WMG / Rogue One

Pre-premier theories

Felicity Jones will be playing Rey's mother.

Jones and Daisy Ridley do share some traits, and some of the actresses that were in the running for the role share some as well. Admittedly this only works if Rey isn't Leia's daughter, as Jones isn't playing Leia.

• Daisy Ridley herself has confirmed that she isn't Leia's kid.
• If Jyn is Rey's mother, it would explain why Disney/Lucasfilm is telling this story between Episodes VIII and IX: they're answering one of the biggest questions left lingering after The Force Awakens.
• Jossed. Pablo Hidalgo confirmed that Jyn and Rey aren't related, as did Daisy Ridley herself.
  • Pablo's statement could have referred to anything and Daisy's statement never really denied anything. She later leaves the possibility open, despite displaying skepticism based on lack of information and inaccurate calculations.
  • Felicity Jones has outright stated they aren't related, in undeniable phrasing, so yes, this is Jossed.
  • Plus Jyn dies long before she could've given birth to Rey. So yeah, this 1000% Jossed.
  • In the trivia section on this site, someone mentioned that "Felicity Jones has a 2 picture deal" so TECHNICALLY Jones could still PLAY Rey's mother, though as a different character.

The planet in the teaser is Alderaan.

As we see a lush, green planet with the Death Star looming overhead, we get a cornucopia of overlapping voices that get increasingly frantic...and are suddenly silenced.

• "Dantooine. They're on Dantooine."
• Jossed. It's Scarif, an important archives facility for the Empire.

All the heroes will die

Given that Vader's confirmed to appear, the Empire's at full strength, and none of the other Rebels, save Mon Mothma appear in any future material, it seems likely that most, if not all, of the team is going to eat it before the end credits roll. Likely, with a final scene of Vader bearing down on the lone survivor as they send the plans to the Tantive IV. That being said, Star Wars lives in idealism when it comes to the original trilogy, so it's entirely likely that at the very least Jyn survives.

• Confirmed.

Many of the characters will be Bothans.

They will all die.

• Wrong Death Star.
• Alternatively, Mon Mothma hires the Bothans because this team has been annihilated. A few years and another Death Star later, missions assigned directly by Mon Mothma acquire a bad reputation for their dismally low survivability.

The team will become the 'Knights of Ren'.

• After being captured and turned to the Empire.
• See the hints in the 'Art of The Force Awakens' book.
• Jossed. They all die in the mission.

There will be at least a cameo appearance by certain characters.

• A new version of Kyle Katarn, given his ties to the Legends theft of the plans.
• Darth Vader and/or Grand Moff Tarkin (Since this film revolves around the Death Star Plans). There are actually sources claiming that Vader will indeed appear in the film, though not as a main antagonist; instead he'll be pulling strings and working behind the scenes, with no mention of whether the protagonists will actually run into him in person. Watch this space, nonetheless.
  • Maybe the movie will end with Vader aboard the Star Destroyer Devastator, being informed that the Death Star plans have been sent to the Tantive IV and ordering an intercept course.
  • Confirmed, both Tarkin and Vader are in it. In fact, Vader does eventually join the Battle of Scarif, capturing the rebel flagship and just barely missing the Tantive IV as it departs with the stolen plans.
• Boba Fett (The first standalone film was rumored for awhile to be a Fett film).
• The crew of the Ghost (Around the same time period).
  • A VCX-100 light freighter, likely the Ghost has already been spotted with the rebel fleet in one of the trailers.
  • A "General Syndula" is mentioned over the intercom at the Yavin IV base.
  • Paglo Hidalgo confirmed these as being the Rebels character. Oh, and Chopper cameos, too.
• Ahsoka Tano.
  • Jossed. Gareth Edwards has consistently stated that there will be no Jedi in this film. While you can argue about the semantics of where Ahsoka lies after leaving the Jedi Order, she's a heroic character with Force powers, and as such she won't play a role in the story.
    • That doesn't necessarily preclude an off hand reference to "Fulcrum".
    • In addition, Filoni has said that he would rather prefer to keep TV-original characters within their own mediums. Plus, with the Season 2 finale ending with her in an Ambiguous Situation and Filoni confirming that there are no plans to tell her story beyond that point in the timeline, it looks like we're definitely not seeing her in this movie.
    • Saw Gerrera has been confirmed to be in a supporting role, played by Forest Whittaker. So the possibility of Fulcrum being mentioned is still pretty likely.
• Admiral Ozzel and Captain Piett (the former's incompetence results in the stolen plans).
  • Maybe General Veers leading the AT-AT assault in the trailer?
  • All Jossed. They don't appear and are not mentioned
• Bail and/or Leia Organa (the end of the film will lead directly to A New Hope just before the latter's capture).
  • Bail is confirmed; Jimmy Smits is set to appear as a cameo. Leia, R2, and C-3PO appear together at the very end of the movie.
• Aphra and her assassin droids 0-0-0 and BT-1. They're in the right time period.
  • The assassin droids weren't ready at that point in time (they were built a few months after the Death Star was destroyed), but Aphra herself could appear.
  • Jossed. None of the three are even mentioned in the film.
• Bevel Lemelisk, for reasons that should be obvious.
  • Jossed. He doesn't make an appearance and Galen Erso develops the first Death Star with no apparent prototype made beforehand. The Darksaber IS mentioned in the Empire's archives, however.
• Wedge Antilles, to throw a bone to the fans expecting the original Rogue Squadron. We know Dennis Lawson was asked to reprise his role for The Force Awakens, but he turned it down, possibly out of concern that Wedge would be subject to Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome. Naturally, a prequel to the first movie wouldn't have that problem.
  • He doesn't make a direct appearance but he is mentioned.
  • Actually Jossed. There's mention of Captain Raymus Antilles, but no mention of Wedge.
• Tenn Graneet

