Fan theory suggests Donnie Yen's Rogue One character could appear in Han Solo Star Wars prequel

The Chirrut Imwe actor has remained tight-lipped on details of his character's history

Jacob Stolworthy

Thursday 29 December 2016 10:55 GMT

Star Wars fans have taken the characters of Rogue One into their hearts following its release in the run-up to Christmas. Naturally, quite a few of them are theorising about how they could relate to other films in the franchise.

While it was revealed pretty immediately that Forest Whittaker would return to voice Saw Gerrera for Star Wars Rebels and that Felicity Jones actually has another film in her contract, a new theory has surfaced relating to Donnie Yen's Chirrut Imwe.

It was Yen's words himself that set minds wandering; in an interview with ScreenRant ahead of the prequel, the actor stated that he wasn't permitted to discuss his character's history.

He said:

"That's a backstory actually, we did a lot of back and forth discussions and research between actors, producers, and directors so that is something…it’s probably [motions a large book] this thick of materials and research, but I'm not allowed to talk about it."

Imwe introduces Star Wars fans to the Guardians of the Whills, a mystical order George Lucas considered introducing in his original trilogy. The official Rogue One visual guide suggests that this order, in the time of Finn and Rey, is fully extinct. Merge this with Yen's refusal to discuss his backstory and Moviepilot assumes that Imwe will undoubtedly be seen again.

[SPOILERS] 13 scenes from Rogue One's trailers cut from the film

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1/13[SPOILERS] 13 scenes from Rogue One's trailers cut from the film

[SPOILERS] 13 scenes from Rogue One's trailers cut from the film

'I rebel'

Straight off the bat, that instantly infamous line from Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso - "This is a rebellion, isn't it? I rebel" - is missing from the final cut. Probably a good thing, considering nobody needs Jyn's entire character motivation spelled out in quite such obvious terms.

[SPOILERS] 13 scenes from Rogue One's trailers cut from the film

Moody Orson Krennic

This brilliantly moody shot from the film's teaser never makes it into the final cut, but there's a good chance it was never intended to, having all the hallmarks of footage deliberately shot for the trailer.

Walt Disney Studios

[SPOILERS] 13 scenes from Rogue One's trailers cut from the film

Moody Jyn Erso

The same goes for this look at Jyn Erso in her Imperial disguise, which definitely has the look of a promotional shot to it.

[SPOILERS] 13 scenes from Rogue One's trailers cut from the film

'What will you become?'

The look at Jyn's Imperial outfit coincides with the final line of a cut monologue from Saw Gerrera: "What will you become?" The confusing part here is that Saw is seen with the close-cropped hair he sports only in the prologue scenes, when Jyn is only a child. When she visits him in Jedha, his hair is much fuller and he's sporting a beard. So, was this speech somehow originally delivered to Galen Erso in a cut prologue segment? In the context of Galen's work with the Empire and his later attempts to evade them, Saw's words would make a lot more sense.

[SPOILERS] 13 scenes from Rogue One's trailers cut from the film

And Moody Darth Vader

Potentially another promo shot, considering this was used as the very first reveal of Darth Vader in the trailers.

[SPOILERS] 13 scenes from Rogue One's trailers cut from the film

Krennic and Vader

However, this shot also shows a cut scene between Krennic and Vader, in which the former talks about the "power we are dealing with here".

[SPOILERS] 13 scenes from Rogue One's trailers cut from the film

'The captain says you are a friend. I will not kill you'

K-2SO has many similar lines directed to Jyn throughout the film, but they're a lot less sinister than this one.

[SPOILERS] 13 scenes from Rogue One's trailers cut from the film

Captured rebel pilots

This shot from Jedha is missing. It doesn't exactly add anything to the story, but it's an added touch of grit which sets the tone nicely in the trailers.

[SPOILERS] 13 scenes from Rogue One's trailers cut from the film

'Good.' 'Good.'

A cut moment between Jyn and Cassian, though it's a little hard to tell where this comes from - there's no moment where Jyn sits as co-pilot on the U-wing, since it's usually K-2SO in the seat.

[SPOILERS] 13 scenes from Rogue One's trailers cut from the film

Jyn faces off against a TIE fighter

What's interesting is that this shot of Jyn limping across the Scarif communications tower is, of course, in the final film. It's just that the TIE fighter is entirely absent. Was this a cut moment? Was Krennic piloting that thing? Or was it even just cut into the trailer to keep audiences off the scent?

[SPOILERS] 13 scenes from Rogue One's trailers cut from the film

Krennic on the Scarif beaches

And what about this great shot of Krennic marching amongst the dead? The set-up and lighting seem to imply he survives the initial battle without getting shot by Cassian, and is on the ground when the Death Star destroys Scarif - if that's indeed the source of the glow in the background.

[SPOILERS] 13 scenes from Rogue One's trailers cut from the film

Jyn and Cassian in the Scarif battle

In fact, the trailer footage seems to hint at a drastically different ending, which may point to what exactly got changed during the re-shoots. We see multiple shots of Jyn and Cassian running along the Scarif beach with the Death Star plans. Considering the battle is still in full swing, it suggests the archives and the communications tower may have been separate locations in the original version.

[SPOILERS] 13 scenes from Rogue One's trailers cut from the film

Jyn, Cassian, and K-2SO running through Scarif base

And here, again, we see Cassian, Jyn, and K-2SO running with the data plans through the Scarif base. That means the droid wasn't originally meant to die (or whatever happens to droids) defending the archive room.

Such is the deal with these anthology prequels that LucasFilm could elect to resurrect any character just as long as it predates the film they originally starred in. Next up is the as-of-yet-untitled Han Solo film starring Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover as his trusty sidekick Lando Calrissian.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Clip - Trust Goes Both Ways

Could Imwe next be seen alongside these characters?

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is in cinemas now, trouncing its competition - including Passengers - in the box office.

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