Why Rogue One's Darth Vader Hallway Scene Almost Went Completely Wrong

Before Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) declared that Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) was her only hope, the possibly Force-sensitive Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) were trying to destroy the Death Star in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." The 2016 prequel is set right before the events of "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope", and it smartly includes a handful of staple characters, like C-3PO (Anthony Daniels). It's only fitting that Darth Vader (James Earl Jones) would have some skin in the game that Erso and her fellow rebels are running — but his menacing hallway scene at the end of the film was almost scrapped due to issues with his lightsaber.

Cinematographer Greig Fraser told CinemaBlend's ReelBlend podcast that they struggled with the lighting, noting that they had to take an unrealistic approach to make it work. "Remember, when he lights a lightsaber in front of him, that should front light him. Because that's what lightsabers do. But if you watch carefully, he's silhouetted ... It's total false lighting." He added that a more realistic approach actually deflated Vader's screen presence, meaning that the wrong approach was the only way to go. 

While it made this sequence a reality, Fraser admitted that it still bugs him. "It's like, 'The lightsaber comes on and then... there's a light behind him?' I don't want to destroy it for the people at home, but the lighting is as wrong as can be," he said. It only took about 15 minutes to get lighting rigs into their correct positions, which was great since Vader's big moment was a last-minute addition.

Co-writer Chris Weitz told CinemaBlend that before he joined the project, the ending of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" included a wedding and not as many deaths. "I think it was on the presumption that Disney wouldn't allow characters to die with such abandon." In a conversation with The Cult Popture Podcast (via CinemaBlend), Weitz said he swapped out the wedding for a brutal finale because it fit the film's theme of sacrifice and this film is also the natural end of these characters' storylines, including Cassian Andor, whose life before "Rogue One" is chronicled in the "Andor" TV prequel.

Editor Kevin Hickman told CinemaBlend that Darth Vader's epic hallway scene wasn't filmed until about three or four months before the movie's release. "I still get chills when I watch it," he said. 

Not only is it a fitting ending to a movie about sacrifice, but it's a conclusion worthy of a war epic, which is exactly what this film is for the "Star Wars" franchise. Much of its runtime is spent giving viewers an in-depth look at the physical conflict between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. It only makes sense that we see Darth Vader in his full glory, violently whipping around his lightsaber in stark contrast to his more stagnant appearances in the early "Star Wars" movies. It's a chance to show people just how much power he actually wields, and what he's willing to do when he takes matters into his own hands.