10 Reasons Rogue One Is The Smartest Star Wars Movie Ever

2. The Destructive Scope Of The Empire Is Fully Realised

Star Wars Rogue One Krennic
Disney

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.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.