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Who or What Does 'Rogue One' Refer To? Director Gareth Edwards Reveals All

‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ (Photo: Disney/Lucasfilm)

By Graeme McMillan, The Hollywood Reporter

So, now we know what Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is about, and who the main players are for the prequel that takes place just prior to the very first Star Wars movie back in 1977. There’s just one mystery remaining: what does that title mean?

“‘Rogue One’ is a military call sign to some extent,” director Gareth Edwards told Empire, referring to the fan-favorite “Rogue” squadron of Rebel pilots that debuted in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back. However, he continued, “this is the first film that’s gone off-piste and is not part of the saga — or the Anakin story — so it’s the 'rogue’ one, you know?”

That’s not the only reason behind the title, Edwards went on to explain. "It’s kind of describing [Felicity Jones’ character] as well in a similar way,” he said. “It has [all] these split, multiple meanings that made it feel like the right choice.”

There’s one final option for the identity of the rogue of the title: Edwards himself, although he’s not ready to accept the honor when it’s suggested. “I don’t know… I never see myself that way,” he initially responds to the suggestion, before recovering to say, “That’d be cool! We tried to do things different, for sure.”

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will be released Dec. 16.