Rogue One Darth Vader/Grand Moff Tarkin/Emperor: Yes, no, maybe?

[Greens]

Will one or all of these characters appear in Rogue One and in what capacity?

I personally think Vader and Tarkin are a lock.

 

[NosfeRomas]

I don't think they will appera. My guess is the main villain will be a new Moff or Admiral.

 

[titansupes]

I could definitely see both appearing in some capacity. Maybe Vader more so, since it doesn't involved such a direct recast, and let's face it-- He's so iconic and such a money maker, if you have a chance to use him organically, as you do here, then you'd best get on that.

 

[NewYorkSpider]

I'd much rather see the Emperor have a role much like he did in Empire Strikes Back. One scene where he's talking with Vader would do it for me. As for Moff Tarkin, I could get on board with him making an appearance.

Darth Vader is a definite YES!

 

[writer0327]

Vader, but how much Vader? I'm not expecting him to be the main character or even a secondary villain, but he can't just show up at the end like Luke does in TFA.

Anything over 15 minutes of screen time would be amazing.

 

[WormyT]

People are smoking grade A Crack if they think the greatest villain to ever grace cinema won't show up in some form in this movie. He's currently on TV in a kids cartoon. Of course he'll show up in a war movie about stolen deathstar schematics that probably takes place weeks or days before the events of A New Hope. And you can count on Tarkin showing up too.

 

[titansupes]

Vader, but how much Vader? I'm not expecting him to be the main character or even a secondary villain, but he can't just show up at the end like Luke does in TFA.

Anything over 15 minutes of screen time would be amazing.

Yeah, the main bad guys are new Imperials and stormtroopers etc. But I could see Vader being used somewhat like like the shark in Jaws, only with even less screentime. Establish he's involved/giving orders in a scene with the main Imperial officer baddie. Then have him show up and wipe the floor with some of the key Rebels.

People are smoking grade A Crack if they think the greatest villain to ever grace cinema won't show up in some form in this movie. He's currently on TV in a kids cartoon. Of course he'll show up in a war movie about stolen deathstar schematics that probably takes place weeks or days before the events of A New Hope. And you can count on Tarkin showing up too.

Indeed, it makes perfect sense. Hell, the very last scene of this movie may well be the beginning of the iconic chase that opens ANH. Imagine Vader aboard his Star Destroyer after the main action has been completed, an officer informs him that they've intercepted a transmission-- the Rebel's sent the plans to a ship belonging to Princess Leia Organa. Vader says to follow them and... The end.

That would be amazing.

 

[FeedOnATreeFrog]

Vader should be the Terminator/Winter Soldier of this movie.

Make his presence scary, something the characters just have to run from. You can still frame it from the heroes' perspective. Vader doesn't even neccesarily need lines.

Especially have him show up in the end setpiece, killing off most if not all of the main characters, some of who heroically sacrifice themselves in order for the plans to make it offworld.

 

[Brother Jack]

Yeah, the main bad guys are new Imperials and stormtroopers etc. But I could see Vader being used somewhat like like the shark in Jaws, only with even less screentime. Establish he's involved/giving orders in a scene with the main Imperial officer baddie. Then have him show up and wipe the floor with some of the key Rebels.

Yeah, that's the way to do it. Use him very sparingly so as to heighten the threat. This is Vader at his prime, full of power and devoid of mercy.

I'd rather not see the Emperor at all. I always thought that Palpatine was barely seen by anyone in the Empire, let alone anyone outside of it. He was the puppet master in the shadows. Vader was the real face of the Empire.

 

[Drizzle]

I thought it was confirmed a while back that Tarkin would be in it, as a digital re-creation of Peter Cushing.

 

[Greens]

I thought it was confirmed a while back that Tarkin would be in it, as a digital re-creation of Peter Cushing.

I'm pretty sure that wasn't officially confirmed, but I could be wrong.