Geonosians will be involved somehow.

• They did have the original design of the Death Star, and they do bear a grudge with the Empire.
  • Possibly, though at some point after the wars, the Empire sterilized Geonosis. One of the characters could be a Geonosian that was off-world, and is working for revenge. Or used to develop the Death Star.
  • Jossed: No Geonosians are present in the film.

Mads Mikkelsen's character will be an Imperial.

No way those Villainous Cheekbones won't be put to good use.

• Seemingly Jossed - he described himself as not playing a bad guy this time around.
• Unless he's a defector who joins the Rebellion.
• EW says he's somewhere on the fence, wanted by both Imperials and Rebels.
  • Jossed: he plays Jyn's father and isn't a bad guy. But it's confirmed that he IS an Imperial nonetheless. He was forced to work for the Empire and designed the Death Star. Meanwhile, he deliberately designed a flaw within the weapon's reactor hoping Jyn/the rebels would find it and use it to destroy the Death Star.

Ben Mendelsohn will be playing Wilhuff Tarkin

Just look at this.◊ Furthermore, given that the movie is about the Death Star, it would make perfect sense for the character to appear in the plot.

• Mendelsohn's character appears in a white Imperial uniform in the teaser trailer, suggesting he's not Tarkin.
• Jossed. He's actually playing Director Krennic.

Diego Luna's character is Biggs Darklighter.

Not my theory, but some fans have pointed out that they look similar.

• Jossed. He actually plays a new character called Cassian Andor. Darklighter doesn't appear in the movie.

Diego Luna's character is Kyle Katarn.

Appears to be the secondary protagonist and teamed up with Jyn Erso (who might be a Jan Ors expy) to steal the Death Star plans.

• Jossed. Same reason as the above WMG.

Donnie Yen's character is Rahm Kota

Or at least the new canon's equivalent of him. It's a very off-the-wall theory, but if one looks closely, one notices Donnie Yen's character is blind (having the trademark milky white eyes). He also seems to be wearing suspiciously Jedi-like robes and cane. Add to this Donnie Yen being a expert martial artist, the kind who'd fit for a Jedi and we have a case. A blind rebel alliance member (possibly Jedi)? Sounds like Kota. Now, in TFU, Kota lost his access to the force temporarily when he was blinded, and thus he wouldn't be "A Jedi" at least for the time being, thus there are no Jedi in his movie, as stated.

• Jossed. He actually plays a new character called Chirrut.

The main characters only think that they are stealing the Death Star plans.

They are actually distracting the Empire so that someone else can steal the plans.

• Jossed. They do steal the Death Star plans by themselves, and die in the mission.

Felicity Jones will play Jan Ors or an Expy of her.

She's a woman involved in stealing the Death Star plans.

• The name "Jyn Erso" certainly seems to point this in the right direction.

Ben Mendelsohn will play a younger version of Lor San Tekka (the old man in The Force Awakens).

Mendelsohn bears a passing resemblance to Max von Sydow's character, who was heavily implied to be a friend of Leia from her days as a Princess.

• Mendelsohn is the caped and white-clad Imperial officer in the teaser trailer. Unless Tekka is a defector, it's unlikely they're the same character.
• Jossed, he actually plays Director Krennic, and he doesn't defect to the good guys. Plus he dies in the film when the Death Star vaporizes him.

Felicity Jones will play Dosmit Raeh, the Rebel pilot whose helmet Rey wears in The Force Awakens.

• Seems to be Jossed, her character's name is Jyn Erso.

Felicity Jones will be playing a character with a connection to Han Solo.

Most likely an Ex-girlfriend, much like Bria Tharen from legends whom participated in the Legends equivalent of the theft of Death Star Plans.

A younger version of Lor San Tekka will appear.

It's stated that Tekka revered the Jedi and didn't believe the Empire's lies about them. There's a good chance that he would have joined the Rebel Alliance.

• Jossed.

Snoke will appear.

He will be a young, normal-looking, low-ranking officer in the Empire.

• Jossed. Pablo Hidalgo confirmed that Snoke will not make an appearance of any kind.

Forest Whitaker will play a high-ranking Imperial officer.

He will be far more sympathetic figure in comparison to other Empire characters. And for all future WMGs that go with this theory, Whitaker's officer will be referred by the Spoonerism created name of Whorest Fitaker!

