Star Wars: 10 Things You Learn Re-Watching Rogue One
5. The Screenplay Is Good But Inconsistent
Star Wars has never been a great franchise for screenplays. While the Original Trilogy is amazing, the dialogue does lack a little and the less said about the dialogue in the prequels, the better.
After The Force Awakens had the best Star Wars script ever, it can be said Rogue One definitely has a good screenplay. The sacrifice of the main characters is powerful, the script does a good job of adding moral ambiguity to the Rebellion and, as blockbuster scripts go, it adds a weight and sense of high stakes to proceedings.
But the character development is a serious problem, and the film fails to flesh them or their relationships out. The characters aren't given backstory, individual personalities or a real relationship with each other. For example, it appears that a romance of sorts has formed between Cassian and Jyn. Wait, what?! There was no development that supported this relationship at all!
As for the characters, they might be likable mostly but they just feel a bit blank. Baze Malbus, Saw Gerrera and even Bodhi Rook, who Riz Ahmed does a good job with, aren't developed enough. Cassian Andor's moral ambiguity, meanwhile, isn't taken far enough. Galen Erso, Chirrut Imwe and, of course, the hilarious K-2SO are the highlights, but they are still somewhat underdeveloped. As for protagonist Jyn Erso, character development is nearly non-existent.