I love that shot of the two X-Wings screaming overhead during the space battle. The cinematography of the shot harks back to the original Death Star battle wonderfully. It could so easily be a practical effects shot cut from ANH.

Is a exhaust port with a clear way down the death star all straight to the core, 60 kilometers...

Seems more a hidden weakness made absolutely on purpose, than an accidental one.

The mistery is how could Mr. Erso hide such a huge and striking design flaw to everybody.

Probably playing the game of an imperial fanatic, faithful and devoted beyond all doubt.

And probably the film will play with the reactions of her son when she see, not a slave, but a full committed Imperial engineer.

And probably she won't discover the true traitors intentions (to the Empire) of his father until the end.

The Bothans died trying to discover the secrets of the second death star (and they only catch what the emperor wants them to, just to set up the final trap).

Actually, in A New Hope, the briefing officer says that a direct hit to the exhaust port would cause a chain reaction, not that the exhaust port was a straight shot to the Death Star's core.

Luke isn't so much shooting a bullet through a washer flying through the air as he's lighting a fuse to an enormous bomb.

So, for instance, the torpedo didn't directly destroy the Death Star. It - maybe - hit a magazine which detonated and set off a fuel cell and the fuel cell's explosion destroyed the cooling system for a power generator, the power generator shutting down shuts down the primary core's cooling system, then there's a heat spike as the Death Star's superlaser spins up and blows the whole thing to bits. Or something.

I made that exact same mistake. The sentence he makes immediately before that...

It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station. Only a precise hit will set off a chain reaction. The shaft is ray-shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes.

The shaft leads directly to the reactor. No the torpedoes didn't travel the length... So it's a bit of both really!

I love that shot of the two X-Wings screaming overhead during the space battle. The cinematography of the shot harks back to the original Death Star battle wonderfully. It could so easily be a practical effects shot cut from ANH.

A lot of the effects shots we've seen for far have a very model-y quality to them.

I love that shot of the two X-Wings screaming overhead during the space battle. The cinematography of the shot harks back to the original Death Star battle wonderfully. It could so easily be a practical effects shot cut from ANH.

A lot of the effects shots we've seen for far have a very model-y quality to them.

Edit: they did also state they were gunna use a lot more practical effects but that was in the build up to TFA so they may not have done that here. (I hope they did. Practical looks better and looks good for longer, look at the original Jurassic Park. CGI was used to help the practical to look better and it holds up.)

How lucky was the Rebellion that the "impact[...] on the surface" by Garven Dreis didn't leave debris that clogged the thermal exhaust port?

Is a exhaust port with a clear way down the death star all straight to the core, 60 kilometers...

Seems more a hidden weakness made absolutely on purpose, than an accidental one.

The mistery is how could Mr. Erso hide such a huge and striking design flaw to everybody.

Probably playing the game of an imperial fanatic, faithful and devoted beyond all doubt.

And probably the film will play with the reactions of her son when she see, not a slave, but a full committed Imperial engineer.

And probably she won't discover the true traitors intentions (to the Empire) of his father until the end.

The Bothans died trying to discover the secrets of the second death star (and they only catch what the emperor wants them to, just to set up the final trap).

Actually, in A New Hope, the briefing officer says that a direct hit to the exhaust port would cause a chain reaction, not that the exhaust port was a straight shot to the Death Star's core.

Luke isn't so much shooting a bullet through a washer flying through the air as he's lighting a fuse to an enormous bomb.

So, for instance, the torpedo didn't directly destroy the Death Star. It - maybe - hit a magazine which detonated and set off a fuel cell and the fuel cell's explosion destroyed the cooling system for a power generator, the power generator shutting down shuts down the primary core's cooling system, then there's a heat spike as the Death Star's superlaser spins up and blows the whole thing to bits. Or something.

I made that exact same mistake. The sentence he makes immediately before that...

It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station. Only a precise hit will set off a chain reaction. The shaft is ray-shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes.

The shaft leads directly to the reactor. No the torpedoes didn't travel the length... So it's a bit of both really!

Presumably, the main exhaust port is heavily shielded or otherwise protected, preventing them from, say, launching a kamikaze mission with an explosives-laden A-wing or something flying straight down the primary exhaust port and directly into the reactor.

I am not expecting the team to make it out alive.

I honestly think that the scene in the previous trailer, with Jyn walking towards the rising TIE, to be the climax of the film, a last ditch effort to beam a transmission to a waiting Tantive IV. After that, the team is wiped out. I don't forsee a happy ending.