 

[Loki882]

-I think that Vader will most likely appear. However, he won't be the main villain. He'll probably be an ongoing presence throughout the film, and show up as a hologram talking to the actual main villains. But he won't actually show up in-person until near the end. To kill the actual main villain for failing, and then going off to chase after Leia, thus setting up the beginning of ANH.

-I could maybe see Tarkin showing up, but I'm less sure about that.

-Sheev might show up, but only briefly via a hologram or maybe a speech playing in the background of a scene. But I kind of doubt it honestly.

 

[titansupes]

MSW is saying Vader is in, and his original ANH suit has been "meticulously recreated":


http://**************.net/2016/01/25215/

 

[Greens]

That's interesting. For Revenge of the Sith, they basically took the ESB suit and made the mask perfectly symmetrical. Consistency wise that's always been weird.

 

[GuestStar2004]

I didn't even know there was a difference with the darth vader suits, all looks the same to me

 

[wampa1]

ANH is the only Vader suit with the robes going OVER the shoulder armour. All the others go under.

 

[Greens]

I didn't even know there was a difference with the darth vader suits, all looks the same to me

There are some pretty big differences if you compare them.

Here are the RotS and ANH helmets side by side. The RotS one was digitally engineered (making it symmetrical for the very first time) and based on the ESB helmet. Between ANH and ESB, the buttons on his chest became more advanced and the shoulder pads became fully visible.

 

[Broseph44]

We all know he's gonna be in the film in some role, can't ****in wait t:

 

[DieSmiling]

Vader and Tarkin are locks and I'd bet on a ESB style cameo for Palpatine as well.

 

[DeGenerate10]

Does anyone know if James Earl Jones will come back to do the voice?

 

[Solidus]

MSW is saying that he is coming back to voice Vader. He has been doing the voice on Rebels so not a hard stretch to see them putting Vader in here.

I can see Vader being in this film, especially with the lines of "There will be on one to stop us this time." And seeing him on screen again would be amazing. See him in his prime.

 

[Golgo-13]

Vader was such a prominant presence during the time between EP III and EP IV that not showing him in some capacity would seem very strange.

 

[Corysxj88]

Does anyone know if James Earl Jones will come back to do the voice?

I sure hope so...

 

[Mask&Cape]

Does anyone know if James Earl Jones will come back to do the voice?

I think it is safe to say that, if Vader is indeed in the film, the powers that be want Jones back too.

I think Tarkin needs to appear in some form since the new canon confirms he is in charge of the Death Star project. From the time of the official announcement of the story, I was guessing that he'd appear as a either hologram (like Lawrence Olivier in Sky Captain), some unused footage from ANH or other Cushing work or a full on CG character.

Or else scrub the Tarkin novel from canon and establish that Tarkin took command after Mendolsohn lost the plans.

Also, if Tarkin and Vader are significant in the film then losing the plans happens on their watch regardless of whether they were actually there and Cushing's portrayal in ANH is not one of a man feeling the pressure of that failing.

My guess is that Mendelsohn and his troops are the big bad and any appearance by Tarkin and Vader is late in the story, brought in to clean the mess up and perhaps he is the reason why Erso has to transmit the data rather than deliver it in person.

I also think it would fun if Rogue One use the details from the radio drama and novelisation to show Leia's ship intercepting the data transmission and Artoo on the hull downloading it.

 

[Mask&Cape]

Vader was such a prominant presence during the time between EP III and EP IV that not showing him in some capacity would seem very strange.

Not exactly.

Rebels establishes that Vader has only become known to the galaxy in the last few years.

Prior to The Siege of Lothal, Vader leaves Mustafar very rarely and only when he is needed. In such cases, he never leaves survivors and this is why Ashoka and the Ghost crew are in such shock at the appearance of such a powerful Sith Lord.

Palpatine is also in seclusion on Coruscant and we don't yet know exactly who knows he is a Sith or even a Force user.

However, between Rebels Season 2 and Rogue One, Vader has indeed become a prominent galactic figure.