Star Wars fans may or may not be rejoicing: Darth Vader, the child-murdering fascist who once killed billions of people with the push of a button (and who also starred in his own children’s cartoon show), will be back on the big-screen in the upcoming spin-off Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
The news came from Entertainment Weekly, and apparently it’s not a spoiler, since Disney let the magazine put the information right on the cover where anyone can see it: “34 years before The Force Awakens, a new band of heroes fights The Dark Side – and an old foe… DARTH VADER IS BACK!”
The magazine, which debuts on newsstands (remember those?) on Friday, June 24th, will also feature guides to the new imperial weaponry on display in Gareth Edwards’ new film, information about the cast of characters (one of whom we have apparently seen before, but in a very different way) and interviews about the film’s notorious reshoots, which have some fans worried about the quality of Rogue One.
The question we keep coming back to, however, is who will actually be playing Darth Vader in Rogue One? The film takes place between the events of Star Wars: Episode III – The Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Is it possible Hayden Christensen will be back in the black costume? And will James Earl Jones return to voice one more Darth Vader line of dialogue, one that hopefully amounts to more than just “NOOOOOOOOOO?”
We’ll find out soon enough. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story debuts in theaters on December 16, 2016.
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and Canceled Too Soon, and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved, Rapid Reviews and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
The Top 10 ‘Star Wars’ Characters Who Deserve Their Own Video Game:
Top Photo: LucasFilm
10 Star Wars Characters Who Deserve Their Own Video Games
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10. Admiral Ackbar
Why? Admiral Ackbar commandeered the Rebels to their successful attack on the Death Star II in Return of the Jedi, though he remained a leading force for good in the Star Wars universe until The Force Awakens, where he made another appearance alongside General Leia Organa. He's also set to appear in Star Wars Episode VIII, meaning he's played a huge role in the continued success of the Rebel Alliance/Resistance's battles against the Empire/First Order.
With him having been involved in many of the major space battles in the Star Wars universe, along with him having played a pivotal role in the run-up to The Force Awakens as detailed in Chuck Wendig's canonical Aftermath novel, it should be time for this minor yet important character to finally be given center stage.
How? While Admiral Ackbar undoubtedly played a big part in the Rebels' destruction of the Empire, it is doubtful that anyone would actually want to fill the shoes of a fish-headed Mon Calamari. His species' name literally means food. You can't get any less cool than that.
However, a real-time strategy game consisting entirely of space battles sounds like heaven for those desperate to see a Star Wars: Empire at War sequel, and given that Ackbar has now been a commander in two of the three major wars in the Star Wars universe, he would certainly be a prime choice for protagonist. It'd also mean that any time the enemy attempted to orchestrate a trap, the player would immediately be informed that they were doing so.
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9. Darth Plagueis
Why? Darth Plagueis is the subject of one of very few interesting dialogue-focused scenes in the prequels, and he doesn't even make an appearance in it.
In an exchange between Palpatine and Anakin in Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine recalls the legend of Darth Plagueis, a Sith so strong that he could bring people back from the dead. Plagueis' story was fleshed out in the expanded universe, with him being pitched as Palpatine/Darth Sidious' Master before Sidious, abiding by the Rule of Two which states that no more than two Sith can exist in the galaxy at any point, kills him in his sleep. Sidious then goes on to recruit Darth Maul and, well, we all know how that turned out.
But with that part of Star Wars' history now being considered non-canonical, Plagueis' story remains a mysterious one, and many have predicted that The Force Awakens' Supreme Leader Snoke could actually be the legendary Sith. If that is to be the case, then a lot of people are going to want to know more about him.
How? Placing players in the shoes of an irredeemably evil soul such as Darth Plagueis would perhaps be a difficult task, but he needn't be the protagonist to be the star. With this period of Star Wars' history remaining unexplored in any of the movies or new canon, developers could essentially create their own story that takes place directly within Darth Plagueis' formidable leadership.
