a minute.” ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/27 "2016-11-30T22:51:45Z")
What with Mon Motha being involved…I can see how people might think these are the “Bothan Spies” Thats the only possible confusion I can see. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/28 "2016-11-30T23:00:12Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > What with Mon Motha being involved…I can see how people might think these are the “Bothan Spies” > > Thats the only possible confusion I can see. Maybe that will be “Rogue Two”…the Suicide Squad that Amanda Motha keeps sending out to get Death Star info. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/29 "2016-11-30T23:04:30Z")
There are varying degrees of _Star Wars_ fandom, of course (I’ve only seen the original movie maybe 50 or 60 times, which makes me a piker compared to some), but I can’t see how anyone who’s even vaguely familiar with the plot of the original 1977 movie finds it difficult to see where _Rogue One_ fits in the timeline. I guess I can see how someone who hasn’t seen the movie might be confused, but the original movie \*[starts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHfLyMAHrQE) \*with the iconic rolling text that explicitly states that the plans have been stolen by the Rebellion. That scroll is followed by the equally iconic sequence of Darth Vader’s star destroyer chasing the ship carrying Princess Leia but also, and more importantly, the plans to the Death Star, which Leia hides in R2-D2 just before being taken captive by Vader. The only reason Vader is chasing Leia is because he’s looking for the Death Star plans (the word “plans” is stated or seen five or six times alone during the first seven minutes of the movie). Several more pointed references to the plans being in R2-D2 are made throughout the movie, until the Millennium Falcon finally makes it to the Rebellion base and the plans can be downloaded from R2-D2 for analysis. Again, maybe I’m too familiar with the plot of the original movie to be fully objective, but I don’t think one necessarily needs to be able to quote it in order to see that it will be preceded by the events of _Rogue One_. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/30 "2016-11-30T23:14:35Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Could’ve been one of those eerie caves where folks can see a Darth Vader illusion. > > (I’m just saying, there’s at least _one_ cave like that, right?) I think there was one in Age of Ultron. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/31 "2016-11-30T23:17:16Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Though a Wes Anderson movie set in the Star Wars universe might be pretty funny. His [X-Men movie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UngE0qn3VRY) looks good. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/32 "2016-11-30T23:30:49Z")
Here are the first two paragraphs of the opening crawl from the very first Star Wars movie from 1977: [QUOTE=Star Wars: A New Hope] It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet. [/QUOTE] And that’s the plot of _Rogue One_. Yeah it will be confusing at first, but once these interstitial non-Skywalker movies have become a regular thing, it will be easier to explain. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/33 "2016-12-01T01:44:38Z")
I think some people are over estimating how much the average Movie goer thinks about Star Wars 🙂 At least that is what my recent experience is bearing out. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/34 "2016-12-01T01:46:16Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > ENOUGH WITH THE FREAKING DEATH STAR ALREADY As I understand it, Lucas originally wanted a trilogy but didn’t think it would be greenlit, so he compressed everything he had down into one movie. Once that was successful, he re-expanded and made the second and third movies. Thus, you end up with the same ending twice. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/35 "2016-12-01T02:43:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Little Nemo** : > > It’s a prequel to the first movie which is actually the fourth movie and a sequel to the sixth movie which is actually the third movie. So this will be the eighth movie but it’s really the fourth movie and the ninth movie which comes out next year will be the eighth movie. What’s confusing about that? You missed two movies. _Rogue One_ will be the tenth Star Wars movie made, not the eighth. (I swear, sometimes it seems like I’m the only one who remembers the Ewok movies) ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/36 "2016-12-01T02:52:38Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > What with Mon Motha being involved…I can see how people might think these are the “Bothan Spies” > > Thats the only possible confusion I can see. That would be pretty confused. Bothan spies had nothing to do with the first Death Star, that was the second one. Pre EU wipe it was Kyle Katarn, now it’s these new guys. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/37 "2016-12-01T03:00:31Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You missed two movies. _Rogue One_ will be the tenth Star Wars movie made, not the eighth. > > (I swear, sometimes it seems like I’m the only one who remembers the Ewok movies) TV movies don’t count. ---
**Author:** ![blue\_infinity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_infinity/32/2817_2.png) [@blue\_infinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blue_infinity)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/38 "2016-12-01T03:02:15Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It’s a prequel to the first movie which is actually the fourth movie and a sequel to the sixth movie which is actually the third movie. So this will be the eighth movie but it’s really the fourth movie and the ninth movie which comes out next year will be the eighth movie. What’s confusing about that? So what does that make it in Machete order? ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/39 "2016-12-01T03:08:42Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > I think some people are over estimating how much the average Movie goer thinks about Star Wars 🙂 At least that is what my recent experience is bearing out. Shall I prepare your escape pod? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470/40 "2016-12-01T03:16:29Z")
_Rogue One_ has been done already. Spoilered - NSFW [spoiler][Trooper Clerks](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C8JNp-_BEvI) Kevin Smith meets _Star Wars_.[/spoiler] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-seem-to-be-confused-by-rogue-one/773470.md?page=3)