In Defence of Eadu - Rogue One
You think this pilot acted alone? He was dispatched from the Installation on Eadu, Galen Erso's Facility.
Introduction - The Point:
This is something I probably wanted to do for a bit but hadn't really found the words to do so, and well it is Christmas and I might as well get one article out before the month ends. What is better than a Star Wars article to go with the flow of Star Wars being a focus.
Today, I wanted to look at the Eadu story arc of Rogue One. A part of the film that everyone seems to find issues with but completely overlook its purpose to be included in the film. I, myself, would argue that this scene is just as important as every other in the film.
Rogue One has a synergy in its scenes that the rest of the movies kind of lack, every scene has a purpose, even this one that for the most part serves to get us away from the conflict on Jedha and give us something to look at before the final confrontation serves an important purpose in the storytelling of the film. What is that purpose, however?
Sheer, conclusive character development.
Today I'll look at the ways the characters grow in this 'drag' or 'filler' scene and hopefully defend the scene, successfully or not hopefully I get my points out there properly.
The Heart of the Rebellion; A Brighter Empire:
This scene demonstrates that even when the Rebellion were the good guys, the movie only continues to show the grey side of the universe showing some incompetence of intelligence to achieve the ultimate goal to kill someone. Showing that even if they're the good guys, they might as well be the empire themselves.
A theme that most of the new films are echoing, there's no good or evil we make up evil and good for ourselves.
Cassian: "I had orders, orders that I disobeyed, but you wouldn't understand that."
Jyn: "Orders? When you know they're wrong? You might as well be a stormtrooper."
Krennic's Inability Solidified:
As the title of his summary suggests, Eadu presents Krennic with his most important hurdle yet, his trust on a man who played him for years to the point where he allowed himself to not see the trap Galen Erso was setting up for him and the Empire, a trap in his 'Achievement' that would completely uncover his inability to serve as a military director and destroy his ambitions for his work and beyond.
Tarkin: I'm afraid the recent security breach of late has laid bare your inadequacy as a Military Director,
Krennic: The Breaches have been filled, Jedha has been silenced.
Tarkin: You think this pilot acted alone? He was dispatched from the Installation on Eadu, Galen Erso's Facility.
Reusing the same quote as the intro of the article here, but it lays bare his intentions in that scene, which further solidifies his reasoning to go to Scarif, to silence the breaches once and for all and hopefully restore his position as the commanding head of the Death Star.
But of course, he found himself at the end, choking on his own ambitions, as Vader suggested once in a line that is far more important than it seems. He died staring at the weapon he built.
The Last Guardians
The Eadu story arc serves as a solidification of the friendship and relationship between the two Guardians of the Whills; Baze and Chirrut. It shows that they don't exactly hold each other for granted and it further solidifies the friendship that will obviously come to an end during the Battle of Scarif. Though it's not exactly needed, it is needed to let us know who exactly are they and to allow us to become close to them. Bringing their deaths closer to the scope.
Baze: "Where are you going?"
Chirrut: "To follow Jyn"
Baze: "Good Luck"
Chirrut: "I don't need luck, I have you!"
Furthermore, it puts on display their camaraderie and their skill in battle when let loose. Something that would've been jarring if introduced the first time on Scarif
Development for Cassian Andor:
Arguably the most important part of the engagement on Eadu is the fact that it lays bare Cassian's true intentions; someone who always followed orders, despite them being right or wrong. He would've followed orders if it weren't for his change of heart in this scene that would change his character for the rest of the movie.
"There is more than one sort of prison, Captain," Chirrut said. "I sense that you carry yours wherever you go."
Cassian only wants to do good. Something that he told himself while working for the Rebellion and following his orders. He did terrible things for the Rebellion in hopes it would be for the greater good, ironically, making him not any better than Saw Guerrera and his band.
Many of these things play a part in his change of heart, but the most obvious one would be Jyn and his inability to carry one more terrible act for the rebellion when he knew it was wrong.
Cassian: "What do you know? We all don't have the luxury of deciding when and where we wanna care about something, suddenly the rebellion is real for you. Some of us live it. I've been in this fight since I was six years old."
But I believe the most important part of this was Galen himself, hearing from Bodhi what Galen had told him, Cassian found himself visibly doubting his actions aboard their B-Wing. But seeing Galen step in front of the scientists as he stared from his rifle's scope at the commotion. He renounced his actions.
Ready to kill, Cassian became a better version of himself because he renounced the senseless killing when there's a better alternative. A better alternative that would come too late and come to pass because of his actions because I would argue he could've done more than just stare through a scope. They could've done more for Galen.
Cassian: "I had every chance to pull the trigger, but did I? Did I?!"
Jyn: "You might as well have. My father was living proof and you put him at risk, those were alliance bombs that killed him."
But Galen was already dead.