Though EA continues to focus upon The Old Republic as its leading Star Wars RPG, enlisting BioWare to once again create an original and epic tale within the Star Wars universe, but with Darth Plagueis' reign as its focal point, would be incredible for Star Wars fans. BioWare's Knights of the Old Republic is widely regarded as the best Star Wars game of all time, though a new game in the vein of KOTOR that also has implications on the Star Wars film series? That's what we want to see.
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8. Doctor Aphra
Why? A character introduced in Marvel's Darth Vader/Star Wars comic series, Doctor Aphra is an archaeologist-turned-evildoer who is personally enlisted by Vader to acquire an army of battle droids.
Aphra is the most interesting new character to come out of the new Star Wars comics, and Marvel clearly knows this, what with her being used as the focal point for its current story arc. Aphra fails to be intimidated by Vader, firing back at him with one-liners during their interactions, and even holds her own when positioned next to Han, Luke and Leia.
Though her fate is unknown given that the Star Wars comic series is still ongoing, with her currently fighting alongside Leia and former partner Sana Starros in order to escape a terrifying prison planet, there's plenty of material here for an Aphra spin-off game. Oh, and she's also placed in charge of evil versions of C-3PO and R2-D2, if you needed any more proof that she deserves her own game.
How? Given her archaeology background, with her earlier years having been spent digging up lost weaponry throughout the galaxy, a Tomb Raider-esque action/adventure game with puzzle-solving elements would most certainly be the ideal route for an Aphra game to take. Lara Croft in space? That's something we'd like to see.
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7. Garindan
Why? One of the more intriguing minor characters from the original trilogy is Garindan, a spy who works for the Empire in order to track down Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Garindan doesn't exactly have an impactful role during his single appearance in A New Hope, but his creepy attire certainly made an impression with viewers. In the expanded universe Garindan was more fleshed out, with him being described as the greatest spy in Mos Eisley, mainly reserving his services for Vader and Jabba the Hutt. He was also the first to inform Vader that Luke Skywalker was the pilot who destroyed the first Death Star, though this was later later revised by the new canon with Boba Fett doing the honors instead.
How? A Garindan video game would obviously fall into the stealth genre, though it would be a considerable challenge making an enjoyable stealth game without the inclusion of the superhuman agility displayed by the likes of Solid Snake and Sam Fisher.
A more methodical stealth game a la the Hitman series would therefore be more appropriate, only without the whole "stealing peoples' clothes before hiding their corpses in wardrobes" part. Having Garindan leave Mos Eisley and carry out his missions elsewhere in the galaxy, incorporating open-world environments for players to freely traverse like the latest Hitman game, would be an interesting and unique direction for a Star Wars game to take. It would also be an opportunity to explore some of the seedier places in the Star Wars universe's underbelly, which we were looking forward to seeing in Star Wars 1313 before that game was unfortunately canned.
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6. Boba Fett
Why? Despite Boba Fett doing almost nothing in the original trilogy, fans loved him anyway solely because of his armor. With that being said, his armor is spectacular, so much so that we'd love to see his story fleshed out more in a video game. Superficial? Yes. Inarguable? Yes.
Boba Fett seemingly dies an unceremonious death in Return of the Jedi after being eaten by a Sarlacc Pitt, though in the Star Wars expanded universe it is revealed that he managed to escape from the belly of the monster and continues hunting bounties across several novels. However, the announcement that the expanded universe is no longer considered canonical means that, technically, Boba Fett is still dead.
With that being said, there have been a few hints dropped that Fett escaped the Sarlacc since this announcement, including an excerpt from Chuck Wendig's Aftermath novel which sees a character finding a set of Mandalorian battle armor that had "been to hell and back." With Boba and his clone son Jango being the most famous wearers of Mandalorian armor in the Star Wars universe, it's unlikely that this is a coincidence.
