History NightmareFuel / RogueOne

** [[https://i.imgur.com/FEFMM5I.png This is the last thing that Krennic sees before he dies.]] (He's the blurry shape in the left foreground.) OhCrap doesn't even ''begin'' to describe it. As mentioned above, it's incredibly haunting to see the Death Star aiming directly down at the viewer, and in this case it's effectively aimed at just one person.

* It looks like Raddus and what remains of his fleet will make it out alive and well... until the Star Destroyer ''Devastator'', comes out of nowhere and rams into them. A few ships even ram into ''it''. Right upon the ''Devastator''[='=]s arrival, a medium transport crashes straight into it, a frigate is shot down after that and the ''Profundity'' (the Rebel flagship) is disabled soon enough. When we see the Rebel fleet again shortly after that, only the ''Profundity'' is still up, with debris all around it. The same fleet that [[RammingAlwaysWorks put two Star Destroyers in their place]] on Scarif's orbit just now [[CurbStompBattle has been absolutely destroyed]], and all the Rebels can do against this lone Star Destroyer is lay down and die. It feels like [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished our heroes have been punished for their good deeds]].
* Several Rebel troopers are desperately carrying the datapad with the Death Star's plans to the ''Tantive IV''. The corridors go dark as the Imperials board, and several Rebel troopers are caught between two blast doors, one of which is jammed. Then, without quite knowing why, they look back the way they came, at the deep shadows behind them. [[NothingIsScarier For a few endless moments, there's absolutely nothing.]] Then, slowly, [[HeWasRightThereAllAlong the unmistakable sound of incessant, nightmarish breathing becomes audible]]. [[https://youtu.be/wxL8bVJhXCM?t=45s Then a blood-red lightsaber hisses to life]]...
* Which brings us to the main event. We know him. We've seen his atrocities, his malevolence, and his rage. But knowing that we've only seen him at the end of his life, we've never truly seen [[TheHeavy Darth]] [[FallenHero Vader]] in his absolute, horrifying ''prime''... until now. Crushing rebellions with the casualness of swatting a house fly ''is what he does.'' It was bad enough in ''Film/ANewHope'', which follows this movie chronologically - but ''Rogue One'' is a LowerDeckEpisode, so we see just [[MookHorrorShow how horrific]] he can be from the perspective of the RedshirtArmy.

** Of course, the last trapped rebel, accepting his inevitable death, reaches through the gap in the door to hand off the plans JustInTime, leaving Darth Vader on the wrong side of the stuck door from the plans, right? Nope! Vader slices through the door (after [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impaling the last trapped rebel]]) and proceeds to tear through the rebels on the other side as the rebel who grabbed the plans sprints away, half a breath ahead of [[TheDreaded the Dark Lord of the Sith]] and barely escaping with his life.

** What's worse is the walkers on Scarif ''aren't even [=AT-ATs=].'' They're ''cargo haulers'' called [=AT-ACTs=][[labelnote:*]]All Terrain Armored Cargo Transport[[/labelnote]]. They're less heavily armed and armored than their siege variant and they ''still'' tear a bloody swathe through ground troops while being tough enough to withstand their attempts to destroy them. The only thing that keeps them from being pure nightmare fuel is their WeaksauceWeakness of their legs requiring a specialized EM field to withstand the weight of their cargo that could be disrupted by an Ion weapon. Additionally, they don't hold up against blaster fire from starfighters.