• Possibly Jossed. The teaser and interviews seem to suggest Whitaker is playing a bounty hunter.
• Jossed completely. It's been confirmed he's playing Saw Gerrera.

Mads Mikkelsen is playing Agent Kallus.

• Possibly Jossed since Mikkelsen isn't' playing a villain unless Kallus is making a Heel–Face Turn.
  • After all the characterization The Honorable Ones gave him, it might just come to be.
  • Completely jossed. He's actually playing a new character called Galen Erso.

Linking to the first WMG, Felicity Jones will be playing the eventual love-interest/wife of Luke Skywalker.

The two will have met some time after Return of the Jedi (or MAYBE at the end of Rogue One in a fangasm-inducing cameo from Luke), fallen in love and had Rey - by far the most popular Rey parentage theory post-TFA is that she's Luke's daughter, so this would fit.

• Partially jossed. Both Pablo Hidalgo and Daisy Ridley have confirmed Jyn isn't Rey's mother, so while Jyn could eventually hook up with Luke, they wouldn't be Rey's parents.
  • Pablo's statement could have referred to anything and Daisy's statement never really denied anything. She later leaves the possibility open, despite displaying skepticism based on lack of information and inaccurate calculations.
  • Felicity Jones has outright stated they aren't related.
    • Completely jossed. She dies by the end of the movie, which happens before A New Hope and Luke Skywalker showing up.

Continuing from the above WMGs, Felicity Jones's character, Jyn Erso, is actually the new canon's version of Mara Jade.

Judging by the newest teaser trailer's ending, we see Jyn Erso in an Imperial Soldier attire while the voiceover narrates "What will you become?". In the main page, the Shades of Conflict trope says that the film is 'gray', and that the Jyn Erso herself appears to be an Anti-Hero who's only convinced to work for the Rebellion only because of her skills. Presumably, circumstances will drive Jyn to betray the Rebellion at one point, either to go into deep cover or because she sees the Rebellion as not so different from the Empire after all and lose faith in their cause. Either way, it will end up with her defeating the film's main villain who's a high-ranking Imperial Agent (whoever the man in the white cape is in the trailer) then replaces his position, changing her name, rising through the ranks and eventually becoming An Emperor's Hand.

• Jossed. She's her own character and she dies at the end.

One of the planets the protagonists will go to will be Lothal

Considering that Lothal is heavily implied to be involved in the construction of the Death Star, it's not out of the question that Jyn's team will land there at some point.

• Jossed, but there are shout outs to Rebels in the film.

No major characters from other Star Wars films will appear

We might see minor characters from the A New Hope era. But, if the Death Star plans are handed over to anyone, it won't be a re-cast or CGI Leia. We won't see Luke and Han arriving at Yavin IV ready for the next battle. Mon Mothma looks like she is doing a good job, anyway. All the stuff that happens in other movies stays in those movies. Rogue One will be a neatly self contained story.

• Might be jossed, given that Darth Vader will appear but it's not know how big his role will be.
  • Jossed. Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Bail Organa, Tarkin, Mon Mothma, C-3PO and R2 appear in the movie.

Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley will cameo in a Frame Story.

The film will open soon after the events of The Force Awakens with Rey asking Luke about her mother. The rest of the film is a flashback as Luke tells Rey about Jyn, her mother, and how she joined the Rebellion and became a galactic hero.

• Jossed. Both Pablo Hidalgo and Daisy Ridley have confirmed that Jyn is not related to Rey.
  • Again, Pablo's statement could have referred to anything and Daisy's statement never really denied anything. She later leaves the possibility open, despite displaying skepticism based on lack of information and inaccurate calculations.
  • And again, Felicity Jones has outright said Jyn and Rey aren't related. Jyn's not her mom, her grandma, her aunt, or anywhere else on her family tree.

• Then perhaps another character we meet in this movie is one of Rey's parents. There's a reason they're telling this story between Episodes VII and VIII.
• Jossed.

Donnie Yen's character isn't a Jedi but he is Force-sensitive.

How else can he put up a fight against stormtroopers with blasters with only a spear? He won't use telekinesis or any of the more advanced Force techniques but he will use the basic Force ability of fighting while blind. Jossed. While fights blind (using his other senses) and truly believes in the Force and that someday the Jedi will return, he is confirmed to not be Force sensitive himself by all involved in the production. That said, the Force does seem to be looking out for him.

Ahsoka Tano will appear in this film as a villain

They said no Jedi, but she isn't a Jedi anymore.

• Jossed. She's not in the movie at all.

It will be revealed that the reason Asoka went into the Sith temple was to become a Sith, so she could stay under her master forever. She will be like a more active Darth Vader, chasing the rebels across the galaxy, but preferring to fight them herself rather than simply sending troops. In the ending, she will perform a Heel–Face Turn and have an epic fight to the death with whoever the movie's main villain is. Very much like Anakin, she will kill him, but will be mortally injured herself. She will feebly hand the rebels over the Death Star plans, and will say the Arc Words "I know there is still good in him", just before she dies. If they really want another Call-Forward, she might also briefly make a reference to Luke or Leia's existence such as "There is another".

