The Battle of Scarif
Everything Is True
Ada Hoffmann's author newsletter
I promised you this and it's late but we're going to do it - here's how the Battle of Scarif from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story breaks down according to the 21-Gun Salute method. This is my favorite battle scene in any film, but it’s also much more complex than the Battle of Yavin, with longer problem/solution cycles, multiple fields of battle, and multiple subgroups of heroes (up to 4 at once!) who each have distinct subgoals. There’s also a really fun little structural wrinkle towards the end, which we’ll get to in good time.
Our heroes in the Battle of Scarif, of course, are the Rebels, particularly Jyn Erso and the band of Rebels who have followed her to Scarif; our villains are the Imperials, who have stored the Death Star’s plans in a heavily-guarded archive in the Citadel Tower.
GOAL: Get the Death Star plans from the archive into the Rebels' hands (and escape with them.)
PLAN: Create a diversion, sneak into the Citadel, and retrieve the plans. Initially, the heroes are hoping that they will make a getaway with the plans using the same ship they arrived in.
As the battle unfolds and more obstacles arise, this plan will become more complicated, and will take place in at least three locations
- Inside the tower
- Ground (in general - near the shuttle and in various places on the beach; this also includes air support)
- Orbit
We start out with the following guns on the Rebels' side:
Jyn Erso is our protagonist. The thing that makes her unique isn't an ability, but a relationship - her late father is the one who designed the Death Star and her broken relationship with him has powered her character arc throughout the story. Initially cynical about the Rebellion, Jyn has grown as a character and begun urging the other Rebels to have hope. She should play a pivotal role in getting the plans; her hard-won hope and her connection to her father should both help her.
Cassian Andor is a deuteragonist who's worked closely with Jyn throughout the story. He and Jyn have often been at odds, but when the Rebels refused Jyn's request to go get the Death Star plans from Scarif, Cassian assembled a team of men to help her anyway. They'll be working closely together in the battle, and their hard-won faith in each other should pay off.
K-2S0 is a reprogrammed Imperial droid who is loyal to Cassian despite a difficult personality. He carries two guns - his friendship with Cassian, and his ability to blend in to Imperial surroundings which are full of droids similar to him.
Chirrut Imwe is a mystic worshipper of the Force who has joined with the heroes. The gun he carries is his sensitivity to the Force.
Baze Malbus is Chirrut's loyal companion. He carries an actual, literal, very big gun, but Baze's skill with weapons is only of minor use in the battle. Primarily, he wields an emotional gun because of his connection with Chirrut - he’s grumpier and more cynical than Chirrut, but with him to the end of the line.
Bodhi Rook is a former Imperial pilot who has defected to the Rebels' side. He carries two guns - his intimate familiarity with Imperial procedures, and his visible struggle with anxiety. A good way to fire the second gun would be to have a dramatic moment where Bodhi does something perilous but effective despite his fears.
These guns are loaded as soon as the battle begins; we already know they've all gotten onto the ship that this story is named after and set out to get the Death Star plans. The heroes also have a few more guns on the mantel that aren’t loaded yet:
Rebel Command is an interesting case. They are able to deploy the Rebel fleet and make large scale strategic decisions. So far, Rebel Command has stood in the heroes' way by being divided, defeatist, too afraid to authorize their mission to Scarif. But in the original Star Wars trilogy, Rebel Command are the good guys and are largely effective in what they do. In order for this story to work narratively with the rest of the series, we need Rebel Command to redeeem themselves by coming through when the Rogue One crew needs them most.
We know that the Rebels have a fleet of spaceships at their disposal, which includes various vessels with various abilities, from large command craft to small individual fighters. Once they are deployed, these ships will be able to put up a good fight both in orbit and as air support for the ground fight.
Meanwhile, the Imperials also have various guns:
Director Orson Krennic is the villain we've seen the most of throughout this story. Not only did he supervise the construction of the Death Star, but he's also personally put Jyn and her family through horrible things. It would be satisfying for Jyn and Krennic to have some kind of decisive confrontation.
Krennic also has a rivalry with Grand Moff Tarkin, a higher-ranking Imperial who took credit for the project as soon as it was done. We already know that Tarkin has to be in command of the Death Star at the beginning of "A New Hope"; he will get his villainous comeuppance at the end of that film. But in the meantime, since Krennic is only in this movie, his rivalry with Tarkin should be decisively resolved.
