Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

[Luke Starkiller]

I screenshot that to use as my desktop wallpaper and noticed that you can see stars through the right side near the centerline. Spoiler

[Borgholio]

Maybe it's just me, but the way the Death Star is portrayed in these trailers actually leaves me disappointed in how it is visualized in the original film. Here, the visuals make it look absolutely titanic, powerful, and invincible. I found myself whispering "wow" to myself as I watched this trailer. Now, I look at it in Episode 4 and I think, "is that all?".

Sounds stupid I know, but the Death Star really does feel much more ominous and impressive in this film than it ever did before. I can't wait to see it on the big screen.

[Patroklos]

They have a lot more to work with effects wise now. And you should remember that whatever your feelings about the DS now, they are informed by what you learned about it in EP4.

[Rogue 9]

A nice detail that I noticed: Spoiler

Hammerhead corvettes from Rebels - upper middle and upper right corner of the screen

Spoiler

You sure thats what they are? They look like Neb-B's to me.

There are both present in the shot.

[ray245]

Gareth Edwards has a very good eye for visual direction. Far better than JJ Abrams.

[SpottedKitty]

Here, the visuals make it look absolutely titanic, powerful, and invincible. I found myself whispering "wow" to myself as I watched this trailer. Now, I look at it in Episode 4 and I think, "is that all?".

Could be that this is the first time we've seen a good FX shot looking at it from the bottom of an atmosphere. IIRC every scene in Ep.4 was in space.

And then it turns until the big dish is pointing right between your eyes...

[NecronLord]

Maybe it's just me, but the way the Death Star is portrayed in these trailers actually leaves me disappointed in how it is visualized in the original film. Here, the visuals make it look absolutely titanic, powerful, and invincible. I found myself whispering "wow" to myself as I watched this trailer. Now, I look at it in Episode 4 and I think, "is that all?".

Sounds stupid I know, but the Death Star really does feel much more ominous and impressive in this film than it ever did before. I can't wait to see it on the big screen.

They've literally made it bigger. The original death star is nowhere near as optically large.

[Iroscato]

Fuck, this film looks gorgeous. And badass. And just fun. Love the way they're presenting the Death Star as well as others said - gargantuan, imposing, a truly massive threat. Really can't wait for this now, hope it's as good as it looks

[eMeM]

You sure thats what they are? They look like Neb-B's to me.

I am, compare those three: Spoiler

(is it me or are the spoilers broken?)

[Borgholio]

They have a lot more to work with effects wise now. And you should remember that whatever your feelings about the DS now, they are informed by what you learned about it in EP4.

You mean like how this massive war machine only got off one real good shot before it obliterated by a farmboy with help from a ghost?

[RogueIce]

(is it me or are the spoilers broken?)

Yes, they have been for awhile. Don't include them with a quote box.

[Anacronian]

Supercut trailer of all the trailers so far

It's pretty good i think.

[Bug-Eyed Earl]

Maybe it's just me, but the way the Death Star is portrayed in these trailers actually leaves me disappointed in how it is visualized in the original film. Here, the visuals make it look absolutely titanic, powerful, and invincible. I found myself whispering "wow" to myself as I watched this trailer. Now, I look at it in Episode 4 and I think, "is that all?".

Sounds stupid I know, but the Death Star really does feel much more ominous and impressive in this film than it ever did before. I can't wait to see it on the big screen.

They've literally made it bigger. The original death star is nowhere near as optically large.

Maybe I just missed a shot that debunks this idea, but I just assumed the DS is really close to the planet in these shots.

[NecronLord]

Yes. John Knoll, the Executive Producer and Visual Effects Supervisor on Rogue One, confirmed they'd used 'cheats' for those shots to make it look more impressive, here.

Lens effects and an implausibly dense moon are the answers he's given to why it looks so massive - IE it's "filmed" through long lens to make it look deceptively big.

Like so.

IE they've increased its apparent size to make it have that effect on the audience, when in reality for someone on the moon's surface using Mk1 eyeball it would look far smaller.

If you were seeing that on an earth sized planet with mk1 eyeball, it'd intersect the planet.

[eMeM]

I hope the Death Star hovering over a tiny moon using repulsors is not a canon explanation

[Elheru Aran]

I hope the Death Star hovering over a tiny moon using repulsors is not a canon explanation

...I can actually buy it. Kinda.

I mean, if they have the power to hollow out a moon, cover it with atmosphere, and put inside a weapon that can literally drain suns and blow up planets across the galaxy... holding a Death Star in geostationary orbit shouldn't be *that* much trouble. It'd fill up some of the absurd amounts of space that it has to have inside, that's for sure.

EDIT: Honestly, to me the 'tiny ultra-dense moon' part is the most problematic one, as I'm not sure how exactly that would work.

[RogueIce]

Everybody's nerding out over the Hammerhead Transports (because that's what Rebels established them as) and I'm over here wondering why the Alliance brought them and their Medium Transport cousins to a strike mission.

[Adam Reynolds]

Everybody's nerding out over the Hammerhead Transports (because that's what Rebels established them as) and I'm over here wondering why the Alliance brought them and their Medium Transport cousins to a strike mission.

They also brought them to Endor, so they must have some combat value overall.

I can think of three plausible scenarios. The first is that they are using them primarily as external shields for their more valuable warships, the second is that they are using them as fireships, and the third is that they have retrofitted some of them into actual warships.

[CetaMan]

If I remember my legends, the transports at endor were packed with munitions and used as ramships. Although the movie doesn't really support this.

[Lord Revan]

If I remember my legends, the transports at endor were packed with munitions and used as ramships. Although the movie doesn't really support this.

it doesn't deny it either we just don't seem them used as such on-screen.

That said I suspect that early rebel alliance was rather low when it came to resources and used what they could get their hands and only post-Yavin they have enough support/resources to field sufficient amount of warships to not have to use what ever was avaible. So the transports could be what was avaible and the rebels had to "make due" rather being picky about it.

[Rogue 9]

You sure thats what they are? They look like Neb-B's to me.

I am, compare those three:


(is it me or are the spoilers broken?)

They are indeed broken and have been since the forum software update.

[eMeM]

Everybody's nerding out over the Hammerhead Transports (because that's what Rebels established them as) and I'm over here wondering why the Alliance brought them and their Medium Transport cousins to a strike mission.

They also brought them to Endor, so they must have some combat value overall.

I can think of three plausible scenarios. The first is that they are using them primarily as external shields for their more valuable warships, the second is that they are using them as fireships, and the third is that they have retrofitted some of them into actual warships.

Also electronic warfare, more sensor coverage (maybe they could be retrofitted to work as an AWACS?), coordinating fighters so the big ships can focus on firing big cannons, makeshift carriers and medical ships, maybe a sort of CSAR (picking up escape pods and damaged fighters or docking to critically damaged ships and evacuating the crew).

Hammerheads are at least armed, if they are desperate every barrel counts.

[Rogue 9]

I know it doesn't count for much, but in the X-Wing miniatures game that Fantasy Flight produces, the GR-75 is completely pointless as a combat vessel unless kitted out for electronic warfare via buffing and debuffing units - which it's very, very good at. It wouldn't surprise me if they take that direction in the movies going forward assuming they bother to address it at all.

[Knife]

Or they carry boarding parties. We saw in the Clone Wars and ROTS similar tactics by enemy forces in large set piece battles to land troops on cap ships.

[Galvatron]

I hope the movie tells us how Director Krennic fits into the Death Star's overall development without downplaying Tarkin's role. His bio on the official web site seems to indicate that the Death Star was his baby though.