I would love that ending.

You know, I've been thinking about this. I don't think they are going to wipe out the team.

While it would be a good ending to show the team that sacrificed everything to save the galaxy from the Empire, I don't see Disney have the cahones/heart/organs to go that route with a Star Wars movie.

Star Wars, at its core, is still directed at kids. It's the Ewoks, podracing, Gungans, J'ywz'gnk Kchhllbrxcstk Et'nrmdndlcvtbrx, and all that toyetic crap that gets crammed into every movie (and gives us little plastic ships to push around .)

The Force Awakens wasn't as childish as some of the stuff in previous episodes, but I'm not sure if they are going to have a bunch of kids fall in love with a new main character and then have the guts to off her and everyone else right at the end. Even if its a fade-to-black "PS the Rogue One team was never seen again" type of ending.

Edit: Just to be clear, I don't think everyone on the team is going to make it to the end. I am certain some members are going to die. I just don't think Jyn and the entire team will.

I am not expecting the team to make it out alive.

I honestly think that the scene in the previous trailer, with Jyn walking towards the rising TIE, to be the climax of the film, a last ditch effort to beam a transmission to a waiting Tantive IV. After that, the team is wiped out. I don't forsee a happy ending.

I would love that ending.

You know, I've been thinking about this. I don't think they are going to wipe out the team.

While it would be a good ending to show the team that sacrificed everything to save the galaxy from the Empire, I don't see Disney have the cahones/heart/organs to go that route with a Star Wars movie.

Star Wars, at its core, is still directed at kids. It's the Ewoks, podracing, Gungans, J'ywz'gnk Kchhllbrxcstk Et'nrmdndlcvtbrx, and all that toyetic crap that gets crammed into every movie (and gives us little plastic ships to push around .)

The Force Awakens wasn't as childish as some of the stuff in previous episodes, but I'm not sure if they are going to have a bunch of kids fall in love with a new main character and then have the guts to off her and everyone else right at the end. Even if its a fade-to-black "PS the Rogue One team was never seen again" type of ending.

Edit: Just to be clear, I don't think everyone on the team is going to make it to the end. I am certain some members are going to die. I just don't think Jyn and the entire team will.

Everyone dying would be the easiest way of avoiding the fan base going "if these people are around why aren't they in ANH!?"

My hope is that the team are absolute badasses until the very end. Many rebels die and a few of the main characters but ultimately Krennic fails and Tarkin brings in Vader. Vader arrives and just slaughters the team except for maybe the droid. The droid then is who delivers the plans to Alderann.

I've heard this around in several variations in a couple podcast. Ultimately it would be slightly disappointing if more then two of the rebel team survives.

Everyone dying would be the easiest way of avoiding the fan base going "if these people are around why aren't they in ANH!?"

Where is Phoenix squadron in ANH? Ezra, Sabine, et al.

There are plenty of people that are not in ANH, they don't need to explain it.

Everyone dying would be the easiest way of avoiding the fan base going "if these people are around why aren't they in ANH!?"

Where is Phoenix squadron in ANH? Ezra, Sabine, et al.

There are plenty of people that are not in ANH, they don't need to explain it.

You're right but there's always people like that. They do already ask questions like you said.

Some people seem to get really annoyed by stuff like this, the reason of "this didn't exist yet that's why" just isn't good enough.

TBH as long as the films good I'm don't really mind who lives.

Everyone dying would be the easiest way of avoiding the fan base going "if these people are around why aren't they in ANH!?"

Where is Phoenix squadron in ANH? Ezra, Sabine, et al.

There are plenty of people that are not in ANH, they don't need to explain it.

Phoenix Squadron may very well be in the film. That fleet in the trailer has hammerheads. So either hammerhead corvettes become widespread in the Alliance fleet or this is the descendent group of the Phoenix cell. That would also make a lot of sense as Rebels is supposed to lead up to Rogue One. I imagine the powers at be would want to have some loose connections.

You're right but there's always people like that. They do already ask questions like you said.

Some people seem to get really annoyed by stuff like this, the reason of "this didn't exist yet that's why" just isn't good enough.

TBH as long as the films good I'm don't really mind who lives.

True, I'm sure some may complain.

Honestly, I think they should wack the team. I think the best ending ever would be the team on the run, fighting bravely but getting cut down by an overwhelming Imperial attack, and right as Jyn manages to get the plans transmitted to Leia's ship, you see Vader walk in the room behind her. Boom, done.