Obviously, the Imperials have a Death Star. The Death Star is actually a bit tricky to handle here. It can't be destroyed, because it appears in "A New Hope"; it can't destroy the planet, because "A New Hope" shows the destruction of Alderaan, which is supposed to be the first time the Death Star is fired at full power. It can, perhaps, be fired with a single reactor ignition the way it was earlier in the film, on Jedha - but this will still be powerful enough to destroy the battlefield and end the battle, and it can't be stopped in the nick of time with the Death Star's destruction the way it is at the Battle of Yavin. The Death Star is, in fact, used in the battle - in an effective role, but an unusual one structurally, which is much more about wrapping up character arcs than about making a difference to the battle's outcome. We’ll talk more about that below.
In addition to these three guns with big narrative weight, we also know that the Imperials have access to the following resources:
Various ground troops, such as stormtroopers, with standard weapons such as blasters.
A space fleet, including Star Destroyers and TIE fighters.
A shield around the planet Scarif which prevents unauthorized ships from descending into the atmosphere.
You'll notice I did not mention Darth Vader. Vader is an iconic character and he appeared in an earlier part of "Rogue One," but when he previously appeared, there was no strong sign that he would need to appear in the battle. There isn't a strong character arc on Vader's part that needs to be wrapped up in this movie, and under normal circumstances he isn't personally involved with the defense of the planet Scarif. Instead, he has a conversation with Krennic which is largely bureaucratic in nature. Vader will appear in the Battle of Scarif eventually, but his gun won't be put on the mantel until midway through the battle.
Some other specific weapons will be put on the mantel and loaded during the battle. For instance, a squadron of Rebel fighters will join the ground battle and be separated from the main fleet, and the Imperials will bring out a special amphibious walker. Because these guns are in supporting roles, and because they are in line with the types of weaponry we could reasonably expect both sides to have, they don't need a huge amount of setup.
Setup
While Rogue One lands on Scarif, we see (and hear remarks on) the physical landmarks that will be important in the battle - the shield around the planet, the Citadel Tower that holds the plans, and the satellite dish at the top of the tower. (Even though the characters don't know yet that the dish will be crucial to the battle's outcome, the script calls attention to it, with a character asking what it is.)
Jyn makes a short speech. It inspires the crew, but it also lays out who's doing what in the battle plan. Jyn, Cassian, and K2S0 will sneak into the Citadel and retrieve the plans; the main squad will cause a diversion; and Bodhi will keep Rogue One's engine running for a quick getaway. Jyn reminds everyone of the stakes; they are very outnumbered, but they have the element of surprise and nothing to lose.
During the setup phase (or at least I'm still interpreting this as being the setup phase), we also see the various characters who will be effective in Cycle #1 getting into position. In some cases, this requires them solving a problem, albeit not a complex enough problem for a try-fail cycle.
The Rebels are able to land on Scarif thanks to Bodhi's knowledge of Imperial procedures. (This puts Bodhi in the auspicious position of having fired his first shot before the battle begins.)
The Rebels take out the inspection team that boards their ship so that Jyn and Cassian can wear their stolen uniforms.
Krennic arrives at the Citadel, hunting for the security leak that allowed Galen Erso to betray him.
When there's an opening, the main group sneaks out of the ship. Meanwhile, Jyn, Cassian, and K2S0 travel to the main tower.
We have now loaded all the Rebel crew's guns as well as Krennic's; since he is conveniently here on Scarif, he will need to be involved in whatever happens next.
Cycle #1
Goal/Method: The Rebel's first subgoal is to get to the data vault where the plans are stored. Jyn's team - herself, Cassian, and K2 - is tasked with this. The rest of the team is set up to support them by creating a diversion, apart from Bodhi, who has been told to wait on the ship and keep the engine running.
Problem: Jyn and Cassian need a map to get to the archive room.
Solution: K2 hacks another Imperial droid and takes the map from its memories.
Problem: The main group needs to be in position and ready when Jyn needs them, and there are stormtroopers patrolling the island everywhere.
Solution: Chirrut and Baze quietly take out some stormtroopers. The main group then gets into their hidden positions and sets some charges.
Quick Setup: Krennic orders all of Galen Erso's transmissions inspected.
Problem: Even with a map, K2 calculates that Jyn and Cassian can't survive long enough to reach the archive. There are too many troopers in the way.
Solution: Cassian orders the Rebels to set off their charges.
Reactions/Setup: Since this is a dramatic moment visible all across the battlefield, we take a moment to show characters' reactions, including Bodhi who is watching from the ship, and Krennic, who orders a garrison deployed to deal with whatever is causing the explosions. This loads the gun of Imperial troops on the ground.
Problem: Now there are a lot of stormtroopers hunting down the main group. The main group needs to hold them off long enough for Jyn to have her chance.
Solution: The main group engages the troopers in a shooting fight.
