Rogue One: A Star Wars Story had a different name for the Death Star, and it was way cooler than the Empire’s. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was created to answer a decades-long Star Wars question: how did Princess Leia get the Death Star schematics? It did so brilliantly, bringing in fresh, new characters and making groups such as the Guardians of the Whills canon. It revealed why the Death Star took 20 years to make, and how a rogue scientist named Galen Erso succeeded in sabotaging it.
Mads Mikkelsen’s Galen Erso was the scientist responsible for figuring out how to tap into the power of kyber crystals to power the Death Star’s superlaser. Galen was an unwilling genius, forced to work for the Empire, but he masqueraded as someone who had been truly won over. He also gave the project a codename that showed his true motivation.
How To Watch Star Wars Movies In Order
Here is how to watch all Star Wars movies and TV shows chronologically and in order of release, and how each fits into the Star Wars timeline.
The Imagery The Name “Stardust” Evokes Is Perfect
Galen called the Death Star project “Stardust,” his nickname for his daughter, Jyn. It was a smart move, because it meant he would be forever reminded of the true reason he was working on this project. To Galen, the codename also served to reinforce the need to sabotage the Death Star; he was fighting for the next generation, for Jyn to inherit a better world, one where the Death Star had failed and the Empire had fallen.
Where Rogue One’s Other Major Characters Are During Andor Season 1
Despite the fact Andor follows one of the protagonists of Rogue One, many characters did not make an appearance as they were busy elsewhere.
The imagery in the name “Stardust” is perfect. Stardust is the dust that comes from a star as it dies, with large amounts of it being expelled when a star goes supernova. This is a great metaphor for the Death Star. The whole purpose of the weapon is to rip planets to shreds. What happens to Alderaan does not look dissimilar to that of a supernova (although on a less fantastic scale). Stardust is a byproduct of destruction – all that is left after an explosion. The Death Star also ensures that all that remains of its target planets is dust.
However, on the flip side, stardust also contains all the elements that are the building blocks of life. This is a good metaphor for Star Wars as a whole. The destruction of Alderaan only served to inspire the rebels to fight harder. Alderaan became a symbol of the Empire’s irredeemable cruelty and why it had to be torn down. Like stardust, Alderaan’s destruction breathed fresh life into the Rebel Alliance, causing them to vow to do whatever it took to destroy the Death Star and the Empire.
This Is Much Less On-The-Nose Than The “Death Star”
Calling a spherical, planet-destroying space station the “Death Star” is rather on the nose. The name instantly gives away everything necessary to know about it and its purpose – it causes death, and it’s in the shape of a star. “Stardust,” however, is much more discreet. Because it contains the building blocks for life, stardust is often seen as something positive and beautiful. However, its destructive origins foreshadow what the Death Star does without making it overly obvious. This is likely why the Empire chose to keep Erso’s nickname for it and use it as the Death Star project’s official codename.
Why Star Wars Went With The Death Star Name
From an out-of-universe perspective, it’s important to note that Star Wars was initially aimed at kids. Having the Empire name their weapon of mass destruction the “Death Star” is like waving a neon sign that these are the bad guys. This makes it easily accessible for children, who may struggle to see nuance. Giving the Death Star a scary name was a way for Lucas to immediately signal to his young audience who they should fear and who they should root for.
From an in-universe perspective, naming it the “Death Star” was a power move. Palpatine worked hard to hide how evil he was. Even after he became the Emperor, other Star Wars content reveals that he spent a lot of time trying to maintain the facade of a dedicated leader. However, once the Death Star was created, he no longer saw the need to do that. He didn’t need the remnants of the senate anymore; Palpatine dissolved the Senate at the beginning of the first Star Wars movie because he had the Death Star. This gave him ultimate power, and he wanted the galaxy to know it.
For Palpatine, this was a long time coming. The Sith value power above all else. As such, while hiding his true intentions was important, this undoubtedly irked him at times. He wanted to flex his power. Someone as strong in the dark side of the Force as Palpatine wouldn’t want to appear as though he were weak or merely a political figurehead for long, and yet Palpatine did so for decades. This is likely why he shut down the Imperial Senate as soon as the Death Star became operational. It was a statement about who was really in control of the galaxy.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Set in the weeks leading up to Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story provides additional context for the Rebellion’s plan to destroy the Death Star. Rogue One follows Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) as she enlists the help of Rebel Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) to locate her father, Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), after the Empire kidnaps him.
- Release Date
- December 13, 2016
- Director
- Gareth Edwards
- Cast
- Felicity Jones , Diego Luna , Ben Mendelsohn , Donnie Yen , Mads Mikkelsen , Alan Tudyk , Jiang Wen , Forest Whitaker
- Runtime
- 134 Minutes
- Writers
- Tony Gilroy , Chris Weitz
- Story By
- George Lucas, John Knoll, Gary Whitta
- Budget
- $200–265 million
- Studio(s)
- Lucasfilm
- Distributor(s)
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- Sequel(s)
- Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope , Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back , Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi , Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens , Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi , Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker
- prequel(s)
- Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith , Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones , Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
- Franchise(s)
- Star Wars
