Rogue One [Speculation] Several transmissions were beamed to this ship...

Why are Jyn Erso and crew running towards the AT-ATs?

Answer: They're not.

They are running towards the massive communications tower/ satellite dish in the background. To beam the Death Star plans to the Tantive IV.

This may very well be the final sequence of the film. Indeed, I'm about 99% certain of it.

 

This is for comparison to the base of that tower.

 

That's a really nice giff!

As for the beaming, it could be, the tower is rather prominent.

 

A few things I would add.

1. In the AT-AT scene, Jyn Erso seems to be carrying an object that doesn't look like a weapon in her left hand.
2. This seems like it could be the same object she's carrying in this scene:

3. This object must be of some importance for Jyn to be carrying it through these two intense situations
4. It's therefore very likely that this object is, or contains, the Death Star plans
5. I imagine the AT-AT operators (and perhaps the Imperial forces in genera) are not aware of the Rebels' intentions, and therefore, do not destroy the communications tower(s). Either that, or they're just dumb.
6. By the looks of it, all of our heroes...are going to die here.

Interesting. That could indeed be the base of the comms tower. In which case, the scene with Mendelsohn walking through the water towards the wreckage may be very close to the end of the film - after Jyn and crew complete their mission. I can envision a scene of Mendelsohn walking up to the base of the tower. He checks a terminal, and his eyes go wide. He looks up past the satellite dish, and into the sky. Cut to the Tantive IV.

Right. I initially thought it very odd that Edwards - clearly trying to demonstrate the scale of the AT-ATs in this shot- decided to place a comms tower next to them that's considerably taller than they are. That diminishes the AT-AT's scale.

But it makes quite a bit of sense if that comms tower is meant for beaming transmissions into space...

Vader: "Several transmissions were beamed to this ship...from a tropical beach."

 

One funny thing I noticed: In that AT-AT gif, all of the rebels appear to be running in zig-zag mode (which is good for protection in such a situation), all except Jyn Erso who appears to be running in a straight line. Now why is that? Is it because they want to show that she has no fear of death?

 

I think it's possible that she's simply focused on getting to the comms tower. And perhaps her team is trying to draw fire away from her. Or she's disoriented and doesn't realize that she should be zig-zagging. Or she has a death wish. Or Felicity forgot to zig-zag for that shot. Hard to tell. But my guess is that she's simply determined to get the plans beamed away.

 

Maybe she's aware they want to secure the plans to make sure they're not being hoodwinked?

What I'd like to know is why they didn't just land next to their transmitter rather than run out of their base?

Perhaps they were betrayed and this was all intended as a set up, but the Empire seriously underestimated their tenacity?

 

I don't think they are going to show any glimpses of literally the last moments of the film in the teaser trailer of all places.

Also, keep in mind that it is heavily rumored Vader would show up in the climax, and so I feel this sequence is more the main battle of the movie in terms of scale, but the actual stakes and plot will culminate later.

That location presumably filmed in Iceland is barely even shown in the trailer, so I think that most of the final act will take place there but eh who knows we know nothing really at this point at least compared to TFA so that is exciting.

I just doubt they would spoil the huge (theoretical) final battle in the teaser trailer.

 

El_Machete12 wrote

That location presumably filmed in Iceland is barely even shown in the trailer, so I think that most of the final act will take place there but eh who knows we know nothing really at this point at least compared to TFA so that is exciting.

Good points , maybe that scene with the Death Trooper looking at the audience is the last shot in the film...

 

Plokoonqueror got it first!
http://boards.theforce.net/threads/first-rogue-one-trailer-when-now.50038519/page-20#post-53451311
Anyway, great job!

 

Indeed. As Motti called them, the stolen "data tapes". I'd agree that they're in that case. So it all fits in with ANH perfectly. The freedom fighters strike from their hidden base (Yavin), steal the data tapes & then transmit the plans to the Tantive IV. Beautiful.

Now it's up to Vader to use his ancient religion to help conjure up those tapes

 

Interesting idea.

Motti is perhaps oblivious to the fact that the "tapes" or "datapad" has been retrieved but that the information has been transmitted and now exists in a different form of data carrier. But since he doesn't believe it will do the Rebels any good, he's not really interested in the technical details:

MOTTI Any attack made by the Rebels against
this station would be a useless
gesture, no matter what technical
data they've obtained. This station
is now the ultimate power in the
universe. I suggest we use it!

 

MOTTI Don't try to frighten us with your sorcerer's ways, Lord Vader. Your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not helped you conjure up the stolen data tapes, or given you clairvoyance enough to find the rebels' hidden fort-...

 

Motti couldn't possibly know what data carrier the transmitted Death star plans were recorded on.

Either the original "data tapes" have gone missing after the Rebel spies transmitted them (hmm...maybe they split into two, so one Imperial party is still chasing the original datapad, while the other chases the receiver of the transmissions?) or Motti isn't really up-to-date.

But like I said, he apparently couldn't care less.

