Description
The first film in the Star Wars Story line of standalone films outside the numbered saga. It was released on December 16, 2016. It was directed by Gareth Edwards, with a screenplay by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy based on a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta, and it was produced by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. The music was composed by Michael Giacchino; it is the first live-action film of the canon whose score was not written by John Williams.
The action takes place immediately before the events of A New Hope, at the height of the Galactic Empire. The leading roles were played by Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, and Alan Tudyk; Genevieve O'Reilly returned to the role of Mon Mothma. The film introduces Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, the droid K-2SO, and Director Orson Krennic, as well as the planets Jedha, Eadu, and Scarif.
The film differs markedly in tone from the numbered episodes: it is a war drama without an opening text crawl. Its characters were developed further in later works of the canon, which makes the film a key reference point for describing the structure of the rebel underground.
Related events
- Operation on Jedha — 1 BBY; approximate date
- Destruction of the holy city on Jedha — 1 BBY; approximate date
- Battle of Scarif — 1 BBY; approximate date
- Delivery of the plans to the Alliance — 1 BBY; approximate date