Watching Rogue One and Star Wars back-to back is one of my favorite ways to watch Star Wars. I think they fit together unbelievably well for movies filmed 40 years apart.

It is a period of civil war.
Rebel spaceships, striking
from a hidden base, have won
their first victory against
the evil Galactic Empire.

During the battle, Rebel
spies managed to steal secret
plans to the Empire’s
ultimate weapon, the DEATH
STAR, an armored space
station with enough power to
destroy an entire planet.

Pursued by the Empire’s
sinister agents, Princess
Leia races home aboard her
starship, custodian of the
stolen plans that can save
her people and restore
freedom to the galaxy…

Is it a period of civil war? And did Rebel ships striking from a hidden base just win their first battle? Yes and yes. Did Rebel spies manage to steal plans to the Death Star? Yes.

We don’t know exactly how much time passes between the end of Rogue One and when Vader captures them over Tatooine, but it seems obvious he lost track of them for at least a short time. He doesn’t just destroy the ship because he wants to be sure they still have the plans and haven’t already passed them on to someone else. He’s being thorough.

Vader - “Don’t act so surprised, Your Highness. You weren’t on any mercy mission this time. Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you.”

Vader - “Commander, tear this ship apart until you’ve found those plans! And bring me the passengers, I want them alive!”

Rogue One fits better with the originals than the prequels do in my opinion. Not only does it fit well, but I believe it enriches the Original. Watching them together is a joy.