SPOILERS: The 5 Biggest Moments From The ROGUE ONE Trailers That Weren't In The Movie
Most trailers contain some shots that don't make the final cut of the film, but in Rogue One's case there were some pretty significant changes - quite possibly as a result of those extensive reshoots...
Now that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is finally in theaters (you can check out my review HERE), we can take a look back at some of the many shots from the trailers/TV spots etc that were absent from the final cut of the movie.
Again, it's far from unusual for trailers to feature stuff that doesn't make it into the theatrical release, and scenes can often be shot for promotional purposes that were never intended to be included anyway - but, in Rogue One's case we might be able to figure out some of the things that were altered because of those much-publicized reshoots, and see if we can determine if any major plot points may have been affected as a result.
If you haven't seen Rogue One yet be warned, as MAJOR SPOILERS follow from this point on.
5. "I Rebel"
Not exactly what you'd call a huge moment plot-wise, but this clanger from Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso was one of the most talked about moments from the first Rogue One trailer. The line ("This is a rebellion isn't it? I rebel") came across as petulant and just plain silly, and could well have removed from the final cut because of the negative reaction to it.
It's not the only moment from this scene that wasn't included, however, as the trailer also features more dialogue from Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly), and her "we need to know how to destroy it" line definitely suggests that the focus of the entire first act of the film was considerably different at one point.
4. Saw's Speech
The first trailer also featured quite a bit of Forest Whitaker's divisive rebel extremist, Saw Gerrera, that was missing from the theatrical release. Right at the beginning of the movie, the younger Jyn Erso runs and hides in a secret bunker after the death of her mother, and Saw is there waiting to take her in. The fact that he's bald in these shots suggests that this sequence was originally longer, with Jyn climbing the ladder and listening to Saw's "what will you become" speech before we cut to the title.
It'll be down to individual opinion as to whether more of this character would have been a good or bad thing, but it would have fleshed out his relationship with Jyn a little more at the very least.
3. More Vader
There were actually a couple of brief Vader shots from the various trailers and TV spots that we never saw in the finished film, but one in particular involving another conversation with Director Krennic stands out.
In the movie, a nervous Krennic pays the Dark Lord a visit after the Death Star weapons test, and winds up almost "choking on his aspirations." However, this excised moment suggests that this sequence either went on a little longer originally, or the pair had another scene together with a slightly more confident Krennic lecturing Vader about the immeasurable power of the technological terror he'd created.
Though this probably wouldn't have had much bearing on the story one way or the other if it had remained, more Vader is always a good thing!
2. Jyn Vs. A Tie Fighter
This striking image from the second theatrical trailer had everyone anticipating an impossibly one-sided showdown, as we see a seemingly injured Jyn striding with purpose towards an Imperial Tie Fighter.
Having seen the movie, we now know that Jyn was attempting to get to the end of that walkway to realign the antenna, and the fighter was rising to block her path - however, we also know that things played out very differently in the final cut, with no woman-on-spaceship face-off at all, and her path being blocked on the way back instead.
It's difficult to assess why this would have been altered, but if, for example, Jyn was somehow able to commandeer that ship, it might have led directly into the very different ending we almost had.
1. Scariff Escape?
Undoubtedly the biggest moments from the trailers that were absent from the theatrical release of Rogue One were the shots of Jyn and Cassian running from the Imperial bunker into oncoming enemy fire with the Death Star plans in-hand.
In the final cut, the pair never leave with the plans and instead manage to transmit the files directly from the installation - so does this mean that at one point Jyn and/or Cassian actually survived and were able to escape from Scariff to deliver the plans in person? Such a major alteration to the climax of the film would definitely have warranted some extensive reshoots - but we very rarely hear about the end of the movie being changed to make it more bleak. Of course, it's possible Jassian (yes, I'm shipping their force ghosts) were always killed and simply handed off the plans first.
Were there any other shots from the trailer you hoped to see that never made the final cut? Sound off below.