I just don't think Disney has it in them to leave a bunch of kids crying the in the movie theater. I mean, while the scene with Dumbo's Mom was bad enough, it got better from there; I don't know if they would end a movie on a dark note.

Everyone dying would be the easiest way of avoiding the fan base going "if these people are around why aren't they in ANH!?"

Where is Phoenix squadron in ANH? Ezra, Sabine, et al.

There are plenty of people that are not in ANH, they don't need to explain it.

Yavin was basically a trap set by Dodona's group. But the timing of the trap could not have been known until Leia showed up at Yavin, with the plans.

Getting more than one or two cells to Yavin in the couple of days notice the Rebellion had would have been difficult, at best. Especially given what else the Rebellion may have been up to at the time.

Also also:

If you're the Rebel leadership, do you really want to risk all your cells in one engagement which may or may not even be possible? So they risk the fighters of Yavin group, while holding Phoenix group et al (and any remaining Yavin bigger ships) in reserve. That way the Rebellion lives even if the leadership dies.

Man. Now I want to see Ezra & Sabine practicing to infiltrate the Death Star, to take it out from the inside if it can't be destroyed from within.

Yavin was basically a trap set by Dodona's group. But the timing of the trap could not have been known until Leia showed up at Yavin, with the plans.

Getting more than one or two cells to Yavin in the couple of days notice the Rebellion had would have been difficult, at best. Especially given what else the Rebellion may have been up to at the time.

Also also:

If you're the Rebel leadership, do you really want to risk all your cells in one engagement which may or may not even be possible? So they risk the fighters of Yavin group, while holding Phoenix group et al (and any remaining Yavin bigger ships) in reserve. That way the Rebellion lives even if the leadership dies.

Man. Now I want to see Ezra & Sabine practicing to infiltrate the Death Star, to take it out from the inside if it can't be destroyed from within.

Where were you getting that Yavin was a trap set by Dodonna? Vader, with grudging agreement from Tarkin, released the Falcon and gang with a tracker to follow them to the rebel base. I may have missed it, but I was under the impression they were planning the attack on the Death Star, and then, oh crap, it just came into our system (thanks, tracker). Time to put the plan into action.

Edit: I remember Leia suspecting they were being tracked, though. But her escape at the hands of the Falcon was complete happenstance. So that couldn't have been planned.

As far as a Ezra and Sabine attack, she would just throw a thermal detonator down a 2m wide shaft and they would just blow the thing and go home.

Everyone dying would be the easiest way of avoiding the fan base going "if these people are around why aren't they in ANH!?"

Where is Phoenix squadron in ANH? Ezra, Sabine, et al.

There are plenty of people that are not in ANH, they don't need to explain it.

Yavin was basically a trap set by Dodona's group. But the timing of the trap could not have been known until Leia showed up at Yavin, with the plans.

Getting more than one or two cells to Yavin in the couple of days notice the Rebellion had would have been difficult, at best. Especially given what else the Rebellion may have been up to at the time.

Yeah, Yavin is the MAIN rebellion location, the same way that Hoth is in ESB.

If Yavin had been destroyed and Dodonna/Mon Mothma killed, that probably would have been the end of the rebellion.

If you read Twilight Company - a very average book but an interesting insight into the Rebel Alliance - The cells continue to operate without Leadership input, but there's no proper coordination after that and eventually they would be rounded up and destroyed.

The other thing to remember is that Yavin is the rallying call that shows the Rebels are an actual, militarily feasible group for others to rally around. At the time, it was not a major group so the rebellion was much smaller. I imagine everyone involved was around there, although I don't know how far Lothal is from Yavin.

As for Rogue one people, even if they live, they have like four days to get to Yavin to appear in ANH - they could easily spend that time hiding.

Here's the bittersweet ending they could do. Rogue One Team mostly survives, decides to take a week vacation on Alderaan. Last line would be "Man this is going to be the best vacation ever! What could go wrong?"

The whole "if they aren't in the original movies, they have to die" is a bit tiring.

I am not expecting the team to make it out alive.

I honestly think that the scene in the previous trailer, with Jyn walking towards the rising TIE, to be the climax of the film, a last ditch effort to beam a transmission to a waiting Tantive IV. After that, the team is wiped out. I don't forsee a happy ending.

I would love that ending.

You know, I've been thinking about this. I don't think they are going to wipe out the team.

