Hidden Meanings Behind the Movie,
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"
Reviewed by Joy Ramos Davis

Synopsis: For the completion of the Galactic Empire's new superweapon, Galen Erso was forced out of hiding to engineer the planet-destroying Death Star.  His young daughter Jyn Erso watched him get taken away by an Imperial official.  She grew up to become a rebel leader and valuable asset to the Alliance.  After viewing a holographic message from her
father on how to destroy the Death Star by designing in a flaw, she asks for help from rebel allies to get the schematics that is located in a heavily guarded, Imperial-based citadel tower on planet of Scarif to bring down the Empire.  

Warning: Spoilers within Presentation

Welcome to "Conscious Movie Reviews."  I'm your host Joy Davis and here to review the action and adventure film, "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."

When work on the Death Star space station had stalled, Orson Krennic, the Director of Advanced Weapons Research for the Imperial Military, descended on a planet to force scientist Galen Erso out of hiding.  He was ordered to finish the project.   

Galen's family was prepped in advance on how to flee for their safety.  His wife quickly notified their friend, Saw Gerrera, a veteran of the Clone Wars, while their child, Jyn, headed for an underground hideaway.  

Witnessing her father's abduction, Jyn's only comfort were his parting words, "Whatever I do, I will protect you.  I love you Stardust."  And from Jyn's mother, a crystal necklace.

The nickname Stardust was appropriately given by Galen to his daughter.  It revealed the nature of his work: to engineer the planet-destroying Death Star.

Based on astronomy, stardust is created by a supernova when a star explodes at the end of its life.  The high energy combustion produces some of the heaviest elements that are dispersed as cosmic dust across the universe that makes up planets, including Earth.

Galen's Rebel Daughter

Jyn witnessed her father's passive resistance towards the Imperial official before he was taken away.  Chuck Spezzano, creator of the Psychology of Vision, teaches that "whatever we have repressed, our children will act out for us so that we finally have a chance of forgiving it and releasing our hidden guilt.  The parts of ourselves we really dislike show up in our family; the parts of us that need to be integrated for our growth and healing will show up in our children."  As Galen was secretly rebellious, his daughter was openly so.

Jyn was rescued by Saw Gerrera at the hideout.  He served as her mentor, where she grew up to become an unpredictable and rambunctious rebel. 

The Lone Wolves Meet

Fifteen years later, Bodhi Rook, an Imperial cargo shuttle pilot, headed for the planet Jedha.  As a conscientious objector of the Galactic Empire's ways, he risked his life to smuggle a vital message from Galen to Saw Gerrera's extremist rebel group on planet Jedha.

As a means to locate Galen, the Rebel Alliance chose their battle-ready Intelligence Officer, Cassian Andor, to free Jyn from Imperial captivity and bring her to them. 

The Alliance would grant her full pardon of all of her crimes if she would help them mend their broken trust with Gerrera.  Through Jyn, they may gain access to Galen's message.   She agreed to the conditions, even though the rebel cause was not her own.   

Cassian headed off with Jyn for the rebel compound on planet Jedha.  Joining them was his trusty companion, K-2SO, a reprogrammed enemy security droid. 

This is a case of two Lone Wolf personalities brought together for a secret mission.  These types prefer to do things their own way as self-sufficient introverts who follow their instincts.  They don't have to be loyal to a group.  

Cassian is also perfectly suited to be a master spy for his Lone Wolf traits and having a cause to fight for. 

Based on his experience counseling CIA personnel, Psychiatrist David Charney adds that "a lot of people go into intelligence, grow up with a need to protect, to get at the truth, to set things straight, based on their childhood...They're seeking the real truth.  They know things aren't right, based on their childhood, and vow never to let that happen again."  This was true for Cassian from witnessing brutality by the Empire since he was 6-years-old.

Creating a Superweapon

The city in Jedha was under Imperial occupation.  They were caught in a shoot-out between Gerrera's Partisan men and Imperial fighters taking a cargo of Kyber crystals off-planet to power the Death Star's superweapon.

