Disney's CEO Bob Iger insists the story of a diverse group of oppressed individuals coming together to fight a fascistic empire contains "no political statements".

Yet, with Rogue One mere days away from release, it's difficult not to see the political atmosphere which has increasingly surrounded the film in the past few months. Looking back to early November, Rogue One screenwriters Chris Weitz and Gary Whitta exchanged a number of tweets in connection to Trump's presidential victory.

Weitz expressed that, "the Empire is a white supremacist (human) organisation"; while Whitta added, "opposed by a multi-cultural group led by brave women". The former then posted an image of the Rebel insignia with a safety pin attached to it, which has been increasingly adopted as an expression of solidarity with minority groups who have now been put at risk; adding the line, "Star Wars against hate. Spread it".

Indeed, many Star Wars fans have picked up on the political undertones of the franchise as a form of rallying inspiration to fight against hate; though a small group of Neo-Nazis inevitably attempted to launch a boycott against the film, since it obviously worked so well when MRAs boycotted The Force Awakens (i.e. the second highest-grossing film of all time).

The Hollywood Reporter asked Iger for a reaction to the boycott to which he responded, "I think the whole story has been overblown and, quite frankly, it's silly. I have no reaction to [this] story at all. Frankly, this is a film that the world should enjoy. It is not a film that is, in any way, a political film. There are no political statements in it, at all."

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Clip - Jyn Rallies The Rebel Alliance

"[Rogue One] has one of the greatest and most diverse casts of any film we have ever made and we are very proud of that, and that is not a political statement, at all," he added.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story follows a wayward band of Rebel fighters brought together for one improbable mission: steal the plans for the Death Star. These events, of course, directly link into the first scenes of A New Hope; when Princess Leia is seen concealing the plans in R2-D2 before she's captured by the Galactic Empire.

Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown Show all 7 1 /7 Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown Finally, Mads Mikkelsen's Galen Erso has turned up in a trailer; confirming previous hints that he'd be somehow responsible for the Death Star's construction. However, this new trailer reveals why daughter Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) has become such a rebellious misfit; with Galen having been seized by the Empire when she was a young girl. Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown Which, in turn, illuminates us as to why the Rebellion is so interested in Jyn in the first place; revealing that it's the Empire itself that first arrests her in the film, only to be freed by rebel Captain Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown This final trailer takes a surprising focus on Galen, who many previously thought would only appear in a minor role. It's interesting to see him here in some kind of Empire garb, which presumes that he may not be an entirely unwillingly prisoner in this situation. Is there a chance Jyn will recover her father, only to discover he's turned to the Dark side? There's definitely a sense in these trailers that Jyn will face some kind of moral struggle in her journey. Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown "They are requesting a call sign." "It's, um, Rogue. Rogue One." OH, THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT THAT. Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown We've already seen Jyn in her TIE fighter pilot uniform, but this shot at least gives us a better idea of how she got to wearing it. "They've no idea we're coming," Jyn says; as she, Cassian, and K-2SO (an ex-Imperial droid reprogrammed by Cassian) infiltrate enemy territory. Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown Looks like we'll be getting another big space battle. The question is - will this be the film's big finale action sequence? And is this the Death Star under construction? Obviously, we know the Death Star isn't entirely destroyed in the film; but this could somehow connect to the shot from the previous trailer of Jyn coming face-to-face with a TIE fighter. Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown And, here's some more Darth Vader; now in epic striding mode. Looks like he'll be doing a lot of plotting with Ben Mendelsohn's Orson Krennic.



Directed by Gareth Edwards, the film largely centres around Jyn Erso: a criminal misfit who becomes entangled in the Rebellion's ambitious, and resolutely dangerous, schemes. Donnie Yen, Diego Luna, Jian Wen, Forest Whitaker, Alan Tudyk, and Riz Ahmed also star.