Rogue One’s Original Script Had a Different End in Mind for a Major Character

‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ will release this Friday in Digital HD (the Blu-ray/DVD will be released on April 4), and Entertainment Weekly has yet another article revealing interesting new details about the film leading up to its home video release. Today’s article focuses on an alternate Vader scene from the original script – where he viciously murdered a major character…

 

 

Entertainment Weekly’s Anthony Breznican spoke with Rogue One’s original screenwriter, Gary Whitta, who said that Darth Vader was always going to be used sparingly in the film. Gary Whitta explains:

 

“Vader is in the movie as much as he always was. He only had two things in the film. He was on Mustafar and then in the battle at the end.”

 

Whitta said that the Darth Vader murder scene was added much later and that the other Vader scene was dropped from the storyline altogether.

 

 

“The rampage where [Vader] murdered everybody wasn’t me. That got added later…I had pictured early on Vader murdering all these Rebel soldiers but I never wrote it into the script. It was an idea that stuck around after I left and they ended up finding a cool way to use it. It’s actually my favorite thing in the film.” – Gary Whitta

 

As EW revealed yesterday, the film could have ended much differently with a brighter outlook for our Rebel heroes. In the original draft of Whitta’s version of the script, Krennic would have also made it off of Scarif. In the film version, Krennic was incinerated by the blast from the Death Star. However, in the original version, Krennic would have been rescued by Imperial forces.

 

“They tore him out of the rubble and they brought him back. When they’re going over the ruins, he somehow survived.” – Gary Whitta

 

Whitta struggled with how unlikely that scenario would have actually been. He had to come up with a way that Krennic was able to escape the laser as well as explain how he could have survived the aftermath of the attack.

 

“It’s a bit of a reach, which is why it isn’t in the finished film…He survived the blast and they pulled him up and brought him to the Star Destroyer to report to Vader. He’s all beat up, his cape’s all torn up and stuff, and he thinks he has survived.” – Gary Whitta

 

 

Just when Krennic thinks he has survived the rebel onslaught, Vader would have shown up to teach him a final lesson in failure and its consequences.

 

There was a lot of speculation flying around before the movie’s release concerning Krennic’s fate with many people predicting that he would in fact meet his end at the hands of Darth Vader. As this revelation shows, that idea wasn’t too far off the mark after all. Would you rather have seen Vader kill Krennic instead of the Rebels? Or are you satisfied with that gloriously beautiful display of raw power that we got in the final cut? Share your thoughts below.

 

And check out this brief but awesome clip about Vader, promoting the upcoming Rogue One home release:

 

 


 
For the full interview make sure to go to Entertainment Weekly

 

 

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Jordan Pate is Co-Lead Editor and Senior Writer for Star Wars News Net, of which he is also a member of the book and comic review team. He loves all things Star Wars, but when he's not spending time in the galaxy far far away, he might be found in our own galaxy hanging out in Gotham City or at 1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center, NY.

Jordan Pate (Hard Case)

Jordan Pate is Co-Lead Editor and Senior Writer for Star Wars News Net, of which he is also a member of the book and comic review team. He loves all things Star Wars, but when he's not spending time in the galaxy far far away, he might be found in our own galaxy hanging out in Gotham City or at 1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center, NY.

41 thoughts on “Rogue One’s Original Script Had a Different End in Mind for a Major Character

  • March 21, 2017 at 8:04 pm
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    Krennic certainly doesn’t LOOK very torn up in those stills. Is the original Krennic death scene the one that was in the trailers, or is that some OTHER scene? Because if Whitta is trying to tell me that the Vader-Krennic scene that they shot is the one that he is describing, I’m calling bullshit.

    • March 21, 2017 at 8:21 pm
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      He is just saying that it was in an early draft of the script. It never made it to film.

    • March 21, 2017 at 8:40 pm
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      You’re assuming something which nobody said. Look at what he actually said and take that as fact, not what you think somebody is trying to say.

    • March 21, 2017 at 8:48 pm
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      We get it…reading is hard sometimes.

