Rogue one a star wars story darth vader

In a way that no other franchise can imitate, Star Wars is filled with iconic moments. A New Hope kicked things off with Obi-Wan's sacrifice and Luke's heroic run on the Death Star. Then, The Empire Strikes Back added the AT-ATs at the Battle of Hoth, Yoda lifting an X-wing out of a swamp and Vader's game-changing "No I am your father." After that, it was a given -- every Star Wars movie would add a few scenes that stood out from the rest and defined the franchise.

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However, something different happened in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It kicked off a new era for Star Wars by focusing on the galaxy's regular people. That was a very successful premise, and it's getting imitated in many of the Disney+ shows. Yet, the film's closing minutes gave fans one of the franchise's trademark, iconic scenes. Just as the Rebels finished downloading the Death Star plans, Darth Vader boarded their ship and slaughtered a company of Rebels in what's been dubbed the "Hallway Scene." Here's why Vader's brutal attack is the unquestioned best scene in Star Wars history.

RELATED: Is Rogue One's Jyn Erso Force-Sensitive?

Darth Vader's Hallway Scene Was Appropriate Fan Service

From the Dark Lord's first appearance, fans knew Vader would be one of the best villains ever. His dark mask, towering demeanor and penchant for choking anyone who didn't meet expectations made it clear that he wasn't to be trifled with. The thing is, fans never got a real look at the true power of Vader. He told Admiral Motti that the "ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force." However, all Vader did in A New Hope was kill a defenseless Obi-Wan and nearly get blown out of the sky by Han Solo.

Then, for the rest of the trilogy, Vader was worried about turning Luke to the Dark Side -- not showing off his power -- which is why Luke "beat" him in Return of the Jedi. So, when Rogue One came out and let Vader unleash his rage, it confirmed what fans already knew -- Vader was a Dark Side badass. His brutality and command of the Force were tangible as he held the blast door shut, carved through his enemies and inspired a palpable torrent of terror. Fans had wanted to see that side of Vader for years, and luckily, Rogue One finally gave it to them.

RELATED: How Anakin's Crude Darth Vader Suit Actually Saved Star Wars' Galaxy

Darth Vader's Hallway Scene Was a Lesson in Cinematic Juxtaposition

Vader's hallway scene wasn’t just fan service -- it was also a cinematic masterpiece. Besides the lighting and cinematography, the moment was a lesson in juxtaposition. From a cinematic stance, juxtaposition is when two or more things are placed next to each other in order to contrast their differences.

The most obvious juxtaposition was between Darth Vader and the rebels that he was butchering. The Dark Lord's anger and hate were almost tangible, but it was intensified by the terror that the Rebels displayed. The more they feared him, the more Vader could unleash. Likewise, Vader's sense of duty to the Empire was contrasted with the Rebels' bravery to go above and beyond the call of duty. No one on that ship would have expected to face down a Sith Lord, but they accomplished their mission.

On top of those obvious contrasts, the scene also juxtaposed Vader with the rest of the galaxy. Rogue One focused on non-Force users, so when Vader went off in the last five minutes, it was pretty dramatic. In other words, anyone in the galaxy could make a difference unless they came to face Darth Vader. That's why the hallway moment was the best scene in Star Wars -- because it gave Vader his due.

Although the majority of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’s starring characters were brand new to a galaxy far, far away, there were a handful of familiar faces who had notable roles in the 2016 movie. Among them was Darth Vader, who was first seen berating Ben Mendelsohn’s Orson Krennic on Mustafar, and later memorably massacred a group of Rebel troops in an effort to seize back the stolen Death Star plans. More than half a decade later, Hayden Christensen, who brought Anakin Skywalker to life in two of the Star Wars movies, has broken his silence on Vader’s brutal Rogue One scene.

Rather than approach Hayden Christensen to suit back up as Darth Vader for Rogue One, like he did at the end of Revenge of the Sith, the Star Wars movie’s team instead had Spencer Wilding physically play Vader for the Krennic meeting, and Daniel Naprous donned the black armor for when the time came for the Sith Lord to cut down some Rebel scum. Here’s what Christensen had to say about that latter moment to EW:

I wasn't a part of any of those conversations about Rogue One. But I loved what they did with it. The character predates me, and it's always been a collective effort in a lot of ways. I thought it was brilliant.

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy explained that Hayden Christensen wasn’t considered for Rogue One because "that was just such a specific action sequence,” and it sounds like he’s understanding about this. Keep in mind that along with Christensen having mostly scaled back on acting following his time in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, the big Darth Vader sequence was the last thing shot during Rogue One’s reshoots period; it was even kept secret from the main cast. So even if the crew had wanted to bring Christensen back that might have been difficult to make happen given how last minute this all came together. 

Fortunately for Hayden Christensen, after more than a decade and a half away from the Star Wars universe, he’s reprising Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader on two fronts. First, he’ll appear in Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series, which is set 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith. Along with this show seeing Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan and Christensen’s Darth Vader cross paths for the first time since their epic duel on Mustafar, there’s also a chance we could get Clone Wars-era flashbacks of the two, though that’s by no means official.

Hayden Christensen is also on deck for the Ahsoka series starring Rosario Dawson. In this instance though, it’s unclear if we’ll be seeing Anakin Skywalker through flashbacks to the Clone Wars, or if he’ll appear in Force Ghost form since this show is set half a decade after Return of the Jedi. Either way, the future is bright for fans of Christensen’s Star Wars character, who was previously played by Jake Lloyd in The Phantom Menace and was voiced by Matt Lanter in The Clone Wars animated series.

Obi-Wan Kenobi will premiere on May 25, while Ahsoka doesn’t have a release date set yet. If you’re interested in re-watching Rogue One or any of the other Star Wars movies, they can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription.

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