Rogue One: 8 Reasons To Be Excited Even If You Aren't A Star Wars Fan

It's strange to think that - despite it being the biggest franchise in cinematic history - there are people out there who just don't like Star Wars. Whether it's a case of people hating on something popular or George Lucas's brainchild just not clicking in the right way, the space opera series isn't as universally adored as you might have believed.

And that's understandable - after all, there are people who don't like Terminator 2, or Back To The Future, or even watching movies in general. Sometimes, we assume that everyone loves the things we love in an equal fashion, but rarely is this the case. Think of a movie you absolutely hate, or just find plain average - somewhere out there, there's probably a person who completely adores that movie. It's a strange thought, and Star Wars is no exception.

But in December, all that could be about to change. Rogue One: A Star Wars story is shaping up to be the most fresh, distinct entry in the series to date, and as a result, it could very well be the film to get those non-Star Wars fans aboard the Rebel train. Or the Empire Death Star.

It's the combination of new characters, different tone and divergent plot that's the winning ticket here, so whether you're looking to convince a Star Wars rookie or simply need some motivation to head to the cinema yourself, you may find the following eight reasons come in handy.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens successfully re-launched the franchise after the poor response to the prequel trilogy - the rave reviews and two billion dollars in box-office receipts speak for themselves. And while it was certainly a good movie in its own right, it didn't really do a lot for the non-Star Wars fans out there, by sheer virtue of the movie (and its marketing) banking heavily on the audiences love for the series.

And if you don't like Star Wars, why would you care? Why would you care that Han and Chewie are "home"? Why would you care that the Millennium Falcon is back? Why would you care about the opening crawl, or even the score? The short answer is, you wouldn't. The Force Awakens was a joyous trip down memory lane for us fans, but for everyone else, it could've come across as a little self-indulgent.

Rogue One, however, is doing things completely differently. Yes, Darth Vader is in the movie, but we've seen nary a glimpse of him so far and the marketing is geared toward Jyn Erso, her story and her crew rather than the shiny galactic overlord. This in mind, we can assume the movie will do the same, and won't rely heavily on you having an appreciation of the Star Wars universe when you sit down to watch it.