How? One member of the Fett family has already received their own video game, with Jango appearing in the mediocre Star Wars: Bounty Hunter back in 2002. While a Boba Fett game should certainly take cues from that game's implementation of the bounty hunter's various gadgetry, a cover-based shooter with ample amounts of jet-packing would perhaps be the preferable option. Think the 2010 game Dark Void, only not terrible.
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5. The IG-88s
Why? First thing's first, let's get the obvious point of contention out of the way: yes, the IG-88 looks dumb. He looks dumb because his head is literally made out of one of the beverage dispensers used in A New Hope's Cantina scene, presumably due to George Lucas wanting to cut a corner on production costs. However, IG-88 is a very interesting character that is ideally suited to making the jump to a video game, even though he is a bit on the evil side.
An assassin droid who immediately becomes sentient following his creation before destroying his creators with his bare hands, the IG-88 then transfers his conscience into three other IG-88s in his product line, effectively creating four incredibly dangerous, powerful and intelligent robots with zero humanity that simply want to kill.
While only one IG-88 is present in the Star Wars movies, appearing alongside Boba Fett in the bounty hunter lineup scene in Empire Strikes Back, the expanded universe added a great backstory to this character that, while now considered non-canon, can easily be returned to again given its minimal impact upon the wider Star Wars story. In fact, their greatest contribution to the expanded universe was their attempt to stage a "droid revolution" that would effectively kill most inhabitants of the galaxy, but it was one they failed to orchestrate correctly leading to their slipping by mostly unnoticed.
How? A four-player co-operative FPS in which a team takes control of the ruthless IG-88s would make for an interesting spin on the squad-based shooter. Tasking the assassin droids with traveling through the galaxy, collecting bounties for prominent figureheads in the Star Wars universe in the process would give Star Wars fans their first taste of a co-op FPS set in a galaxy far, far away since the underrated Star Wars: Republic Commando. Only this time, they'd be controlling badass droids and not boring soldiers from the prequels.
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4. Mara Jade Skywalker
Why? It's incredibly likely that Mara Jade Skywalker will be wiped from the Star Wars history books now that the expanded universe has been made non-canonical, and Luke Skywalker's post-Return of the Jedi is being explored in the new trilogy. However, that still doesn't mean that we won't see a figure like Mara Jade appear in the new film trilogy, if the heavy speculation that Rey is Luke's daughter is to be believed.
Mara Jade is the most famous character from the Star Wars expanded universe, having been sent to kill Luke after being raised as a servant by Emperor Palpatine, Mara Jade eventually went Rogue and, after forming a begrudging alliance with Luke, eventually the pair fell in love and had a son, Ben Skywalker. Mara is highly skilled in the Force and, under the tutelage of Luke, eventually becomes a member of the Jedi High Council.
Though we likely won't see Mara Jade Skywalker in any future Star Wars media, if Rey is Luke's daughter then this inevitably raises questions about her mother, who would seemingly also be very skilled in the Force given the swift control Rey has over her powers. If this is the case, then we could well see a figure like Mara Jade appear in the upcoming movies, similar to how Kylo Ren was a new take on Han and Leia's son in the expanded universe, Jacen Solo, who becomes evil Darth Caedus.
How? Is a character like Mara Jade does appear, or is at least referenced in Episode VIII or Episode IX, it would be interesting to see her explored in further detail in a game similar to Jedi Academy. With Mara Jade having personally been trained by Luke, similar to the player's role in Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, then revisiting this series but with the protagonist being a key component of the Star Wars universe would be an interesting new take on an unfortunately overlooked Star Wars game series.
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3. Darth Vader
Why? No stone in Darth Vader's story has been left unturned, but while we wouldn't particularly want to relive Anakin Skywalker's adventures in the prequels, the Darth Vader comic series has proven that the helmeted Sith Lord didn't just sit back and relax between each entry in the original trilogy.
The comic series does a great job of displaying just how feared Vader is from the perspective of both his followers and enemies. While the original trilogy does show glimpses of the fear Vader strikes into the hearts of those around him, it's nothing compared to what happened between the events of each movie. In writer Kieron Gillen's series, Vader is depicted as far more predatory and even more ruthless, with one particular scene showing him taking down an entire army of Rebels who can't even dispatch of him with rocket launchers.