• Jossed. Ahsoka doesn't appear in the movie. She might have been the Jedi mentioned by Bail Organa in the end, which would mean she didn't defect.
• That line is most likely referencing Obi-Wan, who received that same line spoken by Leia in A New Hope.

Donnie Yen's character is a Jedi who survived Order 66 and has been on the run from the Empire ever since.

Yes, it's been said that no Jedi will appear in the film, which would make the reveal that this guy actually is one all the more surprising. And chances are that he'd likely die in a duel with Vader, should he make an appearance. Alternatively, he could possibly pull a Face–Heel Turn and become an Inquisitor, thus making him the new canon's incarnation of Jerec (bonus points if he's actually a Miraluka and not merely a blind human).

• Jossed. He's basically just a huge fan of them.

Diego Luna is playing Poe Dameron's father, Kes, from the Shattered Empire comic.

Kes is sent by the Rebellion to make certain Jyn completes the mission.

• Jossed, he plays Cassian Andor, an unrelated character. And, he dies at the end of the film.

The tank and the hooded figure kneeling in front of it.

The figure:

• Vader is, of course, the most obvious answer. But the figure seems to be wearing a cloak, something Vader's never been seen in.
• Snoke
  • Jossed. Snoke will not appear in Rogue One.
• Mara Jade, in her role as the Emperor's hand.
  • It's a servant of Vader's.

The tank:

• Palpatine
• Vader, sans suit.
• Padme's preserved corpse.
• A comatose Ahsoka Tano.
  • It's Darth Vader.

Cassian and Jyn will butt heads, due to them being The Captain and the Military Maverick respectively.

Cassian won't like Jyn doing things like getting into unnecessary trouble, as well as her disrespectful attitude towards Rebel military officers. Jyn won't like him either, because she doesn't like being told what to do (like how to rebel, if her iconic line from the teaser meant anything. Maybe she thinks that the Rebel Alliance is making everything too complicated and they should just act spontaneously.) Then, after Character Development, the duo might start to grow on each other.

• Maybe Jyn will note that Cassian reminds her of her father. If this gets brought up earlier in the film, then she could add on that she hates her father for the same reason she hates Cassian.
• Jossed. While they mistrust each other at first, they quickly become Fire-Forged Friends. Cassian also doesn't really conform to military protocol, either. They also die before seriously butting heads.

Baze is a Mandalorian bounty hunter.

But no, he will not be related to Sabine Wren. Or the Fetts. He's from some other clan. This could lead into a nice throwaway reference to one of them though, but it'll be super vague and very easy to miss. Maybe it won't make sense when the movie comes out, but it'll make more sense when Rebels gets to the event that he's referencing.

• Jossed. No mention is made of him being a Mandalorian bounty hunter in the movie. He's an assassin who was previously a member of the Guardians of the Whills along with Chirrut.

Jyn is estranged from her father.

She's been on her on ever since she was 15, and since he's been described as 'heroic', maybe something happened that forced him to choose between his family and doing the right thing, and it got him arrested and/or got Mrs. Erso killed or something. We'll get throwaway comments from Jyn about him until he finally debuts, and she'll still not want anything to do with him until he does something like sacrificing himself or Jyn comes to understand why he did what he did.

• And, uh, this is under the assumption that Mikkelsen's character is Mr. Erso. This troper is getting confused with all these leaks.
• Looks to be confirmed. EW says she holds a grudge against him.
  • Confirmed. She believes he's a monster working for the Empire.

Lyra Erso is Mrs. Erso.

There's this leak from a while ago, where Gabriele Fritz is cast as Lyra's double. Rather than possibly being Jyn's prototype name, maybe it's her mom and she'll have at least one action scene.

• Confirmed - Lyra will be played by Valene Kane.

Jyn will be The Skeptic when it comes to the Force.

Much like Han Solo, she (possibly along with the rest of the team) will have trouble believing that the Force exists and rolls her eyes at the idea of this "mystical energy field" with Jedi Mind Tricks, telekinesis, etc. However, she'll find out that she was wrong in the worst possible way when she has a run-in with Darth Vader.

• Jossed. Jyn is never shown to be a firm believer or skeptic. That role goes to Baze.
  • And also, she never meets Vader — she's dead by the time he comes to battle.

Chirrut will fight Vader and lose

Chirrut (Donnie Yen's character) is described as a "spiritual warrior" and possibly Force-sensitive (see above theory. He will face Vader in a "hold him off" type of fight. He will be strong enough to put up a fight but not strong enough to win.)

• Jossed. Nobody in the main cast fights with Vader. They're all dead by the time Vader shows up for the battle.

The film's climax will take place on Alderaan during it's final hours

The heroes will succeed in their mission to give the plans to Princess Leia by the third quarter of the story, but they soon end up on Alderaan with the knowledge that the Empire is planning to destroy it. The final set piece will be the heroes attempting to escape Alderaan's impending doom.

• Jossed. The climax of the movie happens in Scarif, an Imperial construction site.

