One alternate “Rogue One” ending had everyone frozen in carbonite, so that’s a thing
Months after Rogue One landed in theaters, we are still learning new and exciting (and alarming) things about the stand-alone Star Wars movie. The latest bit of news is all about a new, exciting, and quite alarming almost ending of Rogue One. Have you heard the one about how in one version of the movie, it ended with everyone being frozen in carbonite?
Not a joke. As you are probably well aware (and if you’re not, good news, Rogue One comes out on DVD April 4th), Rogue One ends with our heroes dying, and it is very sad. Originally, that wasn’t supposed to happen. And then some of them were supposed to escape. And then, it was decided they all needed to die in the end, which is what actually happens. This ending is certainly a fitting way to go out with a huge bang, but that wasn’t always the case.
In an interview with io9, the man behind the OG idea for Rogue One, Chief Creative Officer and Senior Visual Effects Supervisor for Industrial Light & Magic John Knoll, explains that he once pitched an idea for an ending that is so crazy, and so crazy good, we are honestly very upset we didn’t see it on the big screen. Because it involves carbonite.
You know, carbonite! That’s what Han Solo is frozen in at the end of Empire Strikes Back.
According to Knoll, it all starts with Cassian Andor being a SPY FOR THE EMPIRE (??!!), who then “realizes a lot of what he’s been told is a lie and that he’s been on the wrong side. So he switches sides to the Rebellion and he realizes he can let everyone live.”
And just how does he let everyone live? By freezing them in carbonite. With the set up for this ending, our heroes actually get off of Scarif and are trying to get the plans to Leia. However, Darth Vader is following their ship, and he is PO’ed. That’s when Cassian steps in with a plan:
"They’ve got a carbon freeze bomb on the ship and the idea is that [Cassian] forces everyone into the airlock. 'I’m going to set this off and you’re all going to survive,'" Knoll explains. "He sort of times it with one of the hits from Vader’s ship so he blows up the ship and sets off this carbon freeze bomb and everyone is frozen. Then on Vader’s ship they detect no life signs and they think everyone’s dead. And they’re like, 'Where’s that ship the plans were transmitted too?' and they go [after Leia's ship]. So I was going to leave our heroes out of the picture. It’s why they don’t show up in Empire or Jedi — they’re stuck in [carbon freeze]."
OMG. This ending not only lets Jyn live, but also cleverly explains why she’s not in the other Star Wars movies. Because she, along with everyone else, is frozen in carbonite.
We’re not saying that this is the best ending to a Star Wars movie we’ve ever heard…but yeah, it’s the best ending to a Star Wars movie we’ve ever heard. Here’s to hoping this carbonite bomb makes its way into something else.