Setup: Grand Moff Tarkin, elsewhere in the galaxy, hears that there is a Rebel incursion on Scarif. He realizes that they must be after the plans for the Death Star. He orders his fleet to travel to that location, and tells them to "inform Lord Vader" - thus putting Vader's gun onto the mantel as well as loading the Imperial fleet's gun. Soon there will be even more Imperials for the Rebels to deal with!
Problem: Having arrived at the entrance to the data vault, Jyn's team now has to get in past the guard and the biometrically locked door.
Solution: K2 knocks out the guard and uses his hand.
Cycle Success: Jyn's team is now in the data vault. But they still have to get the plans and escape with them, and there is a big battle around them that is about to get bigger.
Reaction/Setup
The Rebel Base on Yavin intercepts a transmission and realizes that the Rogue One crew is fighting on Scarif to get the Death Star's plans. They mobilize their fleet in order to help them - thus loading the Rebel Fleet's gun. Now reinforcements are incoming on both sides.
Note that this battle has more moving parts than the Battle of Yavin, and the problem/solution cycles are more complicated as a result. In particular, we're seeing setup and reactions peppered all through the cycle rather than only at its beginning and end. There are many guns to be loaded and many pieces to be put into play, and the pacing in this early part of the battle is improved if we spread them out a little.
Here are the guns that have been fired in this cycle:
K2's ability to blend in and work with Imperial systems.
The main group's ability to fight and create a diversion.
The sheer amount of personnel that the Scarif base has available to defend itself on the ground.
Cycle #1.5
Before Jyn's team can make more progress to getting the plans, we devote a short cycle to ways that the battle around them is getting more complicated. The goal here is the main group's - to hold the Imperials off and survive until Jyn's team can escape with the plans. Thanks to all the guns that were loaded in Cycle #1, all sorts of new obstacles are about to crop up now.
Problem: The Imperials are calling in reinforcements to the ground battle.
Solution: Bodhi, who is familiar with Imperial procedures, makes a few fake calls and redirects some of the reinforcements to places where they're not needed.
Problem: The stormtroopers are joined by a massive AT-ACT walker, forcing the Rebels to retreat. They don't have the firepower to fight walkers.
Solution: The Rebel fleet arrives just in time, ready to help.
Problem: Seeing the approaching Rebel fleet, Krennic locks down the base and closes the planetary shields.
Partial Solution: The Rebels charge the shield as quickly as they can while it's closing. One squadron, Blue Squadron, mostly get through. A few fighters are lost crashing into the closing shield.
Problem: The shield is now closed - which means Jyn's team can't communicate with the fleet, and the route by which they were going to escape with the plans is now cut off.
Solution: Thinking quickly and conferring, the team plans to take the shield gate down using a master switch on the ground, and then to beam the plans up using the satellite dish at the top of the tower. But this complicates their plan - they need access to the comms tower, among other things.
Although the scene is fast paced, this new plan is explained step by step aloud, and in the next cycle, when the characters carry out the plan, each step will be explained aloud again as it comes up. This helps viewers keep aware of what's happening in an increasingly complicated battle.
Note that Blue Squadron, previously part of the Rebel Fleet, has split off and become a new gun by mitosis. It's separated both physically and in terms of communications from the main fleet; from now on, it will act on its own. This gun arrives on the battlefield already loaded and en route to where it will be most effective.
Partial Cycle Success: The main group has survived long enough for reinforcements to arrive, but mounting complications have caused them to change their plan. Now we can go back to making progress at the battle's main goal - but only with the newer, more complicated plan.
Our setup/reaction time, for this cycle, consists of the characters talking through their new plan.
Here are the guns that have been fired in this cycle:
Bodhi's ability to act like an Imperial pilot.
The big Imperial walker, which is so powerful the Rebel ground troops can't do much against it.
The planetary shields, which present a major obstacle for the Rebel fleet.
The Rebels' ability to fly well and daringly, which gets a few of them through the shield.
Cycle #2
Goal/Method: The new plan requires several things to happen at once. Jyn's team still has to get the plans. Meanwhile, Bodhi directs the main group in connecting to the comms tower. Although Jyn's team is still the one working on the "main" goal, these things both have to happen approximately at once for the plan to succeed. Meanwhile, the rest of the main group still has to keep the Imperials busy long enough to cover for Jyn's team, and the Rebel fleet has to figure out what to do in an orbital battle with powerful opponents and limited intel. This gives us two primary groups on the heroes' side (with one slightly more primary than the other) and two supporting groups.
This is going to be a long, complicated cycle with many steps. It's sufficiently complicated that there are many moments where a problem is presented, and then cut away from, with its solution to arrive later. This is a technique better suited to film than to a novel; in a film it heightens tension by sprinkling the scene with mini-cliffhangers, but when breaking down the scene structurally in writing it can muddy things a bit. For clarity, I've rearranged some events in this and the next cycle so that problems appear next to their solutions whenever possible.