Chirrut is a member of the Church of the Force

• He is a warrior who can't use the Force himself but venerates the Jedi and upholds their ideals.
• Supplementary materials say that the Church was an underground faith during the time of the Empire and likely had a lot of involvement in the Rebellion.
  • Confirmed, known in the new canon as the Guardians of the Whills.

Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors are still canon

It's just that in the canon universe, they helped find the plans to the second Death Star, not the first.

The final shot of the film will be a recreation of A New Hope's opening shot.

Because Rule of Cool.

• Alternatively, the last shot of the movie will be Jyn Erso transmitting the plans to the Tantive IV and completing it before dying.
  • Confirmed.

Jyn is going to die.

She'll perform a Heroic Sacrifice for one of her teammates just before/after the plans are transmitted, as a sign of her Character Development from the maverick who only looked out for number one.

• This would also explain why they were so fast to shoot down the Jyn-is-Rey's-mother theory.
  • Confirmed.

Vader will pull a You Have Failed Me on Krennic

It's a Foregone Conclusion that the rebels will successfully steal the Death Star plans and that Krennic will not be present in A New Hope, so perhaps Vader will deem Krennic unsuited for command due to letting such a massive security breach occur.

• Jossed. Vader Force-chokes Krennic but lets him live. However, Krennic dies when the Empire uses the Death Star to destroy their own base, which has been compromised by the rebels.

The film will be in memory of Kenny Baker.

Maybe Erik Bauersfield as well.

• There was no In Memoriam card, though there may be one in its home release, especially since Carrie Fisher had passed away shortly after its theatrical release.

Threepio and Artoo will make a contrived cameo

For it is written, "Thou shalt not make a Star Wars film without Threepio and Artoo".

• If Bail Organa is set to appear, they could be with him.
• Confirmed, though not necessarily contrived: they're simply on Yavin IV the whole time.

Chirrut Îmwe is a Matukai

In the old EU, the Matukai were an unusual order of monastic warriors whose focus was on Supernatural Martial Arts, as opposed to the Psychic Powers employed by groups like the Jedi and the Sith. They were notable in that many of their members were not actually Force-sensitive — at first. But they could hone a certain specialized connection to the Force through their meditative martial arts practices that made them warriors equal to the Jedi. Notably, their preferred weapon was a spear, and Chirrut uses a slightly less obtrusive staff. This would also not violate the "no Jedi" assertion about the film, as the Matukai were not Jedi, and did not even have the same power set.

• While not refered to as such (they're "Guardians of the Whills", in a call back to the early drafts of Star Wars), there's clearly some inspiration taken from the old EU with the character.

Saw Gerrera's forces will include a Lasat mercenary.

The Lasat won't necessarily do anything or be important in any way, but will exist mainly as an Easter Egg for Rebels fans who will know the Lasat is the same one Kallus remembered from his encounter with Gerrera and his men in The Honorable Ones. Plus we'll get to see what a Lasat looks like without Rebels stylized CGI!

• Jossed, no Lasat makes an appearance.

Krennic is really Grand Admiral Thrawn in disguise.

He was brought in because the Emperor suspected that there would be an attempt to steal the plans, and wanted Thrawn to analyse who were the most likely suspect(s).

• Then the whole thing was a bust anyway and we wouldn't have the rest of the movies.
• Jossed. He's a different character and dies at the end of the film.

Krennic is with the Imperial Security Bureau.

It would make sense with his position, and add to that his uniform. White is reserved for Grand Admirals and ISB officers, and Krennic isn't a Grand Admiral. Unless Directors dress in white as well, he seems like he'd be ISB.

• Krennic's Deathtroopers are with Imperial Intel. In Legends, II officers also wore white, so it seems that Krennic's more allied towards them than the ISB.
• Jossed. Krennic is described as being the Director of Advanced Weapons Research.

Krennic will gradually evolve into a Char Clone.

Not only would he survive in this film, he would be revealed to be the one who engineered Tarkin's downfall in Battle of Yavin, be it a Uriah Gambit or otherwise.

• Jossed, he was offed by Tarkin. But at least we now have Tarkin as an expy of Gihren Zabi.

Chirrut's staff comes from a Force-sensitive tree.

Force-sensitive trees grew in the Jedi Temple at Coruscant. It would explain how he's able to take down several armored Stormtroopers with only a wooden staff.

The Death Star will damage, but not destroy, Jedha

In the second trailer, the Death Star can be seen hovering above the planet and creating an eclipse. Later in the trailer, Jyn's ship is seen jumping to hyperspace while a massive amount of desert-like rubble rains down around them, suggesting that Krennic - realizing the threat Jyn and her group pose - decides to fire the Death Star's laser to stop them, even though it's not fully armed and operational. The damage to Jedha is extreme, but the planet is still intact, and because the Death Star is needed elsewhere, Star Destroyers glass what remains to ensure there are no survivors who can leak word about what happened to the Rebellion or the galaxy at large.

• Confirmed: It only fires a small shot, enough to take out the capital city and a huge swath of planet around it.

