Gareth Edwards Explains the Rogue One Movie Title
Rogue One director Gareth Edwards has shed light on the title of the first spin-off Star Wars film. In an exclusive Empire chat he talks about what the title actually refers to. Read on for the details!
We all know that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the title for the first film in a unique series of big-screen adventures that explores the characters and events beyond the core Star Wars saga. The film, directed by Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) follows a band of Rebel soldiers who take on a tyrannical EMPIRE that reigns over the galaxy.
The original Star Wars film was simply called Star Wars when it first hit cinemas back in 1977. In fact, in the opening crawl, there was no “Episode IV” or “A New Hope”. It was simply Star Wars. The added identifier of “A New Hope” didn’t become a part of the story until years after the two sequels had been made for the original trilogy. Of course, director George Lucas had ideas of other Star Wars films, but at the time he wasn’t even sure how well it would be received. Well, we all know how that turned out!
So, the question that many fans are probably wondering is, what specifically does the “Rogue One” title refer to in this first of three proposed spin-off films?
Empire sat down with … Â Gareth Edwards to find out what the title actually means.
From EMPIRE
Rogue One⌠It has a undeniably badass ring to it, but what exactly does it mean? Itâs a question that even its director, Gareth Edwards, had been puzzling over during the production process until, zing! A eureka moment came at Star Wars Celebration last month.
“I’d been thinking about it,â he reflects in the new issue of Empire. âWhat does it mean? ‘Rogue Oneâ is a military call sign to some extent,â he adds, referring to Red Squadron during the Battle of Yavin, “but this is the first film that’s gone off-piste and is not part of the saga â or the Anakin story â so itâs the ‘rogue’ one, you know?â
Thereâs potentially another meaning to it too, relating to Felicity Jonesâ interplanetary guerrilla Jyn Erso. She also has a rogue streak; a touch of the Han Solos in her drive to do whatâs right, regardless of how much shit she has to blow up en route.
âIt’s kind of describing her as well in a similar way,â says Edwards. âIt has [all] these split, multiple meanings that made it feel like the right choice.”
Does the title also, perhaps, apply to Edwards himself?
âI donât knowâŚâ he demurs, âI never see myself that way. But, er⌠thatâd be cool! We tried to do things different, for sure.â
Good Stuff!
Don’t forget to check out our coverage of Rogue One’s new magazine issue from Empire on Thursday August 25!
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits cinemas on December 16.
In other words, the title wouldn’t necessarily be pronounced “Rogue ONE” (as in the pilot callsign) but rather “ROGUE one” (as in, “She’s a ROGUE one, that gal.”)
The whole thing is rather odd to me, that even the director of the movie has to guess what the title refers to.
Honestly, I assumed that “Rogue One” would be the call sign of the strike team’s dropship during the raid, but… well, now I guess it’s just one of those nebulous “It is whatever you want it to be, maaaaan” things, eh?
He’s not guessing just explaining how it fits on multiple levels. It shows the intentional, thoughtfulness put into the naming. He states off the bat that it’s obviously a call sign but has other meanings (some internal, others meta).
I get what you’re saying but does it really have that meaning if you come up with that meaning after you’ve already named it and just say, “okay, THIS is what it means!”?
If it is used in the movie as a call sign, as was strongly implied, then yes, it really does have that meaning…
I believe deeper meanings you didn’t initially realize can be discovered after the fact. Especially if it fits with themes that are already there.
It is the same as an author discovering something in their text that they didn’t realize could be understood a certain way and then utilizing that idea in sequels (as some believe Lucas did with Vader being Anakin). Some of this stuff is also subconscious.
So the title can mean anything…
I never really questioned it, in all honesty. I just assumed “a story about the rebels, Rogue One is a Rebel-style callsign, it makes sense, like “Black Hawk Down”.”
Kind of strange…isn’t it a reference to Rogue squadron? Zev in Empire was Rogue Two. “Echo Base, this is Rogue Two. I’ve found them. Repeat, I’ve found them.”
Yep, and it was so on pretty much everything old-canon (now Legends), even videogames and novels. Maybe they’re rebooting that too.
It should be that, I agree, but then its also kind of a misnomer. Because in the movies none of the call signs ever end in “one”, they end in “Leader”.
Erm… Luke and Wedge and Biggs were [I think !] Reds 5, 2, and 3. I had been assuming that “R1” was a callsign, either the very first instance of this group being created – perhaps as a ‘special ops’ task force type of group – or the callsign for the current squadron who we later see over Hoth, with that R1 being Commander Skywalker……….. at the moment, we’re assuming the pre-ANH Rogue squadron members died, and Luke and his team inherited it ; so Luke directly took the place of Jyn Erso (assuming she is R1).