We don't get to see Vader taking to the battlefield in the original trilogy outside of his one-on-one confrontations with Luke and Obi-Wan, but Gillen's series shows a Vader who isn't afraid of getting his hands dirty.
How? A third-person Darth Vader game that takes its cues from The Force Unleashed series in its focus upon lightsaber battles and Force powers would be the best option, but Anakin Skywalker should remain firmly out of the picture.
Using Kieron Gillen's comic series as the main source of inspiration, players should feel like they're controlling a terrifying, nigh-on unstoppable monster, travelling through both the events of the original trilogy and all the interesting parts in between. While a Vader game always sounded more interesting in theory than it would be in practice, Gillen's series has created a Vader that did far more than simply walk through the corridors of the Death Star in his off-time. We want a video game with THAT Vader.
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2. Poe Dameron
Why? Though Poe was mainly kept in the background of The Force Awakens while the plot focused upon Rey and Finn, his skills as a pilot were made abundantly clear and he's set to reappear in Episode VIII and potentially Episode IX, too.
Poe made a lasting impression in The Force Awakens even though he received the least screen time of the new trilogy's trio of main protagonists, with him being its equivalent of the wise-cracking Han Solo, though much more inclined to do good regardless of there being a paycheck waiting for him at the end of his mission.
Poe kick starts the events of The Force Awakens by handing over the missing piece of the Starkiller Base's schematics to BB-8, before escaping from the clutches of Kylo Ren. Ren was inevitably displeased by this, meaning that Poe now has an angry, super powerful Sith hunting for him. This means that he'll likely see much more action in the next two entries in the new trilogy.
How? Two words: Rogue. Squadron. It's been far too long since a new entry in this series was released, despite the first game and its sequel being two of the very best space combat games we've played. Introducing a new Rogue Squadron game in which Poe Dameron takes center stage therefore sounds like a dream come true.
In The Force Awakens alone there were plenty of space battles, from Poe's initial escape from the First Order's Star Destroyer, to the battle above Maz Kanata's castle above Takodana, and finally the destruction of the Starkiller Base. Poe was the main pilot in all of these missions, and this trend looks to continue in the upcoming entries in the new trilogy.
Hopefully that by the time Episode IX rolls around, it is deemed that there have been enough space battles for a new Rogue Squadron game to finally be released, with Poe Dameron as its star.
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1. Han Solo
Why? A Han Solo spin-off video game seems decreasingly likely now that we've learned a Han Solo movie is on its way, given the game industry's current reluctance to release dedicated adaptations of films thanks to a long history of them never being very good. However, he's still arguably the most popular character in the entire franchise, and it's a crime that he's yet to star in his very own video game.
A rogue smuggler who eventually becomes a begrudging hero of the Rebel Alliance, Luke Skywalker may have been the focal point of the original trilogy but Han was undoubtedly its star. Unlike moisture farmer Luke, Han had an interesting life prior to the events of A New Hope, with his first appearance in the series marked by a Cantina with bounty hunter Greedo over a conflict with the notorious Jabba the Hutt.
Considering the Han Solo movie is set to be a prequel that takes place in the rogue's early years, many of these exciting times will likely be documented on the silver screen... but that still doesn't stop us from wanting our Han Solo game more than anything else in the world.
How? A first-person shooter with voice work from Harrison Ford would be ideal, charting Han Solo's beginnings as a smuggler, through to his journey alongside the Rebel Alliance, and finally his death in The Force Awakens. The first-person perspective would also mean that we wouldn't have to see ourselves controlling an old man in Han's later years, while it would also allow players to explore/fly the Millennium Falcon as though they actually were the pilot of the ship that did the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.
The game could even incorporate co-operative play, allowing one player to assume the role of Han while another gets to take control of Chewbacca.
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