Star Wars Fan Video Edits Together 'Rogue One' and 'A New Hope'
It adds both context and gravity to the famous opening sequence.
One very dutiful Star Wars fan, Vimeo user Barre Fong, has made the movie mashup that will bring balance to the Force: The ending of Rogue One spliced cleanly into the beginning of A New Hope. It seems like a no-brainer, but it’s an editing job that adds substance and gravity to the classic opening of the very first Star Wars scene ever.
It begins with the harrowing ending of Rogue One. Rebel soldiers rush to move the newly acquired Death Star plans onto Princess Leia’s ship, the Tantive IV, before Darth Vader runs them down. They succeed, and the Tantive IV breaks away from the space battle above Scarif. The Death Star plans are handed to Princess Leia, and the ship makes the jump to hyperspace before the scene cuts to black and reopens near Tatooine.
It’s here that Barre Fong’s edit solidifies the strength of the continuity. It feels like watching the pursuit in real time, with a newfound sense of urgency.
On the spaceship Tantive IV, the rebels await the oncoming stormtrooper assault in what appears to be the very same corridor they fled into just before. The mixture of fear and determination on their faces takes on new meaning when considering the fate that befell their comrades mere moments ago.
Even the khaki-clad Captain of the Tantive IV appears in both films. And it’s even more obvious why Vader isn’t having it for one second that the ship is on a “diplomatic mission.”
For those wondering how much editing Barre Fong actually did, beyond piecing the movies together, it’s worth noting that this is actually the second attempt at combining the movies. The first was just a combination of the raw footage. For this version, Barre Fong explains what’s changed in the description: “I modified the music mix and added a “leaving hyperspace” sound effect.” Subtle alterations, but they’re enough to cement the fact that these scenes might just belong to one movie after all.
There seems to be plenty of love for Barre Fong’s work to go around online.
Watch the full video here:
Its one downside? CGI Leia looks a little extra-wooden when seen so closely to the real thing — but Barre Fong can hardly be blamed for that.
