Anticipating Rogue One

In two and a half hours I will be watching Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

I'm elated.

With the many similarities between A New Hope and The Force Awakens, I hope this installment will distinguish itself from every other entry, especially since I hear it will choose to depart from the main franchise in several ways.  For instance, I have read that the opening text space crawl will be omitted and that Force-users will largely not be featured.  Since this movie seems different than the other seven Star Wars movies and appears more like a traditional suspense-war film, perhaps it will have more explicit political themes than the other ones.  And no, I'm not referring to things like the senate scenes from the prequel trilogy; I mean that perhaps it will depict the personal and ethical consequences each political faction in Rogue One must confront.  I would love to see a Star Wars film that delves into the ethics and philosophy of politics and rebellion and maybe reveals that the moral lines in Star Wars can be just as blurry and complex as those in real life.  I would embrace a film that explores how moral obligation arises when the transcendent Force is dualistic and thus is both good and evil at once.  Why choose one over the other?  Does Darth Vader think he is evil?  Does the Emperor?  Is the Force just an impersonal, immaterial power one can access if he or she is fortunate enough to be born Force-sensitive or does it have consciousness and a will, making it more like the traditional concept of God?

Yes, I am already thinking about the philosophical and theological components that Rogue One might showcase.  I have only read minimal facts about the story and characters in order to heighten the experience of finding these things out, and the excitement is compounding inside.

I eagerly await the task of finding my seat in around two hours for opening night, wearing a crocheted Yoda hat I wore to The Force Awakens on its own opening night, only minutes away from witnessing what I hope will be the greatest movie of the year.