The Art Of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Abrams continues their tradition of releasing gorgeous books on the making of the "Star Wars" saga and "The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is another jewel in their crown. Packed with 300 hundred concept art images along with insight into the evolution of the story of "Rogue One," it is no surprise that this is a must for "Star Wars" fans. With forwards by concept design artists Doug Chiang and Neil Lamont, and another by director Gareth Edwards, the trio give great insight into how they went about the process of developing the worlds we visit in the film, not to mention the various characters, costumes, spaceships, and weapons seen throughout.

The most fascinating aspect of the book is to see early renderings of characters we never got to see. To be honest, as a long time "Star Wars" super-fan, "Rogue One" left me cold. So to see what might have been is both mesmerizing and disappointing since a lot of cool stuff was jettisoned early in the process. The original team of rebels who go about stealing the Death Star plans included Jyn Erso and K-2SO, but also two other men and another female character. It also included two creatures: Senna, a hulking behemoth that conceptually went through a number of different looks, and his sidekick Lunak, a small furry rodent-like alien. For me, both of those characters would have added a much needed levity and visual interest to a film that felt too serious and had too many generic characters.

We also learn that the driving mantra of the film's entire production team was "how you remember it, not how it was." The entire crew wanted the film to be reminiscent of how everyone remembered "Star Wars" when they first saw it, not how it actually was. Everyone who was affected by the film at an early age has memories of it that might not actually match reality, and that was the go-to for the concepts. They wanted it to be faithful to the original films but have enough of a riff that it wasn't a direct copy.

For so many fans, "Star Wars" was a feeling. The passion that came out of the viewing experience was and is something almost indescribable. It's something felt deep in the heart and soul and that is what the people behind "Rogue One" wanted to capture. And they did.

"The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"
By Josh Kushins
$40.00
Abrams Books
www.abramsbooks.com