We'll find out the Death Star's weak spot was a deliberate design flaw

Being forced into helping create it, Galen Erso's blueprints will include an exhaust port leading to its main reactor. This will be done subtly enough to escape the Empire's notice, but he'll be sure to point it out to his daughter and the Rebels when they come to retrieve the plans.

• Confirmed.

Saw Gerrera is a cyborg

He'll be more machine than man (heh) even. Entire limbs, internal organs, parts of his skeleton, etc. His eyes are also artificial to a degree, possibly to explain why they are a different color than he had when he was young.

• Confirmed. He even has a breathing mask that he needs to use from time to time, causing him to make a sound not unlike Darth Vader.

The crystal Jyn receives from her mother will eventually be used in Luke's second lightsaber.

• Most likely Jossed since Jyn, and presumably her crystal, are blown up by the Death Star.

Rogue One will become what's essentially Star Wars meets Iron Blooded Orphans

"RAISE YOUR FLAAAAGGG!!!!"Complete with the Rebels being Private Military Contractors made of a group of Rag Tag Bunch Of Misfits, Darker and Edgier plots featuring No-Holds-Barred Beatdown frequently, a Gray-and-Gray Morality for both sides, sympathic Anti-Villain in the Empire, as well as omitting lightsabers and the force.

• Alternatively, Rogue One will become Star Wars meets Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt
  • Jossed: The Rebellion is filled with criminals and other unsavory people willing to do very dark things. However, the morality is more Black And Grey (black, of course, being the Empire as is tradition and grey being the Rebels), there's no sympathetic Anti-Villain in the Empire, and while lightsabers & the Force are less emphasized, they still play some role especially when Darth Vader shows up at the end.

Bodhi will come out of his shell

It's established that Bodhi is a skilled pilot of the rebellion with a bad temperament and a lot of anxiety; no mention of combat ability has been made, though. Considering that his actor Riz Ahmed likened him to a long-distance truck driver who's been thrown into a revolution and there are several shots of him looking contemplative, he'll probably be an incredibly stressed-out Non-Action Guy who makes some kind of Heroic Sacrifice in the eleventh hour.

• Pretty much Confirmed when he sacrifices his life to get a critical message to the Rebel fleet.

Saw will say Jyn reminds him of his late sister, Steela, directly or indirectly.

• Jossed.

Rogue One will be the namesake for Rogue Squadron following "A New Hope".

• It's never directly stated that this is the case in the final film, but nonetheless strongly implied... so, Confirmed?
• Confirmed. Luke comes up with the name in their memory in the "Hope Dies" arc of the 2015 comic run.

Darth Vader is in the tank because he is still recovering from his fight with Ahsoka in "Rebels"

• That's an awfully long recovery, considering the fight with Ahsoka is at least 3 years prior so it could be a chronic condition.
• Jossed, the bacta tank is necessary to keep him alive outside of his suit due to his injuries from Revenge of the Sith.

Rogue One will focus on a new character using the legendary title.

Could be a member of the Rebel Alliance (or whatever it becomes) who obtains the callsign, which has been passed down to a new generation of pilots.

• Jossed. It does focus on new characters, but they are actually the originators of the Rogue callsign.

Wedge Antilles will not appear in Rogue One.

Dennis Lawson has said that Star Wars bores him, and I doubt that fans would like the decision to recast him, young or old.

• Confirmed.

Post-release

K-2SO is still alive.

• While he was in the Imperial Archives, it was perfectly possible that he uploaded his programming into the system and then transmitted it elsewhere similar to how they transmitted the Death Star plans. In fact, he is in the Death Star plans; both were transmitted at the same time.
• He knew how badly the odds were going in and backed himself up somewhere on Yavin before leaving.

K-2SO's reprogramming.

The Rebel Alliance doesn't seem to do brainwashing, and besides, K-2SO shows he's quite capable of disobeying them. So what was that reprogramming about?

The Alliance is not above murder. They stole an Imperial security droid, wiped its memory, and installed a new droid operating system. K-2SO does such a terrible job at pretending to be an Imperial droid because he doesn't remember working for the Empire.

Chirrut's staff contains a kyber crystal.

During the scene at the Imperial research facility, the tip of Chirrut's staff is glowing for an unknown reason. He's blind, so it can't be a flashlight. Chirrut isn't Force sensitive so he can't craft a true lightsaber but maybe he can use a kyber crystal to enhance a simple wooden staff. It would explain why the staff is so effective against armored stormtroopers.

• It would be appropriate considering he used to guard them. It could have been a status symbol, a symbol of rank, or just a memento.

The Guardians, like Chirrut and Baze, are alive because of the Grand Inquisitor

It is possible that a condition of the Grand Inquisitor's pledge of loyalty to the Empire could have come with the condition that the non-force sensitive guards would be spared. As a Guard himself, it seems like something would have registered in his mind as a concern, even under the influence of the dark side. It seems strange that the Empire would let them live, let alone roam free, if they were Jedi temple guards.

• Possible ... except that there is no indication that the Guardians of the Whills are Jedi temple guards.

