Rogue One: A Star Wars Story star Diego Luna addresses the possibility of alternate endings to the film. Released in 2016, Rogue One takes place between Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, chronicling a group of rebels' daring mission to secure the plans for Death Star. The film was a hit critically and commercially, introducing audiences to Luna's Cassian Andor, who just recently returned for his very own prequel show on Disney+, and Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso, among others.
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Although Rogue One had a somewhat troubled production, the film remains a favorite among Star Wars fans, many of whom praise its storytelling risks. In contrast to other Star Wars films, which feature main characters that return time and time again, Rogue One ends with the death of Andor, Jyn, and all of their companions. Writer Gary Whitta has previously confirmed that an alternate ending was conceived in very early drafts of the script in case Disney didn't give them the green light to kill all of Rogue One's characters, which would have seen both Cassian and Jyn survive. With confirmation that other endings for Rogue One were considered early on, there has been some debate about whether any alternate endings were actually filmed.
In a new career retrospective interview with Vanity Fair, Luna praises Rogue One's "bold" ending and seemingly debunks the idea that any alternate versions were actually filmed. The actor clarifies that when he signed onto the film, he knew that his character was going to die, revealing that Rogue One's ending is actually what excited him the most about the role. Check out Luna's full comment below:
“So this is basically the reason why I was so happy to play this role and so excited about the idea of being part of this universe, because I thought it was so bold, so interesting, and so unique to have an ending like this. And I remember people say we shot different endings and, just to be clear, the day I was offered this role, I knew this was it. It was one film and I knew what the end was going to be. And it’s one of the things that excited me the most, you know, that Star Wars was going to do that, was going to show what sacrifice means, and was going to go for it.”
Rogue One's Ending Made It A Better Star Wars Movie
Star Wars had never shied away from killing characters in the past, with Obi-Wan Kenobi's (Alec Guinness) death in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Qui-Gon Jinn's (Liam Neeson) death in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, and Padme's (Natalie Portman) death in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith being notable examples. Rogue One, however, takes a group of seemingly minor characters in the grand scheme of the Star Wars universe and uses them to explore the notion of heroism and sacrifice like the franchise has never done before. The characters' sacrifice at the end of Rogue One not only adds to later Star Wars movies but also helps to further flesh out the Rebellion and how powerful the cause is for Cassian, Jyn, and the others.
The movie likely still would have been received well if Cassian and Jyn had survived, but their death is part of what makes Rogue One so memorable and so beloved among fans. The fact that all the Rogue One Rebel team were willing to sacrifice themselves further demonstrates just how powerful and evil the Galactic Empire is and adds a more serious, gritty tone to the Star Wars universe. For fans that are hoping to one day see a version of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in which Jyn and Cassian survive, Luna's comment basically confirms that no such version exists.