10 Biggest Problems Star Wars: Rogue One Faces (And How Lucasfilm Can Fix Them)

The Problem: Rogue One is a prequel. In fact, it's the most prequel-y film we've got from Star Wars yet. Set in the weeks leading up to A New Hope, in true serial form it's telling the story of the opening crawl, with an ending that reportedly come mere minutes before the original movie picks up. And for some Star Wars fans that's a risky proposition. Prequel is a dirty word in culture almost purely because of Episodes I-III, and for Star Wars itself to be dipping its toe back into the water could be perceived as a risky one.

Add to that the fact we know exactly how this story will end - the Rebels win, stealing the battle plans and starting a chain reaction that ends in their victory - and there's a worry we could be falling into the same trap.

How They Can Fix It: Despite being closer to the original, Rogue One has the opportunity built into the concept to feel more disconnected than the prequels; the events have a direct impact, sure, but only supporting characters will cross over, so it'd be hard for this to not act more as a standalone. By nature of making a prequel that doesn't feel enslaved to where it's heading, Edwards may have sidestepped the curse.

There's also been a complete lack of focusing on Lucasfilm's part about the film's prequel nature, repositioning it similar to how "reboot" is like a snazzier "remake", which keeps the word out of circulation a little.