Jedha will be a prominent location in The Last Jedi.

In The Force Awakens, we learn that when Luke went into exile, he started searching for the first Jedi temple. Consider the following:

• Chirrut is a Guardian of the Whills, and at least once he uses the phrase "the Force of Others" rather than just "the Force". These are references to the earliest drafts of A New Hope and Lucas' original ideas of what the Force and the Jedi would be. Additionally, Chirrut recites prayers and practices religious doctrines that echo the Jedi way but aren't identical to it.
• Jedha is replete with kyber crystals, the critical component of lightsabers.
• Jedha has a holy city, there are references to a "jedi temple" and a "kyber temple", there are huge statues of hooded and robed figures, and the planet is described as being the last vestige of the Jedi way.
• What might you call a person who hails from the planet Jedha? A Jedhai.

Jedha clearly has a long history with the Jedi and the Force — it may even be the world from which the Jedi Order and the belief in the Force originated. If Luke is still interested in searching for Jedi history, Jedha could be a goldmine, even if the Holy City has been destroyed. During The Last Jedi, Luke and Rey will leave the world where they ended The Force Awakens and eventually come to Jedha, where they'll learn new/old things about the Jedi Order, the Force and a way forward for the galaxy.

• Jossed

Kyber crystals will be an important plot point in The Last Jedi

Though kyber crystals have been mentioned in other Star Wars media, this is the first time they've been mentioned in a movie, introducing casual fans to the concept. This means they can be integrated into the next Star Wars film without too much explanation.

• Jossed

Mon Mothma was going to send the crew of the Ghost after the Death Star plans

While Jyn and Cassian are walking in the hangar, General Syndulla is called to the briefing room over the PA system. In light that Word of God has confirmed this is Hera and not her father, it's all too likely that Mon Mothma decided to send the Ghost to Scarif to extract the plans, given that it's the sort of mission that they specialized in on Rebels. Rogue One just beat them all to the punch and left without any planning whatsoever.

The idea of there being Force believers entirely separate from actual Force users is being used to set up the reveal that Supreme Leader Snoke isn't a Force user himself.

In the The Force Awakens WMG page it's been noted that Snoke talks about training Kylo Ren, but never in a way that confirms he can actually use the Force himself, and this has been used to guess that Snoke may not be Force sensitive. The idea introduced in Rogue One that there are people who understand the philosophy of the Force to the same degree as the Jedi even though they are unable to tap into it themselves could be a way to foreshadow this. It's entirely possible Snoke is a Dark Side / Sith equivalent of Chirrut Imwe.

Porkins partook in the Battle of Scarif.

During the battle, his fighter took a serious hit and he was forced to evac before Vader arrived. Because of this, his fighter sustained damage that was either unrepaired or unnoticed when he was forced to fly again, about a week later when the Death Star arrived at Yavin.

Part of Bail's reason for sending Leia to Obi Wan was to get her trained as a Jedi and reunited with Luke

No one expected to be actually get the Death Star plans and the Tantive IV was only part of the Rebel fleet that took part in the battle of Scarif by virtue of being docked to part of it at the time out of sheer luck. Bail knows Leia is the daughter of an incredibly powerful Force sensitive and very likely knew Obi Wan would be keeping an eye on her brother, and his intent was for Leia to go straight to him.

Chirrut Îmwe is not human, but a Miraluka

The Miraluka are a species in the Star Wars canon that appear human, aside from their non-functioning eyes. Sometimes, it's an Eyeless Face, sometimes their eyes are just blank or non-functional. They see through the Force, but their abilities other than that can vary wildly. Most aren't capable of the showy telekensis or other Force abilities other than their sight (which can ignore things like walls, rain, smoke, and fog, but doesn't do well with faces if Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords is any indication) and some flashes of insight as to future or far away events (explaining his cover as a low-rent fortuneteller). And Miraluka who leave the homeworlds were usually tied up with the Jedi in some fashion; the stronger ones as Jedi themselves (they're one of the default races for Jedi classes in Star Wars: The Old Republic), but more often they took jobs as teachers, administrators, and other support staff for the Jedi (which would explain why Chirrut doesn't pack a saber, but has a Jedi-like ability to fight). Because of their inherent Sensitivity and close relationship with the Jedi, the Empire was eager to hunt them down, and those who could posed as blind humans and hid what they were for as long as possible. Miraluka are, for the most part, idealistic and faithful; since they see through the Force, they see how it connects everything and have a lot of trouble comprehending the Imperial viewpoint, anyway. Understandably, they were one of the first species to throw their lot in with the Rebellion. Chirrut being Miraluka would also account for the Improbable Aiming Skills and his ability to get around without any apparent visual aids.

• This makes one of the few funny moments in the film even better - throwing a hood over a Miraluka's head wouldn't do a thing to impair their sight. In fact, most of them traveling off-world wear hoods or blindfolds of some kind out of courtesy for other species who are unsettled by their species quirk.
• Even if he weren't a Miraluka, his mentality about The Force, his blindness, the fact that death by Death Star wouldn't leave a body to confirm or rule out the possibility, and the Miraluka cultural tendency to see each other as brothers and sisters of a wider galaxy, it's likely they would claim him, if only as an honorary brother.

