Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Spoiler Policy

This is a spoiler-free review. The plot summary here is an introduction to the characters and the scene and no further. If you choose to read, the outcome full of its twists and turns is all there for you to explore, spoiler-free.

Introduction

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by Alexander Freed is the novelization of the Star Wars movie Rogue One. At first, I never understood reading film novelizations, but Rogue One shined much brighter as a book than a film. Books unlock a new level of character development with which movies cannot compete. In films, everything has to be direct quotes said by the characters or flashbacks, which pale in comparison to the characterization in books. When you can learn what a character is thinking during important moments, the story goes deeper and feels more substantial. It feels like an actual person is at stake, not just a stunt-person designed to entertain. Books are the best way to learn about characters, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, embodies that truth.

While the book itself is a great read, the preceding book, and the film both add heavily to the experience of reading. Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel is the prequel to Rogue One, published shortly after Rogue One’s release. When you read the two books in sequence, the story gains a new sense of gravity, and the main character feels much different than if it’s read alone. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a book worth reading either way, but I would highly recommend reading Catalyst first; it will only enhance your experience. After reading Rogue One, watch the film for sure. Reading the novel first gives the film characters depth, making the tense moments and action scenes much more intense.

Characters and Plot

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a book about the early stages of the rebellion against the Empire. The main character we follow throughout the story is Jyn Erso. She is the daughter of Death Star super-scientist Galen Erso and is a ragtag criminal, living her life creating havoc for the Empire. She is a young woman used to living on her own and desperate to release her pent up anger and burning regret upon the empire in any way she can. Jyn is living life on her own, newly locked up in an Imperial prison at the outset of the story. However, she gets “rescued” by the rebellion and forced to confront her rocky past if she ever wants to live free. Throughout the novel, we learn that Jyn is an incredibly conflicted character. While hard on the outside, her outbursts in anger are just a symptom of her inner-wounds, which she struggles with overcoming throughout the story. She is not a rainbow and sunshine movie protagonist by any means, and neither is her eventual comrade.

Captain Cassian Andor is the primary character. With anti-establishment in his ice-cold blood, Andor is a lifelong rebel. Captain Andor mercilessly killing one of his informants during the story opening is pretty much all you need to know to get a picture of his personality. He’s been a rebel his entire life and doesn’t even know what he would do without the cause, but his newfound commitment to Jyn Erso is putting everything he’s ever known at stake. Getting pulled both ways by the hard words of the rebellion and a sense of duty to help Jyn, he puts on a hard face, but his cloudy future is eating him away from the inside.

This unstable partnership, forced by circumstance, ends up getting conflicting orders and harboring lots of responsibilities. It seems doomed to fail from the beginning, but as they gather a hardened group of random people willing to lay their lives on the line for freedom, they are forced to work through their differences. Both inherently untrusting individuals, they have to learn that trust goes both ways fast, or they’ll never have the chance.

When their mission uncovers the largest Imperial secret in history and the rebellion is too weak and disorganized to permit a dangerous operation, they have to make a life-altering decision. Disobey orders and attempt what seems like a suicide mission for answers, or give up on the cause, forever.

Review

Rogue One is a book worth reading. It has a healthy combination of inner and outer conflicts balanced with lots of political intrigue and wild characters. It’s about two unlikely heroes who have to fight their own battles every step of the way. Jyn is in a battle with her past, while Andor is fighting with his future. The early ignorance of the two characters towards each other’s problems is super intriguing and really makes you question your actions. These are ordinary people facing problems just like we are, which makes the characters, and their problems, feel real. While neither of the characters are quality human beings, their issues are universal and apply heavily to our own lives.

It is very refreshing to read about protagonists that aren’t good people with pure intentions. I was so used to reading about victims with dreams of changing the world, and Jyn and Cassian could not be further from that. It reinforces the point that anyone can be a hero. These morally ambiguous characters show that you don’t have to be perfect to make a difference. Anybody with a healthy serving of grit and determination can make a difference, no matter the circumstance. Difference-makers can come from everywhere.

The Rogue One novel truly is motivating. You don’t have to be perfect to inspire change. Anybody can pave new paths as long as they have heart and commitment. While the novel teaches a universal lesson, sadly, the film is just an action movie. That is why I recommend the novel first and foremost, and then the explosions after. When you can feel the buildup, the explosions are ten times brighter.

Final Statement and Further Reading

Final Opinion: Good on its own, great in tandem with Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel, the Rogue One movie, and knowledge of the rest of the Star Wars universe.

Similar Books: if you liked this book, I would give a shot to A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller and the Aftermath series by Chuck Wendig. Both contain impure heroes that are fighting inner battles.