Star Wars Rogue One Director Explains the Film Title's Multiple Meanings

The title of the upcoming Star Wars spinoff Rogue One was announced early on in the production process, before any plot details were even revealed. Director Gareth Edwards has now spoken about the title, and how it relates to the new film.

In an interview with Empire, Edwards explained that the name has three distinct meanings. "I'd been thinking about it," he said. "What does it mean? 'Rogue One' is a military call sign to some extent, but this is the first film that's gone off-piste and is not part of the saga--or the Anakin story--so it's the 'rogue' one, you know?"

Edwards also stated that the title referred to the lead character, mercenary Jyn Erso, played by Felicity Jones. "It's kind of describing her as well in a similar way," he said. "It has [all] these split, multiple meanings that made it feel like the right choice."

The Rogue squadron was a group of Rebel pilots that first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, led by Luke Skywalker during the battle for Hoth.

Two new trailers for Rogue One have appeared in the past few weeks. The first debuted during the Rio Olympics, while the second was an international teaser that contained footage not seen in the earlier trailer.

The film also stars Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, Donnie Yen, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker, and Mads Mikkelsen, and hits theaters on December 16, 2016.