Being a pilot for the Rebel Alliance is dangerous, and a new Rogue One experience called Rogue One: Recon proves just how life-threatening it is to fly an X-wing.
ILMxLAB created an experience that puts in the cockpit with a scout pilot who’s happened upon some serious trouble in what’s supposed to be an empty system. After picking up some Imperial chatter, our pilot plots a jump and runs head-first into a fleet of Star destroyers and the Death Star.
Thing is, our intrepid pilots don’t even know what the Death Star is at this point, beyond calling it a “space station,” which is an understatement bigger than the Death Star itself. It’s not long before TIE fighters show up and begin punishing the pilots for their curiosity. And though some of our pilot’s last words are asking for confirmation that the scans have been transmitted to Yavin so that Mon Mothma would know what they’d found, ultimately he’s overpowered and the entire ship goes up in flames.
The tone of the whole experience is super dark. In under two minutes, we’re taken on a ride that’s somehow even darker than the deaths of Dack and Porkins. Even though we never see our pilot’s face or even learn anything about him or the other pilot, Rogue One: Recon gets violent fast. Perhaps a sign of things to come in what might be the most violent Star Wars film yet.
ILMxLAB is a laboratory focused on the future of immersive entertainment and comes from Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound. Experiences like this one are a hint about what’s to come in the world of immersive entertainment, but for now Rogue One: Recon gives us a glimpse into the discovery of the Death Star, and a firsthand look at the dangers of being a pilot for the Rebel Alliance thats maybe just a tad too close for comfort.
Rogue One arrives in theaters December 16.
