10 Most Unnecessary Times Star Wars Used CGI
6. Grand Moff Tarkin - Rogue One
One of the most controversial uses of CGI in the entire Star Wars saga occurred in Rogue One, when Grand Moff Tarkin made an appearance despite actor Peter Cushing having been dead for over 20 years.
Tarkin was achieved by having actor Guy Henry play the part on-set, providing both the physical presence and voice for Tarkin, before Cushing's digital likeness was superimposed over the top.
Though an impressive achievement, many ultimately found the effects work distracting, that because we as audience members knew Peter Cushing was dead, his presence here drew attention to itself in a deeply uncanny way.
And beyond that, many questioned the ethics of such technological advancement, that even with Cushing's estate signing off on it, Cushing himself was unable to consent to his image being used in such intimate fashion.
More to the point, actor Guy Henry has a solid likeness to Cushing without any VFX chicanery, and considering how brilliantly he approximated Cushing's voice, why not simply give him some practical makeup and let him play Tarkin entirely himself?
Again, CGI Tarkin remains a hugely contentious subject among the Star Wars fandom, but the filmmakers had a perfectly great real-life stand-in for Tarkin right there and honestly didn't need to bother with the digital tricks.