10 Reasons Rogue One Is The Smartest Star Wars Movie Ever

3. Victory Comes, But At An Immense Cost

At its heart, Rogue One is a tale of triumph against the odds. These few rebels, who embark on their mission to Scarif without any belief that the Alliance will come to their aid, ultimately succeed in planting the first breach in the Empire's armour. There's a heavy price to pay for this victory however, as every last member of the Rogue One callsign perishes in the fighting.

It's not an easy thing to watch these characters, some of whom deserve to be labelled among the best in the Star Wars canon, die one by one as the battle progresses. What's even more heartbreaking about these deaths, however, is that throughout the film, even going into it, you get the sense that none of them are going to make it. It's a testament to the strength of Rogue One's character-driven narrative that, despite this knowledge, each and every last one of them, from Jyn to Bodhi, are so incredibly endearing. But, more importantly, it illustrates a brutal reality of victory; that it always comes at a price.

Apart from the fact that the sacrifice of Rogue One's crew adds an appropriate level of poignancy to the events of A New Hope, it strips away the fantastical nature of Star Wars itself. Rather than experiencing a modern-day myth play out across our cinema screens, we are witnessing the lives of ordinary individuals caught up in extraordinary circumstances. It grounds the film remarkably, and again, exemplifies its nuances by confronting the pain so synonymous with fighting for what's right.