10 Ways Star Wars Rogue One Was Almost Totally Different
Believe it or not, it could have been even darker.
By now it’s common knowledge Star Wars: Rogue One underwent a lot of changes in post-production, with extensive reshoots taking place and lots of scenes glimpsed in early trailers being dropped. While reshoots are hardly anything new for modern blockbusters, the sheer extent of the changes has raised a few eyebrows. Even Ben Mendelsohn – who plays chief villain Orson Krennic – has said they shot enough footage to produce a drastically different cut of the movie.
Disney has kept quiet on the natural of most of the deleted footage, leaving it up to fans to fill in the blanks. However, interviews with the filmmakers and various making-of material has shed light on the various changes made to the story, from the first draft all the way up to the final release.
Here we’ll be taking a look at the various ways Rogue One was completely different in certain areas, from dropped character backstories to deleted setpieces that made it even darker than it already is.
10. Pendra's Death On Jedha
Rogue One is easily one of the darkest entries in the Star Wars saga, featuring heroes that shoot unarmed informers in the back and entire cities being burned off the map. Apparently, some of the darker elements were snipped in the post, including a shot that revealed the ultimate fate of the little girl Jyn saved during the Jedha street battle.
In the novelisation it’s revealed this poor child – named Pendra – is amongst those who perished when the Death Star blasts Jedha off the map. She’s with her family when it happens, and her father tries in vain to shield her from the blast when it reaches them.
It’s a grim moment and underlines the human cost of the Empire’s destruction. Child death was probably a step too far for Disney though, so we don’t see Pendra’s demise in the film itself.