It feels weird to be in the minority on this, from what I’ve seen in video reviews, but I really found that mantra annoying. It’s said so quickly and then repeated over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over. I would have immensely preferred if he said it more slowly and repeat it far less often as he did in the film. In regard to his significance being diminished, perhaps you could say Chirrut finally inspired the rest of the characters to believe in the Force again through his actions. Right from the start of the film, Jyn’s mother says, “Trust in the Force,” and so Jyn may have forgotten to “trust” in the Force over the years. She still clings onto her necklace as a reminder, but it serves, I think, as a weak sense of hope that needs to be ignited again. That’s where Chirrut’s character comes in. I don’t think there’s much need for the other characters to give him the cold shoulder when he already demonstrated how in tune with the Force he was. Hell, even before that fight, he managed to “see” Jyn in that crowd just by sensing the energy from Jyn’s kyber-crystal necklace; essentially he won Jyn over from any doubts. His friend probably just likes to be that good ol’ buddy that teases you for this and that, but chooses to be more stubborn in their own way of approaching things. Admittedly, we unfortunately don’t know the origin of that friendship, so I do agree some emotional impact was lost regardless when Chirrut dies in Blaze’s arms. I still, however, think that Chirrut’s role isn’t that diminished and instead he serves his role about the Force in a more subtle manner (just for the love of god, the way that mantra was handled, blah).
Saw is very useless in this story, I so agree. It’s not just him saying, “Save the dream!” but he also says “Save the Rebellion!”, like am I supposed to care that he suddenly had a change of heart and thinks the Rebellion is a viable option, near his own death no less? Okay dude, nice knowing ya I guess.
I think Tarkin needed to be in this movie. If you wanted Krennic to be the only one in charge, then you have to explain why such a powerful person in the Empire is not in the following movies, especially in A New Hope. It was essential to show the change in command stripped from Krennic and into Tarkin’s hands. The Death Star is Tarkin’s favorite toy, so somewhere down the line, prior to A New Hope, there has to be that connective tissue of him taking command of it. Now, it did bother me some that he looked like a video game character, and it really disappointed me how they would have an extreme close up of BOTH Tarkin and another real actor’s face, like Krennic, as it did nothing but glaringly highlight the noticeable difference between CGI face vs real face. It would have been far more effective to have more distanced shots and/or put Tarkin under some shadows or in reflection.
The Death Star being used as it was in Rogue One doesn’t really take away from the destruction of Alderaan, imo. I think it heightens it because it shows how even more bold and defiant Leia is, as she must know by now that the Death Star packs a lethal punch; what she may had not known was that it would fully destroy her planet like that.