Rogue One: A Star Wars Story originally had an opening crawl

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the first Star Wars movie not to have an opening crawl, but it wasn’t always supposed to be that way.

During an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit, director Gareth Edwards said that Gary Whitta, the initial screenwriter for Rogue One, did write an opening crawl for the film. Edwards didn’t explain why Lucasfilm decided to take it out, but Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy previously said it was a way to distinguish the main series from the stand-alone, anthology movies. Still, Edwards said the crawl does exist, but fans will have to go the extra length if they want to get their eyes on it.

“Gary Whitta actually wrote one in the first draft,” Edwards wrote. “You'll have to pester him for it ;) ... I do believe that those opening crawl words are actually floating out there in space somewhere.”

Following the removal of the opening crawl, fans took it upon themselves to write and create their own.

Edwards also revealed a couple of other tidbits during the AMA session, including the fact that he had his own cameo in the film. Edwards wouldn’t say what his cameo was, but did hint that he was “probably the savior of the entire rebellion.”

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will be available on Digital HD on March 24 and on Blu-ray as of April 4.