The Rogue One panel just happened over at Star Wars Celebration Europe and (as expected) it was awesome!  We got to see the cast talk about the characters in the film and director Gareth Edwards of Monsters and Godzilla fame gave us new insight into the filmmaking process of such a huge movie.  If you haven’t seen the Rogue One panel, here it is.  NOTE: it starts at 2:58:40.

In addition to seeing everyone in the panel, we also got a behind the scenes trailer that offered a ton of new footage.

I don’t know about you, but I’m freaking out right now after seeing this awesome Celebration Reel.  Here’s some things I learned from the Panel:

The Death Star rises in this new poster for #RogueOne: A Star Wars Story. Just revealed at #SWCE! pic.twitter.com/aopNW6DzXq

— Star Wars (@starwars) July 15, 2016

1. War is emphasized.  Just take a good look at this poster above tweeted from the official Star Wars page.  The stakes are high, the characters are motivated from both sides, and neither side can afford to lose.  This is what makes every war feel more intense.  Earlier, we heard that Rogue One hired actual people from the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force to ensure that Rogue one takes the steps necessary to feel gritty and real.  These aren’t fancy Jedi running around with lightsabers and the Force.  These are soldiers on the dirty ground fighting for their lives and I really like how this gritty war is being portrayed on the big screen.
2. JAMES EARL JONES IS DOING THE VOICE FOR DARTH VADER!!!  This is just phenomenal news.  It’s been 10 years since we’ve last seen him do the voice on the big screen (though he voiced Vader in Star Wars Rebels).
3. Mads Mikkelson’s character Galen Erso created something that could change the universe.  I think this is the Death Star.  It would add a nice father-daughter dynamic if Galen technically created this mess and Jyn is trying to end it.  This would mirror the relationship of Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker in a small way since Anakin caused all the trouble and Luke ended up (almost) fixing it.
4. It seems like Gareth Edwards is able to handle it!  One of the big concerns for me personally was that I was a little unsure if director Gareth Edwards would be able to handle such a huge project.  I know he did Godzilla and that practically had the same budget of Rogue One, but while I really enjoyed Godzilla, there were still some problems with the Godzilla was portrayed because that big of a spectacle took the backseat.  I think Edwards is really good at portraying human drama so I think he’s gonna nail the team dynamics, but I don’t know if he could show iconic figures like Darth Vader in a way that makes Vader feel like an actual character and not just a shadow since he’s the big baddy alongside Mendelssohn’s Director Krennic.  However, after I saw the panel, it seemed like Edwards really knew what he was doing and that he really had a major passion behind this film.  I really liked one line in particular: “The pressure’s so high, but we’re making a film that’s right touching my favorite movie of all time.  But then if you’re too respectful of it that you dare not to do anything new or different or take a risk, then what are you bringing to the table?”  I think Edwards is definitely going to bring something new to the table and I can’t wait to see what he has in store for us in December.

So what do you think about Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (coming out December 16, 2016)?  Are you excited like I am?  Feel free to you share your thoughts in the comments section below!  Thanks!

Twitter: @MohitPuvvala