    • March 21, 2017 at 8:56 pm
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      Yeah, that’s the scene that appears to have been transplanted from the DS to Mustafar, not the denouement scene begin described.

  • March 21, 2017 at 8:39 pm
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    I’ve seen Vader choke dudes before. I hadn’t seen him go all ‘old boy’ on a bunch of rebels though, so I prefer the ending we’ve got.

  • March 21, 2017 at 8:46 pm
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    To see Krennic blasted by the immeasurable power that he created was more satisfying.

    • March 21, 2017 at 9:29 pm
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      Although…and I know I’m nit-picking here…WTF was Tarkin thinking? He destroyed a massive Imperial archive which, apparently, is one of the few places in the galaxy where super top secret plans for various projects are kept. How exactly did THAT professional development plan go when he and Palps sat down at their quarterly coaching meeting?

      • March 21, 2017 at 9:44 pm
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        To look at where Imperial officer says to Tarkin “a Rebel intrusion on Scariff ”

        Tarkin replies the “The ORIGINAL plans for this station are kept there”

        There are places where the Empire kept archives. Example would be when Kylo Ren says to Rey “we have other half retrieved from the archives of the Empire” or something like that

        Tarkin was most likely said we have all eggs in one basket and it’s a big risk. Like keeping your money in one bank. He didn’t hesitate to rid any security risks.

        • March 22, 2017 at 4:53 am
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          It’s like these people think LFL are morons.

          • March 24, 2017 at 12:35 am
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            Or like some people can’t read. I said I know I’m nit-picking, I’m just wondering about Tarkin’s unilaterally deciding to obliterate a massive installation which is a repository of a bunch of of top-secret plans, for no particularly good tactical reason.

      • March 21, 2017 at 10:03 pm
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        He was thinking that the rebels shouldn’t be allowed to get the death Star plans, I assume.

        • March 24, 2017 at 12:32 am
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          Buuuuuuuut….he destroyed the facility AFTER the gate was destroyed and the plans had been beamed to the ship by rebel spies.

          • March 24, 2017 at 1:03 am
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            But Tarkin assumed that Vader would handle the fleet. He didn’t want the rebels to try beaming the plans or any other useful information again. He didn’t know whether or not more transmissions were going to happen, I assume. I don’t know any of this for sure, but in my head, it seems like getting rid of the antenna was the best bet to stop any further trouble.

      • March 22, 2017 at 2:12 am
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        I think he did it partly to get rid of all his Deathtroopers as well.

        • March 24, 2017 at 12:41 am
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          And TIE Strikers. God how he hated those TIE Strikers.

      • March 23, 2017 at 3:09 am
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        I’ve thought about that a lot since the movie came out. Seems to me that Tarkin views the Rebel attack as a kind of infestation: he has to destroy the base to make sure he got them all. Considering there had just been a pretty major defection at Eadu, if the Scarif base was left intact he’d never be able to assure the Emperor that it was 100% secure…there’d always be the chance that the Rebels had managed to infiltrate a spy or convince an Imperial to defect. Easier to destroy the base to ensure that no other secrets fell into Rebel hands.

  • March 21, 2017 at 9:03 pm
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    Gary is kind of LYING here about “the amount of Vader” was always the same — as they also filmed SUBSTANTIAL footage of Darth Vader on the DEATH START itself — as he flew there AFTER the Mustafar meetup. Nice job covering your tracks Gary…….. I do AGREE that the Vader-vs-Rebels scene “made” the movie.

    • March 21, 2017 at 9:25 pm
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      “I do AGREE that the Vader-vs-Rebels scene “made” the movie.”

      Of course you do. Because leading up to the movie it was abundantly clear you had no interest in the story or it”s characters as you flat out stated that how good the movie was going to be was determined by how much Vader there was. All you wanted was Vader porn. I’m sure than when you’d get the DVD you’ll just forward straight to the end and just watch that scene 100 times.

      • March 21, 2017 at 10:04 pm
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        But VADER is LIKE butter, THE more THE better.

        Obviously.

