10 Reasons Rogue One Is The Smartest Star Wars Movie Ever

2. The Destructive Scope Of The Empire Is Fully Realised

Chalk it up to budget constraints or the limits of what was achievable onscreen in 1977, but, I have to say, you never really got the sense that the Empire was a truly oppressive force. Sure, they had a fleet (a big fleet), but their oppressive nature was never truly shown off to the extent to which you could see them as an omnipotent force of oppression. (ignoring for a second that, you know, they blew up Alderaan)

Leave it to Rogue One to change that, as the planet-trotting war flick makes a point of illustrating just how pervasive Imperial authority truly is. We see prison systems, troopers around every corner, massive fleets, a Death Star (obviously), and the way in which the Empire permeates everyday life in a post-Republic galaxy. They're not simply a minor hindrance to the efforts of rebel smugglers, they're a totalitarian organisation that can project force on an alarming scale, something that is displayed as much by the film's gigantic set-pieces as it is by the way in which characters act. It's not just temples and cities that the Empire is laying waste to in this sense, but the very idea of hope itself, typified in full by the shady methods of the Rebel Alliance at this time.

Physically, mentally and politically, the Empire in Rogue One is an unconquerable force. It's what makes even the smallest victory feel gigantic, and why the first anthology film will be remembered as the franchise's darkest.