
Your first glance on the Star Wars: Rogue One poster and you will notice the heavily scratched helmet of a Rebel soldier lying in the water. The Empire army behind the helmet is not currently engaging anyone and the troopers appear to be casually wading through the water at ease. There must have been a previous skirmish where the empire won. The soldier who once owned this helmet was possibly killed by the Empire, or he is fleeing from the Empire. Why else would he leave his helmet lying in the water as Empire soldiers and AT-AT Walkers approach; leaving behind something such as a helmet makes you vulnerable. It is too obvious that there is a crucial war on this watery planet between the Rebels and the Empire. 

It was not until having studied the poster that I noticed the Rebel insignia being reflected upside down into the water. The helmet alone can stand for a multitude of things: mutiny in the ranks, significant loss of life, or the relics of a force that once was strong. The Rebels must have had difficulty and sustained some type of loss within the previous chaos that ensued, but what does the upside down insignia mean? It shows a symbol of hope, purity, and resistance. Much like the union flag in the Civil War, it represents reconstruction and the doing-away of negative aspects in society. Just like when an inverted cross is displayed it often stands for “anti-Christian”, I believe this inverted Rebel insignia stands as a seriously negative omen for the Rebels. 

You will notice that the helmet is in shallow water and the troopers are wading through knee deep water. The only explanation for the difference you see between the two is: the soldiers and Empire war machines are making their way towards the beach. Looking in the distant background you can see an island on the right side and a faraway city on the left. The only reason that they would be moving in through the water towards this land mass is they had to have conquered the other lands you see in the background. This concept is very similar to the idea of island hopping employed in the Pacific War of WWII by the Allies. As we all know, this is a very effective method that won the Allies a major foothold on the Axis power’s land and ultimately put Japan out of the war. I can only hope that the Rebels have many islands to dig into.

If you look for other remnants in the poster of a strong Rebel force you will find none – just thirteen Empire troopers that heavily outnumber that one Rebel who stood there not so long ago. The Rebels are heavily outgunned and outmanned. So one of two things are happening: they are either getting massacred by the Empire or they are sustaining losses as they retreat, but they are still in the war. The caption at the top says, “A Rebellion Built on Hope”. Isn’t it then possible that they are against all odds, entertaining this fantasy of beating the Empire? I think the poster does a great job illustrating this very idea. 

But where exactly is the hope represented in this poster? Hope is definitely not represented in the main color theme. The colors are dark and saturated with a deep sense of grim nuance at the forefront and in the water. However, when you look to the back of the poster you can see sunrays breaking through the clouds. A dark storm cloud lingers to the left threatening to either block out the sun or to be blown away into the distance. This is where we find the hope the Rebels so desperately cling onto. The sun represents hope, and all things good – even the chance for the Rebels to overcome the Empire. Whereas the dark looming cloud symbolizes the Empire in the fact it may blot out the sun and destroy the Rebels. 

The Empire is moving in and they are moving in fast. They have serious weapons and serious manpower, but they do not have something that has won so many wars in the past. They lack the hope that keeps the Rebels on the move, and in the fight. They may not win every fight but they are in it nonetheless. It only takes the slightest opening for the tides to change (pun intended). Things look grim as the Empire approaches another island as they have already conquered two in the background. But, no one can estimate the events that will soon unfold as the Rebels make a stand against the ensuing army.