I see what you’re saying. I’m not saying there were no numbers, I’m saying it was Red 5, Red 3, Red 2 and Red Leader, not Red 1. “Red Leader this is Gold Leader…”
but wouldn’t it be the name for Firespray-31-class patrol ship leaked by Lego months ago that supposedly should show up in the movie at some point?
“…is not part of the saga â or the Anakin story…”
Interesting that he separates the ‘Anakin story’ from the ‘saga’.
He basically meant not part of the numbered episodes. But still in the continuity of them.
i was hoping he he’d explain the change from “anthology” to “a star wars story”. .
That’s a Kennedy question.
probably, but i’d assume he’d also know why they changed the subtitle of his film. unless its secret or something.
I assumed it was because “Anthology” was somewhat misleading. It sounds like it is an actual anthology film, meaning multiple short films within one film. I never liked Anthology for that reason.
to me it seemed clear that anthology meant all the spinoffs were separate stories in the same universe. if people can’t tell that rogue one or han solo are full, single stories in their own right then i can’t help them.
People leaving Episode I thought the little boy was Luke
I was going to rip those people but in their defense they probably slept through most of the film. đ
haha, it’s true though. I heard one myself.
… because it’s more appealing? I don’t know. “Star Wars Anthology” sounds awfully generic to me. I also think it’s better to put the name of the movie FIRST before pointing out it’s a Star Wars movie. It fits the fact that these are spin-off movies, and that they are thus independent from the saga films. Also, “A Star Wars Story” sounds more fairy-tale-ish, and thus fits the Star Wars spirit more.
they both sound generic, lets be fair. i’d personally prefer if it had no subtitle, the lack of an episode chapter seems pretty clear to me.
Honestly, it’s probably they just thought it sounded better marketing wise. Maybe people didn’t know what an anthology meant. It’s likely that simple.
Yeah I guess, but even so most people still thought this was ep VIII. All you can really do is throw up your hands sometimes. đ
The marketing will make it clear by the time the movie arrives.
So what does it mean…?
I feel like he was dancing around the fact, that rogue one will end up being her call sign and that this is where rogue squadron is born. And it makes sense as to why you wouldn’t have “heard” of rogue squadron in episode 4, but hear it after. The events of episode 4 take place within a day or two, and you don’t really even meet up with the Rebels till the end. At least that’s what I’m banking on and he didn’t wanna just spoil it for all those who don’t know how rogue squadron comes about.
I thought it related to Rogue Squadron, like maybe where they originated. So now it’s just a play on words? Lame.
Rogue Squadron wasn’t developed until after the Battle of Yavin. Wasn’t it?
No one heard of it until empire so …maybe
Apparently even the title “Attack of the Clones” is more related its story than Rogue One is.
AOTC is very much related to the story. The creation and utilization of the Clones was an “attack” by Palpatine on the Jedi and the Republic that led to their downfall.
See that thing flying way up high over your head? It’s called THE POINT.
So pleasant.
Yeah, I was thinking the same about your comment.
Except mine was responding to your being rude. You reap what you sow.
“The added identifier of âA New Hopeâ didnât become a part of the story until years after the two sequels had been made for the original trilogy.”
“A New Hope” was actually used in the 1981 re-release, not years after the sequels.
When Star Wars was re-released in theaters in the summer of 1978, Episode IV and the title “A New Hope” were added to the crawl.
I’m excited for this movie, but that’s a totally moronic answer, truly.
Well tbo, I grew up with the “one” in Slave One referring to a ship, so I assumed it would be the name of an important rebel ship in the movie. That aside, I’m a little disappointed with the answer. I mean, unless this is a red herring do to him not wanting to give anything away, it seems like the title would have more heads on meaning. I mean, it’s like he’s giving his own interpretation of what I thought had a definite answer.
I was hoping it was a reference to a squadron. I just hope they don’t pull a “I guess we’re just some kind of Suicide Squad” with something like, “You follow the rules, huh? I guess I’m the rogue one.” That is just too in your face.
Rogue One is another name for Darth Plagueis =)
No way. Just doesn’t fit. I would bet jyn Erso dies in this movie. She would have had to make it ten years past the fall of the empire to even have Rey.
My joke was that rogue one is a codename for Reys Mam, not Jyn or a ship or rebel group.
Sooooo……what? Is it the call sign of the rebel squad. I was thinking that since it came out
Makes sense.