Oh wow, one of the “Rogue One” reshoots was *that* Darth Vader scene
There’s “dark” for Star Wars, and then there’s a horror movie. This particular Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Darth Vader scene plays like both. It comes at the very end of Rogue One, when Darth Vader indiscriminately kills a *lot* of Rebels to retrieve the Death Star plans. Now, we know that the filmmakers added this specific scene during the infamous Rogue One reshoots, which is definitely interesting.
If you’ve seen the movie you know the Darth Vader scene is pretty brutal (and if you haven’t seen the movie, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?). But, it’s also a really cool way to tie Rogue One to Star Wars: A New Hope. In fact, it brings the ending of this film within about ten minutes of the beginning of the original. Rebel soldiers desperately race the plans toward Princess Leia, and safety. Vader, meanwhile, shows off his evil Sith Lord skills — with lots and lots of murder.
In an interview with Yahoo! Movies, Rogue One editor John Gilroy explains that this wasn’t originally in the film.
“What was added—and it was a fantastic add—was the Vader action scene, with him boarding the ship and dispatching all those rebel soldiers. That was something conceptualized a little later.
It’s a great scene, even if it is tough to watch. Still, Darth Vader is essential to Star Wars. And after, you know, all the protagonists of Rogue One die on Scarif, this is a great way to connect the film to the larger narrative.
Apparently, getting a hard copy of the Death Star plans into Princess Leia’s hands was always part of the film. So, the filmmakers just added the actual scene of Darth Vader in pursuit.
Says Gilroy of the scene: “It was a really great punch in the arm and something I think fans wanted to see.
While it certainly upped the film’s already steep body count, the scene is undeniably riveting. It also really hammers in how essential it is for the rebels to have those plans. Ultimately, our fangirl sensibilities think adding the Darth Vader scene was the right choice.