* We finally get to see [[TheHeavy Darth]] [[FallenHero Vader]] in his absolute, horrifying ''prime'' on the big screen. Crushing rebellions with the casualness of swatting a house fly ''is what he does.'' It was bad enough in ''Film/ANewHope'', which follows this movie chronologically - but ''Rogue One'' is a LowerDeckEpisode, so we see just [[MookHorrorShow how horrific]] he can be from the perspective of the RedshirtArmy.
** It looks like Raddus and what remains of his fleet will make it out alive and well... until Vader's enormous ship, the Star Destroyer ''Devastator'', comes out of nowhere and rams into them. A few ships even ram into ''it''.
** Right upon the ''Devastator''[='=]s arrival, a medium transport crashes straight into it, a frigate is shot down after that and the ''Profundity'' (the Rebel flagship) is disabled soon enough. When we see the Rebel fleet again shortly after that, only the ''Profundity'' is still up, with debris all around it. The same fleet that [[RammingAlwaysWorks put two Star Destroyers in their place]] on Scarif's orbit just now [[CurbStompBattle has been absolutely destroyed]], and all the Rebels can do against this lone Star Destroyer is lay down and die. It feels like [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished our heroes have been punished for their good deeds]].
** Several Rebel troopers are desperately carrying the datapad with the Death Star's plans to the ''Tantive IV''. The corridors go dark as the Imperials board, and several Rebel troopers are caught between two blast doors, one of which is jammed. Then, without quite knowing why, they look back the way they came, at the deep shadows behind them. [[NothingIsScarier For a few endless moments, there's absolutely nothing.]] Then, slowly, [[HeWasRightThereAllAlong the sound of Vader's incessant, nightmarish breathing becomes audible]]. [[https://youtu.be/wxL8bVJhXCM?t=45s Then a blood-red lightsaber hisses to life]]...

** One of the poor rebels is slammed up onto the ceiling by Vader--then he's '''''[[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe sliced in half]]''''' by his lightsaber. All he can do is scream horribly as he dies, and the two halves of his corpse drop onto the floor behind Vader as he continues his attack, not even looking. Even worse is that the killing blow from Vader is done with a casual backhand after Vader has passed the man, the kill little more than an afterthought. If you look in the background, all the other Rebels ''stop immediately'' in horror of what just happened.

As the LowerDeckEpisode of the ''Franchise/StarWars'' saga, ''Rogue One'' manages to show just how horrifying war in the galaxy can be, and that the [[Film/ANewHope destruction of the Death Star]] did ''not'' come easy.

** As mentioned in Tear Jerkier, news of the Death Star nearly fractures the Rebellion and convinces them to surrender despite Jyn's pleas. The Nightmare Fuel is this: the Death Star was intended to be a weapon so horrifically terrifying it would quell all resistance by merely existing. ''It almost worked, '''before its existence was ever made public.'''''

[[caption-width-right:350:[[VaderBreath You can hear it now,]] [[HellIsThatNoise can't you?]]

[[caption-width-right:350:"VaderBreath You can hear it now,]] [[HellIsThatNoise can't you?]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[VaderBreath You can hear it now,]] [[HellIsThatNoise can't you?]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[VaderBreath You can hear it now,]] [[HellIsThatNoise can't you?]][[note]][[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome And you're pumping your]] [[RootingForTheEmpire fist in the air, aren't you?]][[/note]]]]

** Not to mention, that when the weapon is fired to destroy a planet in the film, we only ever see ''the beginning of a Death Star attack''. And it's {{HSQ}} levels of horrifying, especially the attack on Jedha, where we see a tsunami of sand, fire and ash completely dwarf the horizon. Yeah, that's ''only the beginning''. As for the aftermath, if you thought the "[[BadFuture Knightmare]]" scene in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' was horrifying, then this would make it look like a teddy bear's picnic.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[VaderBreath You can hear it now,]] [[HellIsThatNoise can't you?]][[note]][[CrowningMomentOfAwesome And you're pumping your]] [[RootingForTheEmpire fist in the air, aren't you?]][[/note]]]]

* We finally get to see [[TheHeavy Darth]] [[FallenHero Vader]] in his absolute, horrifying ''prime'' on the big screen. Crushing rebellions with the casualness of swatting a house fly ''is what he does.'' It was bad enough in ''Film/ANewHope'', which follows this movie chronologically - but ''Rogue One'' is a LowerDeckEpisode, so we see just how horrific he can be from the perspective of the RedshirtArmy.