 

The tropical planet will be big, but I don't feel like it's the final act. They're pretty hesitant about showing third act stuff. Most TFA trailers showed act one/two stuff, with some small third act sprinkled in. I'd say this is the middle of the movie. But you may be right as well. The communications tower always did stick out to me, and would explain why they're rushing headlong into firing AT-ATs.

 

Crazy thought:

What if beaming the plans to the Tantive IV happens in the middle of the movie, not the end?

Another thing that kinda sticks in my head:

Pretty sure the opening crawl to ANH says "Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil GALACTIC EMPIRE. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR..."

Is it possible space combat or aerial/ground combat involving ships plays a bigger role in this story than most of us assume?

I don't think it's just a story about the commando operation on the ground, although that will be a big focus. I'm hoping there's a subplot with some kind of space- or airborne raid by Rebel forces on some kind of Imperial facility that provides cover for what Jyn & her crew are doing.

 

i dont think jyn has 'no fear of death' based on that shot of her on the transport.

 

This has made me even more excited for RO. Even if it's just speculation.

 

The very first TFA trailer showed the Act 3 climax in the forest (Kylo igniting the saber). I don't at all understand this perception that they're not likely to show us a glimpse of the end of the film. Teasers do it all the time, including the TFA one. As long as it's out of context, and confusing as to what exactly is happening, there's no harm done.

I think this is a solid case. Jyn is carrying an object that is not a weapon, she is running toward four AT-ATs which does not seem like a good plan, but there's a tower with a satellite dish on it that is also in the direction she's running in. Then we see what looks like the base of that tower in the Mendelsohn Jesus shot.

This also doesn't rule out Vader's participation in this scene. He could confront the heroes at the base of the tower, for all we know. And at some point, perhaps the Rebels launch a diversionary aerial attack on the AT-ATs, stormtroopers (and Vader) that forces Vader away from the comms tower.

But pure speculation aside, that tower being the one used to beam the plans to the Tantive IV is seeming very likely to me. It is otherwise very odd for our heroes to be charging at AT-ATs, and a very odd design choice to have that comms tower literally tower over the AT-ATs. I mean, if you're showing off how huge the AT-ATs are, why dwarf them with that juxtaposition, unless there's an important story-telling reason to do it?

Personally, I think we're all hugely distracted by the AT-ATs in that scene, and Edwards knew we would be. Feels like a clever little joke, actually. "See if they connect the dots" sort of thing.

Of course I could be wrong. But thus bit of speculation just...feels right.

My guess is that the Rebel Alliance launches a diversionary aerial, space and ground attack on the tropical planet in order to allow Jyn and the spec ops team to seize the tapes and beam them to Leia on the Tantive IV, who they're collaborating with. You know the scene in the Imperial subway system, with our heroes running one way, and the stormtroopers are running the other way? They are likely responding to an attack by Rebel forces, and not the infiltration by Jyn and company. It's just that Jyn and company have to get the heck to the comms tower before things get too chaotic. As Jyn seems to have "the tapes" in both scenes, I think that's what's happening. And in spy photos, and the scene of Mendelsohn walking on water, we see clear evidence of Rebel spaceships having crashed on the beach.

 

I suspect the tropical planet is somewhat of a new take on Toprawa which in itself was a play on Tarawa, I think this is a whole planet is a shallow sea with these Atolls emerging from the sea.

 

Damnit...you edited your typo before I could accuse you of being a cad. ;-)

I like this theory. My problem is I keep seeing that shot through a Battlefront lens and assume that tower is an uplink that has to be defended. Jyn will trigger her Personal Shield card any moment so she can hold X to activate. One can only assume a camper with a Cycler Rifle is hiding behind one of those palms...

 

I kind of hope this theory is right. It would be a great ending to the film and a perfect seque into ANH. Good theorizing, Jabba!

 

The issue is, the Empire's solution in that episode of Star Wars Rebels was to blow the tower up, if I recall correctly. It shouldn't be much trouble to do that with four Imperial walkers (at the very least) standing right there. Unless there's some reason they need the tower to be active, and they can't? That would actually be pretty smart on the Rebels' part, to use a tower that the Empire can't afford to lose.

 

My guess is that the Empire just doesn't know what the strike team has done until it is too late. So they don't think to blow up the Comms tower. Perhaps the Rebels left the equivalent of the replacement stone for the golden head (beginning of Indiana Jones I...).

Another interesting thing, based on Mothma's words, is that we may get two separate parts of this mission which takes them to two different locations.

1. Find out what the weapon is in the first place
2. Find out how to destroy it

Though I still believe the tropical sequence is Act 3, it's also possible that the tapes Jyn has in her hand are simply descriptive. They describe what the Death Star is, where it is, and when it may be operational. In which case, they may first beam that information back to the Rebels. And then, later, perhaps during the sequence we see a glimpse of at the end of the teaser (Jyn in the Imperial tunnel), the spec ops team steals the actual technical readout and sends it to Tantive IV.

That said, something tells me the beach is the desperate hour at the very end.