        • March 24, 2017 at 12:31 am
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          Or was that ‘the more the butter’. Hey, did you know that Hot Topic sells OT shirts? I mean, I used to get all of MY goth-cred from the local mall. I bought it in bulk.

    • March 21, 2017 at 9:33 pm
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      NO….they DIDN’T…THEY filmed…as FAR as we can TELL the same SCENE that WAS later moved TO musTAFAR. If…IF those scenes existed at any time simultaneously in the script (Mustafar and DS) they would have been entirely, nearly word for word as far as we have evidence for, redundant.

    • March 22, 2017 at 4:50 am
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      LOL. you are so pleasant.

    • March 22, 2017 at 8:22 pm
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      What’s with all the CAPITAL LETTERS?

      • March 23, 2017 at 7:00 am
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        I think IT’S just A stylistic CHOICE.

  • March 21, 2017 at 9:41 pm
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    Loved this movie but the ending always felt chopped to me – especially the action on the planet surface. The scene with vader is fine in itself and harks back to some of the original art work for A New Hope. I would have preferred they made the end of Rogue One the start of ANH played from the empire perspective. Also did not feel that the transmissions were intercepted. Leia’s denial of involvement in the rebellion in ANH seems less plausible when she was floating about in the vastness of space above a major rebel assault on an Imperial facility. Something a bit more subtle might have been better.

    • March 21, 2017 at 10:09 pm
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      “I would have preferred they made the end of Rogue One the start of ANH played from the empire perspective.”

      Personally, I think that might be too confusing for audience members who aren’t totally familiar with A New Hope.

      “Also did not feel that the transmissions were intercepted.”

      But…they were. Not to the Tantive IV itself, but still.

      “Leia’s denial of involvement in the rebellion in ANH seems less plausible when she was floating about in the vastness of space above a major rebel assault on an Imperial facility.”

      Let’s remember, at the beginning of ANH, her ship is blasting Vader’s SD, and then when the stormtroopers board it, REBEL soldiers start shooting at them. Leia’s story was already ridiculous.

  • March 22, 2017 at 12:03 am
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    I’m glad they didn’t go this route. It would have been silly to have him survive only to be killed a bit later on.

  • March 22, 2017 at 12:16 am
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    I wonder what would have happened if Director Krennic had said: “Lord Vader, you better do what I say or I will kill you with my bare hands! You dumb stupid-head!!!”

    • March 22, 2017 at 12:30 am
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      “Director Krennic, I no longer think we should attack a planet, i think we should destroy a system.

      A RESPIRATORY SYSTEM!!”

      And the Vader chokes Krennic to death as he cringes at Vader’s latest zinger.

      • March 22, 2017 at 1:03 am
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        Krenick: My lord I am sorry I have failed you..I will accept my punish–
        Vader: cuts Krenick’s head off and as it’s rolling
        “You need to learn to learn to ‘roll’ with the punches director..mistakes happen.”

  • March 22, 2017 at 1:24 am
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    Re: “Chirruit and Baze”
    Exactly – we need more of these guys.

    Instead of that we got Beauty & Beast remake. 😉

    • March 24, 2017 at 12:39 am
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      Amen. I would gladly see another film that took us back a bit in their story.

  • March 22, 2017 at 2:11 am
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    That would have been awful. This is why re-writes exist.

  • March 22, 2017 at 5:04 am
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    “I need me some more Chirruit and Baze.”

    Guardians of the Whills comes out in May. It’s for younger readers, but still, it looks like a good read.

    • March 22, 2017 at 5:59 am
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      I’ll probably check it out anyway to see if they add to their history

      • March 22, 2017 at 6:41 am
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        I’m sure they will. According to the synopsis, Rogue One wasn’t the first time that the duo had met Saw Guererra. I think it’ll be an interesting tale.

  • March 22, 2017 at 11:18 pm
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    I didn’t think Vader moved right…at least he was tall though

  • March 23, 2017 at 1:22 am
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    Vader was supposed to die at the end, and then someone was like “oh crap wait, we can’t do that.”

  • March 24, 2017 at 12:29 am
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    Gotta be honest, I read that title and thought “…Bail Organa?”

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