10 Reasons Rogue One Is The Smartest Star Wars Movie Ever

5. It Depicts The Force In A Whole New Light

Out of all of Rogue One's many heroes, it has to be Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen) who's the most memorable. A force-sensitive monk from the planet Jedha, Îmwe's connection to the force is Rogue One's first and only connection to a world before the Empire. As a member of the Whills and not a Jedi himself, Chirrut's connection to the force is one unlike any other and, as an idealist among cynics, trusts in it to deliver balance.

Himself and Baze (Jiang Wen) - former guardians of the Khyber Crystals found within the Jedha temple - offer fresh perspectives in relation to the force, straddling a line between total devotion to the hokey religion, and rejecting it altogether. Chirrut in particular exemplifies the ethereal nature of the galaxy's spiritual binding agent, performing acts that are, whilst undoubtedly impressive, not completely miraculous. And because there are no mind tricks, force blasts or lightsabers to be found, the audience - whilst already in possession of the knowledge that a tangible, mystical power pervades the mythos - are thus forced to concede to the heavy-handed incredulity of Baze, and in turn, the rest of the galaxy that resides within this post-Republic milieu. The Jedi are dead, ostensibly, and so is the force.

Far be it from Chirrut to eschew his devotion to the order in the face of such scepticism, he believes that he himself is very much one with the force. Whilst he may not be able to influence the decisions of others through tricks of the mind, bring down a star destroyer with a flick of his wrist or channel lightning from his fingertips, it is clear that the force is a reality to Chirrut. It protects, nourishes, and enlightens - not as a tool of destruction, but one of peace. When Baze himself is confronted with death, it is a new hope - one granted to him by his belief in the force - that allows him to pass peacefully, soundly assured that he will meet his long-time friend when he does so.

It's kind of beautiful, to say the least, and is an aspect of the saga I sincerely hope we revisit in the future.