In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, virtually every main character is killed during the
film's climax… but in the original version, though, Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor actually
survive.
How would the events of the original Star Wars trilogy have been different if these
two heroes made it out alive?
Jyn Erso was the main protagonist of Rogue One.
She included elements of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo all rolled into her personality,
and would've fit right in with all of them in the Rebellion's inner circle if she'd survived.
She effectively leads the mission to steal the Death Star plans, and shows off clever
planning skills, bravery, and leadership abilities that could certainly come in handy during
the hard years that would follow the Battle of Scarif… if she'd survived.
From the escape from the Death Star to the frozen battlefields of Hoth, it's tough to
imagine a battle in which Jyn wouldn't be an asset.
You also have to wonder if she could've found herself as part of a love triangle with Princess
Leia and a smitten Han Solo.
If she had, would there have ever been a Kylo Ren to cause all that trouble in The Force
Awakens?
We meet Cassian Andor well into his career as a spy, and from his very first moments,
it's clear he handles the uglier side of the hope-filled Rebellion.
"Calm down, it'll be all right,"
We've never really met a character like him before in the big-screen Star Wars films,
so it would've been interesting to see the contributions this kind of pragmatist might've
made in the war rooms of the original trilogy.
He would've almost certainly brought a darker edge to the Rebellion's tactics, and you have
to wonder what other useful intel he might have acquired had he survived to keep fighting.
While Erso and Andor were the only two heroes to survive Rogue One's original screenplay,
how would the Star Wars universe have changed if other important characters survived?
Lucasfilm has been open about the fact that Saw Gerrera's role in Rogue One was originally
planned to be a whole lot more than what made it to the screen.
After Saw was first introduced in the Clone Wars animated series, Lucasfilm had bigger
plans for his team of extremist Rebels in Rogue One.
Unfortunately, reshoots and edits led to much of his planned story being left on the cutting
room floor.
Instead, Gerrera's time on screen ended with a bang pretty early in the film, as he's blown
up during the Death Star's first test shot.
If he had lived, though, you have to wonder what influence his guerilla tactics and extreme,
battle-scarred views might've had on the Rebellion at large.
The Rebels are desperate enough to seek him out in Rogue One, so it stands to reason that
he could've risen to a leadership role under the right circumstances.
That might've given the Alliance some inner turmoil from a faction that believed blowing
up the Death Star and throwing the Emperor down a reactor shaft weren't going far enough
in getting vengeance on their enemies.
We've seen plenty of splinter factions in the Empire, including the First Order, but
if he'd lived, Saw Gerrera might've been the one to push the good guys into a much darker
place, too.
Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus were put out of work when the Empire laid siege to the
ancient temple they'd been tasked with defending, but they never lost their sense of what was
worth fighting for.
As a result, they get roped into Jyn's mission, and prove to be critically important soldiers
in the field.
They may not be Jedi, but they still fight for the Force, and in Chirrut's case, that
dedication seems pretty unique.
"The Force is with me, and I am with the Force, and I fear nothing."
If these two had survived to the era of the original trilogy, they could've combined that
same ground level approach with the renown and respect they would've earned with their
crucial part in taking down the Empire's super-weapon.
Maybe instead of the altruistic "May the Force be with you," the Rebels would've been quoting
Chirrut's much more confident mantra, "the Force is with me" instead.
Bodhi is instrumental in getting word out that a flaw potentially exists in the Death
Star, after being given his secret mission by Jyn's father from deep inside the Empire.
As far as his place in Rogue One, Bodhi serves as the team's pilot and communications expert.
He also shows some creativity in confusing the Imperial soldiers by faking calls on the
radio to make it seem like their small strike team is more like a full-on army.
Had Bodhi survived, his outside the box approach and ingenuity could've been more than useful
for the burgeoning Rebellion.
Up until Rogue One, we didn't really know that anyone other than Grand Moff Tarkin was
in charge of the Death Star, but it all started with Orson Krennic.
This Imperial middle manager spends the entire film trying to prove his worth to Tarkin,
Darth Vader and the rest of the Empire only to get fragged alongside everyone else when
the Death Star gets its shot on Scarif.
Could Krennic have been able to protect his planet-killer when others failed?
Well, if he had lived, you have to think Krennic's ruthless ambition would've made him an even
more brutal commander of the Death Star, and his brush with death might've given him the
survival instinct that Grand Moff Tarkin lacked.
"Evacuate?
In our moment of triumph?"
Galen's survival could've arguably had one of the biggest butterfly effects on the Star
Wars universe at large.
As the man who designed the Death Star, having him survive to join the Rebels would've done
a lot more than just give Jyn her father back.
He would've been a game-changer.
Not only does he know the Death Star inside and out, but he would've also brought a great
scientific mind to the Rebellion and additional knowledge on other Empire projects.
He could've given the Rebels the edge, and tipped the scales in the war while a certain
famous farm boy was still bullseyeing Womp-Rats in his T-16 back home on Tatooine.
Despite the fact that he doesn't seem to have much regard for organic beings, K-2SO heroically
sacrifices his life to buy Jyn and Cassian enough time to liberate the Death Star plans.
Had he survived the film, you could absolutely imagine him hanging out and providing some
snarky comic relief throughout the original trilogy.
Imagine a Star Wars universe where this hulking, combat-ready droid replaced C-3PO as R2-D2's
best buddy.
Put those two together, and we could wrap up A New Hope in about 45 minutes.
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