Culmination of Galen's Story:
"Jyn, my Stardust, I can't imagine what you think of me. When I was taken, I faced some bitter truths. I was told that soon enough, Krennic would have you as well. As time went by, I knew that you were either dead or so well hidden that he would never find you. I knew if I refused to work, if I took my own life, it would only be a matter of time before Krennic realized he no longer needed me to complete the project. So I did the one thing that nobody expected: I lied. I learned to lie. I played the part of a beaten man resigned to the sanctuary of his work. I made myself indispensable, and all the while I laid the groundwork for my revenge.
We call it the Death Star. There is no better name, and the day is coming soon when it will be unleashed. I've placed a weakness deep within the system. A flaw so small and powerful, they will never find it. But Jyn, Jyn, if you're listening...My beloved, so much of my life has been wasted. I try to think of you only in the moments when I'm strong because the pain of not having you with me. Your mother. Our family. The pain of that loss is so overwhelming I risk failing even now. It's just so hard not to think of you. Think of where you are. My Stardust."
Galen Erso, probably the most troubled part of Eadu, one that would bring an end to his established storyline, albeit short and conclusive enough to fit in one scene to explain him, making himself indispensable for the Empire long enough to hide a trap in the Death Star's schematics and for its construction.
He's probably the embodiment of not everything is what it seems, he worked for the empire but his hope never wavered. He lost his wife and he lost his daughter to time. But still, he marched on.
Galen: "You'll never win."
Krennic: "Now where have I heard that before"
He marched on long enough to say his last words to his dearest daughter. Bringing an end to his storyline and giving the torch to his daughter, solidifying her resolve and hope. Ultimately, his story and Jyn's is that of a father and daughter, he gave his daughter the strength she needed to carry on even if it was his last act.
Jyn: "Papa... Papa it's me, it's Jyn"
Galen: "Jyn... Stardust..."
Jyn: "Papa, I've seen your message the hologram I've seen it"
Galen: "It must be destroyed..."
Jyn: "I know, I know... We will"
Galen: "Jyn... Look at you... I have so much to tell you..."
Ultimately, his sacrifice brought back the pain, but also Jyn's resolve.
Restructuring Jyn's Perception & Solidifying Her Hope:
And now, Jyn, the point of the scene, Jyn's hope solidified. We see her as nothing more but a cynic throughout the movie, she would rather not be a part of this or anything at all, she's there for the most part as a last-ditch attempt to see her father. I would argue that even after Jedha, after seeing her father's hologram she still didn't fully believe in the dream.
Saw Gerrera: "You can stand to see the Imperial flag reign across the galaxy?"
Jyn Erso: "It's not a problem if you don't look up."
But even then, the importance of Eadu for her is the fact that it solidifies the dream it restructures her view in the world, and she becomes one with the expectations her father had for her. The expectations even Saw had. To become part of the fix instead of being part of the issue.
"Hope?" She eyed Cassian dubiously. "Is that the best the Rebel Intelligence can do?"
Cassian might as well have shrugged. "Rebellions are built on hope,"
So, when the time comes and everything is done, she confronts her views and is vowed to see this through for her own sake, and for her father's so it wouldn't be in vain, everything he did and all the suffering. His work would live through her and ultimately through her sacrifice.
"Your Father Would be Proud."
Her entire story arc revolves around a story of redemption, her own and her father's. Ultimately, all of that began, the moment she stopped being a cynic. The moment Eadu came to pass.
Conclusion:
To conclude all of this, the confrontation on Eadu is as important to the movie as the rest of the scenes in the movie, it all makes the movie even if there's a weird-ass Bor gullet thing in the start, that doesn't really serve anything. But you know what it serves?
World Building, which is equally important to anything else in my opinion. When done right it can change your perception of the worlds you love and see.
So, at the end of the day? Would the movie suffer if Eadu was removed? Yes. Is it better the way it is? Yes. Ultimately, just enjoy Rogue One for what it is, a fictional war movie that takes most of it's tenants and sticks to them.
Rogue One is also one of my favourite Star Wars movies before Empire Strikes Back and A New Hope. So I may be biased, I may be not. But I feel like this is the best Star Wars movie Disney has done to date that incorporated a good story and loyalty to the universe it expands upon.
Author's Notes:
That certainly was something to write, I enjoyed it. I hope you all like it too, and well, let me know if it changed some of your perceptions in the movie or if you disagree, anything, just let me know what you think of the movie. It's always interesting to see what people think, maybe I missed something, maybe I didn't.
But I have seen a lot of people complain about the Eadu story arc and say it is pointless, when in reality it is not that pointless, it was certainly pretty important in my eyes. But what do you think?
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Well, that brings this one to an end, thank you for bearing with my schedule and always being there to provide support. I'll have more awesome stuff coming, be sure of that.
As always, though, live your life, stay safe. And play lots of Halo.
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