While it would be a good ending to show the team that sacrificed everything to save the galaxy from the Empire, I don't see Disney have the cahones/heart/organs to go that route with a Star Wars movie.

Star Wars, at its core, is still directed at kids. It's the Ewoks, podracing, Gungans, J'ywz'gnk Kchhllbrxcstk Et'nrmdndlcvtbrx, and all that toyetic crap that gets crammed into every movie (and gives us little plastic ships to push around .)

The Force Awakens wasn't as childish as some of the stuff in previous episodes, but I'm not sure if they are going to have a bunch of kids fall in love with a new main character and then have the guts to off her and everyone else right at the end. Even if its a fade-to-black "PS the Rogue One team was never seen again" type of ending.

Edit: Just to be clear, I don't think everyone on the team is going to make it to the end. I am certain some members are going to die. I just don't think Jyn and the entire team will.

Everyone dying would be the easiest way of avoiding the fan base going "if these people are around why aren't they in ANH!?"

It's a big war. It's not like every Rebel had to be in every battle. Every US soldier wasn't at D-Day.

The whole "if they aren't in the original movies, they have to die" is a bit tiring.

It's not simply that there's a lot of soldiers. The characters involved in Rogue One are very important. They are the crux to Luke Skywalker's journey and the Empire collapsing.

If they survive it's their importance that makes their lack of appearance in the original movies that much more unfeasible. Where are they at the medal ceremony afterwards? Why isnt a single one at Hoth which is where most of the rebellion has been centralized to? Where are they at the briefing for the Battle of Endor which is where the almost the entire alliance military comes together? Yes they can find a way to explain it but whether they live or die depends on if that is to the benefit of the original trilogy or to it's detriment.

That is the dilemma of a prequel. The point is Rogue One's characters surviving is a lot less egregious then say Ashoka or Kanan survive past ANH however we're never going to see them in a film again. This is a one off. Why not kill off most of them if that strengthens the film's emotional impact?

Anyways this is supposed to be a grittier war movie and typically only a few of the main characters survive.

They are special forces, they are off screen doing some special forcesy stuff.

The whole "if they aren't in the original movies, they have to die" is a bit tiring.

My idea of the team not surviving has less to do with the characters not being in the original movie, and more to do with writing a poignant story. A tale of the heroes who are forgotten (due to Luke's heroic shot overshadowing) but give EVERYTHING, including their lives, so the Rebellion can have a chance could be quite good if executed well.

A tale with the theme of doing the RIGHT thing regardless of the danger, because it IS the right thing to do.

Not every movie needs a happy ending. A bittersweet ending with a scene of a certain danish (or cinnabon) princess and her blockade runner captain recieving a transmission of some stolen plans from the doomed Rogue One team.

The whole "if they aren't in the original movies, they have to die" is a bit tiring.

My idea of the team not surviving has less to do with the characters not being in the original movie, and more to do with writing a poignant story. A tale of the heroes who are forgotten (due to Luke's heroic shot overshadowing) but give EVERYTHING, including their lives, so the Rebellion can have a chance could be quite good if executed well.

A tale with the theme of doing the RIGHT thing regardless of the danger, because it IS the right thing to do.

Not every movie needs a happy ending. A bittersweet ending with a scene of a certain danish (or cinnabon) princess and her blockade runner captain recieving a transmission of some stolen plans from the doomed Rogue One team.

Exactly! When Mon Mothma stated "Many Bothans died" in retrieving the stolen plans for the second death star, it helped set the high stakes for the Battle of Endor. The Rebels may have gained the plans but they paid a high cost for it and that was before the battle even began. It's that uphill battle that makes the victory feel satisfying. As you said this movie isnt about making the Rogue One team the ultimate heroes of the Rebellion, its about the sacrifice required to let someone else destroy the Death Star. That in itself is beyond heroic but fairly tragic.

The reason I want them to mostly die like Samophlange doesn't have to do with them not being in the OT. It's that main characters dying isnt a thing that happens often in SW movies. This is a one off movie, fairly different in tone then any of the other movies, why not break the mold? Red Wedding this. How gut wrenching would it be if we all got attached to these characters and then in Revenge of the Sith fashion just pulled this gut wrenching twist. That's how you make an audience love these characters, make them martyrs.

I still want to believe the last act is them holding back waves of stormtroopers long enough to transmit the plans to the Tantive. Knowing full well they won't be leaving afterward.

I'd like a horror story with Vader as the monster of the week going through the team one terrifying murder at a time.