The original Star Wars movie gave moviegoers a broad look at the conflict between the Rebel Alliance and Empire decades ago, but Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is going back to that time period to navigate deeper into the "trenches." Emphasizing the "Wars" more of the franchise, fans are going to meet a new group of Rebel fighters who aren't nearly as famous as Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa and Han Solo, but were nonetheless important to the cause. Fortunately, according to lead actress Felicity Jones, Star Wars fans will love these main characters due to how "flawed" they feel.
In the midst of interviewing Jones about her new movie, A Monster Calls, Yahoo posed a few Rogue One questions, including which other characters besides her own, Jyn Erso, the actress thinks fans will "latch onto." She said:
I think you'll love all the rebels. Because they're flawed. They've all had histories, they've all had their own struggles, and I feel like people are going to really champion them and fall in love with them.
While the original Star Wars protagonists certainly weren't without their share of struggles, it's good to hear that the Rogue One characters have their own issues, making them compelling to watch rather than folks who are "perfect" and uninteresting. Let's start with Jyn Erso: she's spent most of her life fighting to survive and striking back against the impressive Imperials, not to mention that she's been estranged from her father Galen, a scientist involved with creating the Death Star. That background is more than enough to make us want to root for her as she joins the Rebellion effort.
Of course, Jyn Erso won't be the only one sticking it to the Imperials in Rogue One. Her cohorts range from Riz Ahmed's Bodhi Rook, a former Imperial pilot who joined the Rebel cause, to Jiang Wen's Baz Malbus, a hardened assassin who spends his time shooting Imperial soldiers and looking after his friend, spiritual warrior Chirrut Îmwe, played by Donnie Yen. Let's also not forget Forest Whittaker's Saw Gerrera, who's been fighting injustice for decades, as seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. All these folks have their reasons for fighting the Empire, and Felicity Jones believes that fans will have a great time learning about them and watching them fight back against the oppressive force dominating the galaxy.
Taking place shortly before the events of A New Hope, Rogue One will follow a band of Rebels who are sent by Mon Mothma and other leaders of the resistance to secure the plans to the Death Star. Besides the previously mentioned names, other new players being introduced include Diego Luna as Rebel officer Cassian Andor, Ben Mendelsohn as Imperial director Orson Krennic and Alan Tudyk as the reprogrammed Imperial droid K-2SO.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will be released in theaters on December 16.