Famous inventor Nikola Tesla built a "Death Ray" machine in 1904.  It was likened to a particle beam weapon that uses scalar technology to shoot a target as far as 250-miles away.  Tesla discovered how to use scalar waves, a higher form of radar waves, that is a source of limitless "free energy."  When he sold his plans to the Soviets for $25,000 in 1935, it wasn't until 1960 that Soviet premier Kruschev announced to the world that they have a "superweapon" that can shoot 1,000 miles into space.  Currently, many countries have scalar weaponry at their disposal.

Rebel Buddies

Cornered in battle, Cassian and Jyn were aided by two rogue rebels, a blind man named Chirrut Imwe and his mercenary buddy, Baze Malbus. 

Like the legendary Japanese swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi, who wielded a simple bamboo sword, which he used to deadly effect, Chirrut stood out as a lethal fighter with only a wooden stick.  He relied mostly on intuition to make quick and decisive moves. 

The regular practice of Push Hands Tai Chi Chuan, an internal form of martial arts, can help you to sense the intention of your opponent as a subtle energy force that's ready to attack.  You'll be able to know where the energy is coming from and the direction of that energy to receive and redirect it. 

By chanting his mantra, "The Force is with me and I am with the Force," it gave Chirrut inner focus.  He surrendered himself to be a clear vehicle for the Force to flow freely through him, aligning with the Force's Will, from moment-to-moment.  He was a living example of self-mastery in action.

As for Baze, he was the Yang to Chirrut's Yin.  They were total opposites in character and spiritual awareness, yet respectful of each other's differences.

How to Defeat the Death Star

Taken captive by Gerrera's crew, Jyn was reunited with her former mentor.  Gerrera wondered if they were still friends, even suspecting that she might kill him.  He apologized for abandoning her, knowing that Jyn was hostage material because of her father.  

He once asked Jyn, "What will you become if they capture you?" A simple answer to that comes from the principle of "What I Fight Against, I Become."  Chuck Spezzano, creator of Psychology of Vision, explained that "in our personality, when the rebel knocks off the tyrant who has been running us, the rebel becomes the leader.  Unfortunately, given time, the rebel within will manifest traits similar to those of the tyrant.  Everything we resist persists, because we reinforce and empower whatever we fight against."

Galen's holographic message was loving for Jyn and hopeful for all.  He had planted a flaw in the reactor module of the space station.  One blast would destabilize it, creating a chain reaction that would leave the Death Star vulnerable.  To better understand, they would need the schematics, located within the Imperial's high-security citadel tower on the planet Scarif.  

Criminal Minds in Bureaucracies

Death Star Commander Tarken confronted Director Krennic about his poor management of the project.  Proving that he's not just a cog in the bureaucratic machinery, Krennic fired off a low-powered beam from the superweapon, directed at the capital of Jedha and the insurgency within it.  Afterwards, Tarken announced control of the project, taking it away from Krennic, due to the security breaches. 

A clash between bureaucrats vying for power, Commander Tarkin and Director Krennic are perfect examples of criminal minds attracted to bureaucracies, like the military, law enforcement and government.  Famous theoretical economist Ludwig von Mises identified a bureaucracy's "management of coercion."  These types enjoy creating and enforcing laws and rules to impose on others.  Coercion is available to them and they won't hesitate to use it  Obedience to authority is the essential requirement of a successful bureaucracy.

Jyn and the rebel group had little time to flee from the planet, taking Bodhi with them.  Saw preferred to stay behind as the capital erupted.  He was done running away.  

As the rebel leader of the Partisans, Gerrera was caught up in the illusion of duality, specifically between good versus evil.  Being attached to either side creates suffering.  The real enemy is our lower natures of anger, greed, lust, vanity and fear. 

True survival is through detachment about worldly affairs.  It is not a cold detachment, but to be detached in a loving and compassionate way. 

Galen Must Die

Cassian received direct orders from rebel headquarters to locate Galen at the Imperial research facility in Eadu and kill him.  He also had to hear from Jyn.  Acting in her father's defense, she tried to prove that Galen sacrificed himself for the Rebellion because he said so in the leaked message.     

Bodhi knew how to find the facility.  When Galen was within view, it was an opportunity for Cassian to shoot, but he resisted for Jyn's sake.  They moved in close enough to witness a deadly confrontation between Director Krennic and all of the engineers.  If the traitor doesn't come forward, they'd all pay for the security breach with their life.  Galen confessed, but it wasn't enough to save his co-workers. 