** An issue of the current Star Wars run of comics, reveal the aftermath of the blast: At least a fourth of the moon's mass is thrown out in space. The remaining surface is barely habitable at the moment, but that won't last long. The Empire is desecrating the remains by strip-mining it, killing its natives simply for being there. The very Force itself is tainted, driving force sensitives that get to close to the blast zone mad.

-->'''Rebel Officer''': ''[banging on the door]'' ''HELP US!'']

[[caption-width-right:350:[[VaderBreath You can hear it now]], [[HellIsThatNoise can't you?]]]]

* ''Rogue One'', in its entirety, is a catalogue of the trail of bodies that made the events of the original trilogy possible. And that's an accurate description: [[EverybodysDeadDave everyone dies,]] one after another, thrown aside the moment their PlotArmor gives out, hundreds of nameless Rebels slaughtered, each of the main and supporting characters doing their part before falling. It's an absolutely horrendous flash of reality in a franchise built on science fiction. WarIsHell, even a long time ago in a galaxy

* ''Rogue One'', in its entirety, is a catalogue of the trail of bodies that made the events of the original trilogy possible. And that's an accurate description: [[EverybodysDeadDave everyone dies,]] one after another, thrown aside the moment their PlotArmor gives out, hundreds of nameless Rebels slaughtered, each of the main and supporting characters doing their part before falling. It's an absolutely horrendous flash of reality in a franchise built on science fiction. WarIsHell, no matter how long ago or far away it's fought.
* Those who aren't as well versed in the lore or only casual fans of Star Wars sometimes mistakenly thought that Bothans would die in this movie thanks to the meme-tastic line by Mon Mothma in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' regarding the ''second'' Death Star. ("Many Bothans died to bring us this information.") But if the death toll on the ''Rogue One'' and the warfare on this movie only warranted a brief mention in ''A New Hope''[='=]s opening crawl, and the Emperor deliberately let the Rebels get the DS-II's plans, [[FridgeHorror just how many Bothans died for intel on the]] ''[[FridgeHorror second]]'' [[FridgeHorror Death Star,]] [[InferredHolocaust if they didn't suffer a genocide?]]

* This film illustrates that the Rebel Alliance--while largely well-intentioned--are ''not'' afraid to do morally questionable things to get the job done. Cassian calmly reassures an informant that they'll be able to escape despite the informant's inability to climb, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder before ''shooting him dead''. We then have the true nature of Cassian's mission revealed when General Draven coldly informs him that despite Mon Mothma's assurances to Jyn this is ''not'' a rescue mission, and when Galen Erso is found Cassian's orders are not for extraction, but ''execution''. While the Rebels are still the Good Guys, GoodIsNotNice.

** Doubly so for fans of ''Rebels''. The show has long since established explicitly that the Empire always pulls its units out ''right before a major strike.'' Anyone who is familiar with the show knew what was about to happen the moment that Star Destroyer fired up its engines.

* Krennic, after being pushed out of his moment of glory by Tarkin, goes directly to Mustafar--covered with swirling ash clouds, cascades of lava, imposing cliff-side fortresses. There, Darth Vader dwells within a tank of bacta, in his [[BodyHorror hideous, burnt, limbless,]] [[Film/RevengeOfTheSith un-armored form]]. Once he is dressed, Darth Vader then meets Krennic, effortlessly tears down his complaints, and Force-chokes the overly-ambitious Imperial before retreating into his sanctum.

