Now that the latest Star Wars trilogy has concluded with Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, we can all agree that the most beloved film is Episode IV: A New Hope - or is it Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back?  Actually there’s a lot of affinity for Episode VII: The Force Awakens and the darker, Ewok-less conclusion to the first trilogy, Revenge of the Sith was enjoyed by many.

But since Lucasfilm was purchased by Disney in 2012, one of the fan favorites is surely Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.  Let’s look at the reasons why Rogue One is the best of the 5 Star Wars films produced by Disney, and some reasons it’s not.

Rogue One is Better - Darth Vader

It’s easy to say that the appearance of everyone’s favorite Sith Lord helped the appeal of Rogue One - but it’s the way Darth Vader was used in the story that lifted the film.  For example, the interrogation scene with Director Krennic was insightful and chilling and helped bridge the movie back to the planet Mustafar that Anakin Skywalker haunted in Revenge of the Sith.

Rumour has it Vader’s next appearance, slicing through a rebel rear-guard in pursuit of the newly stolen Death Star plans, was added based on test audience response; it certainly cemented his status as a relentless and powerful villain.  More importantly, both scenes were entirely Cool - something that many of the latest “Star Wars” films have been trying too hard to achieve.

Rogue One Isn’t Better - Saw Gerrera

We all cheered at the addition of Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker to the cast of Rogue One, but his character Saw Gerrera seemed trivial and underserved.  This was compounded by the fact that Whitaker’s appearance in the trailer as a younger version of Saw that was cut from the final film (except in flashbacks).

And as a recurring character in the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels, fans had hoped his appearance would be longer and more fulfilling.  Surely Saw (and Whitaker) were one of the first casualties of the drastic reshooting of Rogue One before it’s release.

Rogue One Is Better - K2SO

The new Star Wars films have heavily focused on the addition of cute droids, such as BB8 and conehead D-0; but Rogue One features K2SO, the best anthropomorphic robot since C3P0.  His addition gives the movie a quirky boost of warmth and humor.

Sure, L3-37 in Solo: A Star Wars Story is entertaining, and likely inspired by K2SO, but the latter is a member of Rogue One’s crew and a vital part of the plan to infiltrate the Empire facility on Scarif.  He even has a sympathetic death - which is more than you can say for most droids in Star Wars.

Rogue One Isn’t Better - Diversity

Adding some diversity to the main cast of Rogue One was a top priority for Disney, with the rag-tag crew of rebels covering a wide range of international characters.  Star Wars fans also welcomed another female hero in Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), albeit one who was thrust into that role without any special powers or lineage.  

But this diversity stopped at the lower levels - many of the rebel leaders were Caucasian males, and all of the Death Star scientists lead by Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) were Old White Men.  Star Wars has been able to skirt this issue in the past by “casting” wookies and robots and Mon-Calamari as main characters. Perhaps that was the point the filmmakers were making in portraying the Empire as such - that their lack of diversity contributed to their demise.

Rogue One Is Better - Rebels Aren’t Perfect

By the time Star Wars: A New Hope concluded, the audience knew that the Rebellion was on a noble quest to overthrow the nefarious Empire, with the troops and pilots united in one cause.  But Rogue One posits that this wasn’t always so - that the rebel forces were once fractured and scarce.

In showing the division amongst rebel leaders, Rogue One reinforces the notion that uniting against the evil Empire wasn’t a straightforward task, but the “right thing to do”.  That they are bloodied but emboldened after their victory at Scarif, at the end of Rogue One, gives more credence to their power to unite and threaten the impenetrable Empire in A New Hope and beyond.

Rogue One Isn’t Better - Missing The Force

There is very little of The Force in Rogue One and no Jedi amongst the cast (unless you count turned-to-the-dark-side Vader). This freed the filmmakers to tell a story of “regular people” who have no magical powers or destiny-making decisions to guide their journey.

Fans could argue this made for a more earthy story devoid of the Star Wars magic, but in many ways, it’s a strength of the plot.  The inclusion of force-sensitive warrior-monk Chirrut Imwe (Donny Yen) is a nod to this gap and used in a way that adds pathos to his unfortunate character arc.

Rogue One Is Better - It Fits

The manner in which Rogue One fits into the Star Wars canon has become more praiseworthy after the messy plotting of Rise of Skywalker.  Rogue One does a laudable job of adding to the movies - past and present - in a manner that makes the movie tragic and uplifting at the same time (more on that below).  It certainly doesn’t deter from the events or characters of A New Hope, except perhaps the reveal of the monstrous Death Star.

Rogue One makes respectful use of Star Wars trappings like kyber-crystals, X-Wing fighters, and the rebel base at Yavin without disrupting the mythology or overtly servicing fans - even C3P0 and R2D2’s appearance is brief and inconsequential.  Now that the new trilogy has concluded, of all 11 canon films, it’s easy to see how Rogue One - even with reshoots - is a strong fit to the Skywalker Saga.

Rogue One Isn’t Better - Fantastic Aliens

If there’s one cinematic aspect lacking from Rogue One, it’s the menagerie of aliens that fans have come to expect from a Star Wars film.  Besides bipedal aliens like Chewbacca and Greedo, fans look forward to weird and wonderful creatures popping into play, like the Poag in The Last Jedi and droid repairman Babu Frik in Rise of Skywalker.

The only alien of prominence in the Rogue One story is Bor Gullet, the mind-reading, computer-rendered, octopus-blob that forwards the plot by interrogating Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed) in Saw’s hideout.  But Gullet is gone 10 minutes later, presumably buried in the rubble of Jedha and the convoluted plotlines that were discarded upon Rogue One’s release.

Rogue One is Better - Unhappy Ending

As Rogue One’s release date got closer, it was apparent to fans that the movie would not have a Happy Ending - and not just because of the aforementioned reshoots.  The recovery of the Death Star plans was known to have come at a price to the rebellion, and fans should be grateful that Disney’s meddling didn’t lead to an unearned, sunny finale.

Yet the ending of Rogue One is less tragic than “hopeful”, as noted by CGI Princess Leia.  Unlike so many of the other films - Rise of Skywalker in particular - Rogue One is not a story of redemption or resurrection or even defeat.  The film illustrates that a Star Wars movie that explores themes outside of the standard adventure story would be a welcome addition.

Rogue One Isn’t Better - Less Fun

Given that Rogue One has an unhappy ending - certainly for our heroes - it’s worth noting how that makes the movie less fun.  Star Wars movies should be at least partially joyful to be effective, with Revenge of the Sith being the exception. Certainly, fans aren’t crying out for a Star Wars film that’s dreary or depressive or lethargical - and that’s why the new trilogy focuses on characters Finn and Poe as much as the Skywalkers and Palpatines.

From Han Solo’s first brazen retreat to Poe’s wondering how often he’s been “force commanded” in Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars films have taken the time to let audiences enjoy their characters, even when they are fighting for something as important as the fate of the galaxy.  A little more fun in Rogue One may have helped its appeal - and something to keep in mind for all “Star Wars” films going forward.