Davits Draven was demoted or even ejected from the Alliance for overriding the orders to capture Galen Erso

Let's think about this: Draven's order to kill Erso started a chain of events, one linked to the next, that ended in the destruction of Alderaan and the death of Alliance co-founder Bail Organa, Princess Leia's adoptive father. Plus Leia is captured by the Empire, tortured, and nearly killed by them, and the chain of bad things could have led to the destruction of the Alliance. It's plausible that Leia and other Rebel leaders would be incensed at Draven for starting this chain, he's already a Jerkass, and he's not mentioned in any further Rebel missions. So there's a good chance his orders to kill Galen Erso earned him a non-lethal You Have Failed Me rebuke from the Alliance and being relieved of command.

"There are no Jedi here" is true, From a Certain Point of View.

Maybe there aren't any Jedi on Jedha, but there might still be Force-sensitive people (or people suspected to be–can you seriously tell me that if it wasn't Word of God, you'd know that Chirrut isn't Force-sensitive?). Any actual Jedi were probably killed during Order 66, and Baze is old enough to remember that. He's trying to protect people who might otherwise be killed.

Chirrut could have been a Jedi... if he hadn't been born blind.

He might have not been accepted for training in such an intensive and demanding career because of a disability, but still has the same strength in the Force as many Jedi would.

• Given that both old and new canon feature multiple blind Force-users, the Miraluka species being of particular note, this is unlikely. If he was strongly Force-sensitive and born blind, him using the Force to compensate for his sight would probably have tipped off others to him being Force-sensitive. We don't even know if he was born blind to begin with.
• The Miraluka are legends canon and not applicable, and no other characters with Force abilities appear to have been blind from birth as a disability for their particular species. From birth (or prior to training) is key, as there is a difference between retaining a previously trained Jedi who sustained an injury, and investing upfront in the training of a prospective member who will have a known disadvantage relative to their species. The Jedi are not necessarily "good" as we understand it, and were clearly highly judgmental over anybody they would consider training as can be seen in treatment of Anakin and Luke. The work is dangerous and physically intensive while the Jedi show strong preference for natural abilities over any sort of bionics or use of Force abilities as compensation. So when he persisted they sent him to the Guardians of the Whills to pursue his interest in the Force. "No Jedi anymore. Only dreamers like this fool."
  • The Miraluka are now part of official canon.

Scarif was originally named Rakata Prime/Lehon.

Just like Korriban being renamed Moraband, what if Scarif was originally named Rakata Prime from Knights of the Old Republic?

Mon Mothma knew about the fact that Obi-Wan is alive and hiding.

With Rebels, it is confirmed that Bail Organa had told the Alliance that Obi-Wan is dead and him and Ezra are the only persons to know the truth about the Jedi Master. But Mon Mothma's dialogue with the Senator of Alderaan seems to indicate that she knew the truth as well about the self-exiled Jedi (she even introduces the subject to Bail). A new question raises then: Did she know all along? Or did Bail Organa entrust this secret to the former Senator of Chandrila at some point ? Also, by judging the above conversation, she doesn't seems to know all the details.

• It wouldn't be too surprising, as Bloodline reveals that Mon Mothma, despite never being told about Leia's true parentage, still managed to make a close guess.

The remaining Kyber crystals in Jedha's crust made the destruction worse

According to All There in the Manual, Jedha was slightly larger than Scarif. And yet at first glance the Death Star, despite using the same power setting, triggered a much more powerful explosion on Jedha (including a massive debris plume) than on Scarif (which seems to have been mostly a giant fireball). We also know that the ruins of Jedha still contain Kyber crystals, as it becomes a plot point in the Marvel comic book series. We can assume that the size of the explosion was because the Death Star's superlaser ignited some of the Kyber located under ground zero.

• Scarif's laser was largely impeded by the ocean. The most prominent element in the water, hydrogen, underwent fusion first, resulting in a thermonuclear explosion that was still in the gigaton range, but not as great as the one on Jedha that did punch into and through the crust, resulting in the fusion of heavier elements (and kyber crystals).

The Rebel Soldier who escaped Vader's rampage at the end is the same one who Vader interrogated on board the Tantive IV in A New Hope.

The reason he was so calm even though he was being receiving a Neck Lift from Darth fucking Vader was a combination of adrenaline at being so close to the monster who slaughtered his squadron and confidence that Leia had managed to get the plans safely out of Vader's reach.

• The one that Vader interrogated was Raymus Antillez, Captain of the Tantive IV and the one that gave Leia the plans in the final scene.

Why the Imperial tower on Scarif wasn't vaporized by the Death Star

The laser's photon density is so immensely great that it behaves almost like a solid rod, pushing matter along its path (and vaporizing it) until it reaches critical mass, causing a thermonuclear explosion that makes Tsar Bomba look like a firecracker. Basically, the portion of the tower (and Krennic with it) were slammed into the earth at light speed.

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