Breaking things up was the surprise attack on the facility by the Alliance. Director Krennic managed to escape, but Galen was badly hit.  Jyn spoke to him briefly to say their goodbyes before he died.

As a child of abandonment, Jyn felt shattered.  Abandonment Recovery expert Susan Anderson defines Shattering as one of the five stages of abandonment that comes from the death of a parent or prolonged emotional distance from your caretakers.  It is a crucial period where you must spend most your time with yourself.  You are in an optimal position to look inside for strength.  Shattering is a journey to the center of Self.

Jyn was very upset with Cassian.  She was lied to about why they were going to the facility.  It was to have her father killed.  He fired back defensively by saying, "I had orders that I disobeyed...Suddenly the rebellion is real to you."

Darth Vader's Culture of Death

At the Imperial base, Director Krennic was summoned by Darth Vader about the security breach.  He wanted assurance that Galen had not compromised the Death Star's weapon.  As warning, Krennic felt his invisible choke hold.

"Be careful not to choke on your aspirations, Director," said Darth Vader.

Whenever you bend divine energies for your personal gain, it can lead to serious karmic repercussions.  For the good of the whole, you can co-create with God by aligning His Will with your own in service to others.

Rebellions Built on Hope

The Rebel Alliance was not convinced to act on Jyn's knowledge of how to destroy the Death Star.  There was no hologram message as proof, so no Council support.   Jyn argued that rebellions are built on hope.

Hope is a running theme throughout the movie.  When you have a desire for something to happen, it's often with an optimistic attitude.  Spiritually, the middle way is to be detached about an outcome in a loving and compassionate way to allow for God's Will to take over.  Its surrendering in trust that all is being done for everyone's spiritual evolvement, no matter how harsh the lessons appear.  

Acting as rogue warriors, Jyn was backed by Cassian and his allies.  The men volunteered themselves for the mission to capture the Death Star plans because they believed her, creating group solidarity for their cause. 

The Coming Robotics Age

At the tropical island of Scarif, Bodhi knew how to get them past security at the planet's gateway with a stolen, Imperial cargo ship.  On the ground, they split into two teams: Jyn would be joined by Cassian and K-2SO to raid the files at the citadel tower while the other men create a distraction with explosives and fight the enemy troops.

The droid was not optimistic after identifying 89 Storm Troopers in their path to the plans.  There was a 33% chance of success.  Jyn was undeterred by the droid's calculation of their odds and his occasional, sarcastic jokes that were brutally honest.

World renowned Futurist Ray Kurzweil teaches that we are currently on the tail end of the Digital Age.  There will be three revolutions emerging in Genetics, Nanotechnology, and then Robotics before having a droid like K-2SO. 

Unrelentless Fighting

Caught off guard by the explosions, Director Krennic dispatches the Storm Troopers and informs Darth Vader about the attack. 

Bodhi was able to send a message to the Council that helped to bring in reinforcements. 

When Jyn and Cassian were able to get into the area of the files, it was no easy feat to fend off Imperial guards, climb the data tower to physically retrieve the file labeled "Stardust" and survive a shootout with Krennic.

When you find yourself in a losing situation, there are ways to tap into the positive Force to improve your luck.  It's good practice to trust your intuition more and let go of self-limiting beliefs that create a victim mentality.  Jyn exemplified that failure was not an option because "unlucky people" write themselves off, whereas "lucky" people just keep on going.

Unfortunately for the Rogue One rebels on the ground, they all lost their lives on the battlefront that was tantamount to a suicide mission. 

Who is Left?

With file in hand, Jyn relayed the data to the Alliance starship that was battling the space station to blow open the planet's shield gate.  

A blast from the Death Star was fired at the compromised base by Commander Tarkin that obliterated, not only Jyn and Cassian, but the whole planet.

On board the rebel's Command ship, Darth Vader was intent on getting the memory file.  He used his lightsaber to mow down each rebel fighter that got in his way.  The very last man forced the file through the hatch, just in time for Princess Leia's undocked ship to escape.

When C-3PO asked her about what the plans mean, she replied, "Hope."

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