** The outcoming of this short engagement is disastrous for the Rebels (well for the unfortunate ones who didn't jump). In the beginning of the "[[CurbStompBattle battle]]", a Gallofree Transport crashes immediately into the ''Devastator'' (just imagine the reaction of its crew in their final moments), a Nebulon-B Frigate is destroyed shortly afterwards in a few shots from the Vader's Flagship and the ''Profundity'' (the Rebel's Flagship) is disabled a few seconds later. We don't see the rest of the "battle" but in the next shot on the Rebel fleet (which happens shortly afterwards), only the ''Profundity'' is present with debris around it. It can be safely assumed that the ''Devastator'' took care of them (Vader's boarding party travelling undisturbed pretty much confirms that). Keep in mind that this is the same fleet that awesomely took out the two Star Destroyers stationed in orbit of Scarif, but the Rebels are too exhausted (nearly defenseless) to take out this lone Star Destroyer and they are slaughtered with extreme prejudice for their efforts. In a very short time too. This shows Vader's absolute ruthlessness towards the Rebels when commanding a Star Destroyer and [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished it feels like that our heroes are shot for doing good]].

* Even if it's a ForegoneConclusion that Jyn will escape, the first scene with Krennic flanked by stormtroopers showing up at Galen's farm may call to mind Hans Landa's first appearance in ''Film/InglouriousBasterds''. With the cherry on top that Krennic dangles the possibility of peaceful surrender in front of the Ersos, along with a comfortable Imperial life -- as hostages, subjected to who-knows-what treatment should Galen's work progress too slowly or his reservations with mass murder become clear. Krennic's demeanor is almost too casual to come off as personal ire-laden EvilGloating -- because for the Empire ''this is business as usual.'' Tiny Jyn fleeing a host of adult stormtroopers, peeking out at them through a tiny crag in the rock and taking refuge down a dark narrow hole, is pure AdultFear.

* Those who aren't as well versed in the lore or only casual fans of Star Wars sometimes mistakenly thought that Bothans would die in this movie thanks to the meme-tastic line by Mon Mothma in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' regarding the ''second'' Death Star. ("Many Bothans died to bring us this information.") But if the death toll on the ''Rogue One'' and the warfare on this movie only warranted a brief mention in ''A New Hope''[='=]s opening crawl, and the Emperor deliberately let the Rebels get the DS-II's plans, just how many Bothans died for intel on the ''second'' Death Star, if they didn't suffer a genocide?

** Even the AT-ST is given a nightmarish makeover: We only see one on Jedha, but its sheer presence is enough that it turns the tide of battle. All we see it do is lankly walk in the direction of the battle in an UncannyValley way, and gun down rebels and civilians indiscriminately.
** The [=AT-ATs=] at Scarif are of the ''transport'' variety, not of the troop carrier variety seen on ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' that are more heavily armored (note the sides) and presumably even better armed.

** To drive home just how terrified the Rebels are, notice their accuracy. In the beginning, their shots were accurate enough to require Vader to deflect them with his lightsaber. By the end, they all go way past him because the Rebels are too scared to even aim straight.

** And ''very'' easy-to-miss is a split-second moment when a blaster shot, apparently deflected by Vader, narrowly misses hitting the fleeing rebel by only a hair (causing him to make the [[DramaticSlip dramatic slip]] safely into the ''Tantive IV''). Vader used a shot fired by one of the man's own doomed comrades to try to stop him from escaping with the plans, and had it not missed, the Corvette would have escaped ''with nothing for all the sacrifices''.
** And that's before we get into the Fridge Horror implicit in the massacre; it's just a glimpse of Vader's rampage. Never mind how many people he's butchered in similar fashion offscreen during ''Episodes IV'' and ''V'', never mind in between films and trilogies...
** And it also gives us an idea of the monster Kylo Ren might yet become, thirty years down the line. ''This'' is the guy he idolizes.
** The entire scene owes a lot to Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes, which depicts war [[WarIsHell in a very]] [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped similar fashion]].
** Really, the whole final sequence shows us what it's like to be facing Darth Vader if you're not Force-Sensitive, or a hotshot pilot, or otherwise protected by PlotArmor. There's a ''reason'' most of the galaxy lives in mortal terror of him.