I'll also be numbering the problems based on what group of heroes is having the problem. Jyn's team is #1; Bodhi is #2; the main group of Rebels on the ground, including Blue Squadron, is #3; the Rebel fleet in orbit is #4.
Problem (Group 3): The Rebels on the ground are still being chased by the big AT-ACT walker.
Fail: Baze tries to shoot the AT-ACT with his big gun, but even his big gun is not big enough to make a difference.
Solution: Rebel air support arrives just in time and shoots the walker down.
Problem (Group 2): Bodhi needs to be connected to the comms tower so he can tell the Rebel fleet what's happening.
Solution: He tells the main team to find a master switch.
Problem (Group 4): Admiral Raddus, the leader of the Rebel fleet in space, isn't sure what's going on. He's here to support the Rebels on the planet, but the planetary shield is blocking communications, and he doesn't know exactly what they need the fleet to do.
Partial Solution: The fleet keeps probing the shield gate's defenses while trying to raise comms.
Problem (Group 1): Jyn's team reaches the data bank where the plans are being held, but it has a ridiculous user interface that will be difficult to use.
Solution: K2 advises Jyn and Cassian to use the handles to extract the plans.
Problem (Group 1): Stormtroopers realize the data bank has been breached and start closing in on Jyn's team.
Partial Solution: K2 closes the vault door and tries to redirect the troopers elsewhere, posing as a loyal Imperial droid.
Problem: A stormtrooper hears Cassian's voice on the comm and realizes K2 is working with the Rebels.
Partial Solution: K2 gets into a shooting fight with the troopers. He successfully fends most of them off, but is wounded.
Problem (Group 4): The Rebel fleet's fighters can't disable the shield gate, and they're also counterattacked by a big swarm of TIEs.
Problem (Group 3): It will take a while for the main group to find the master switch.
Problem (Group 2): In order for the master switch to be useful, Bodhi needs to plug the ship in the the Imperials' local network.
Solution: Bodhi finds a big extension cord that he can use for this purpose.
Problem: The extension cord gets stuck - and a squadron of stormtroopers are closing in.
Problem (Group 1): The files in the archive are all listed under code names, so it's not obvious which file is the Death Star plans.
Solution: Jyn recognizes the name of one file - Project Stardust. This was her father's old nickname for her, and she knows it must be the Death Star plans.
Problem (Group 2): The stormtroopers stop Bodhi in his tracks while he's holding the extension cord.
Solution: He is saved by covering fire from a hidden group of Rebels.
Problem (Group 1): Even more troopers are converging on the data vault.
Solution: K2 holds the troopers off long enough to indicate to Jyn where the data tape is stored that holds the information on Project Stardust. Jyn successfully ejects the tape.
Problem (Group 1): Before Jyn can grab the ejected tape with the control handles, K2 is fatally shot and the power to the data vault's control system turns off.
Solution: A dying K2 locks the vault door to protect Jyn and Cassian from the stormtroopers and urges them to climb into the vault to get the tape.
Cycle Setbacks?: This cycle's structure is a little trickier to parse out because of all the different things that the heroes are trying to do at once. None of these disparate subgoals have decisively succeeded or failed. However, in practice, this is where the battle pauses for reactions and setup. In terms of Group 1, the pause really does mark a shift in how they're going about their task. In the next cycle it’s going to be even more perilous than before and it will require physical courage of a different type than before. Group 2 and 3, with less primary goals, don't separate out as cleanly between this cycle and the next one - but while Cycle #2, for these characters, is mostly about setting up the problem of the master switch, Cycle #3 will focus more on the peril of actually using it.
Reactions/Setup
Jyn and Cassian exchange distressed looks as they overhear K2's death. Meanwhile, Krennic hears there was a disturbance in the data vault and decides to go there himself - thus loading his own gun for a confrontation.
A quick note here about Admiral Raddus, who is introduced in this cycle. You could think of Raddus as a character who carries the Rebel Fleet as a gun, but this isn't very useful; Raddus himself doesn't do much before the fleet arrives and, as we will see, he vanishes from the film once the fleet's work is done. I find it more useful to think of Raddus, less as a character with an arc, and more as a mouthpiece of the Fleet. Rather than having an independent existence, he's simply a crucial component of a particular gun. Sometimes some characters will be that way!
Here are the guns that have been fired in this cycle:
Blue Squadron’s ability to take down targets from the air that would be more challenging from the ground.
The Imperial ground troops and internal security stationed on Scarif, which continue to be too powerful and numerous to deal with easily.
K2's willingness to fight and die for the Rebels and his ability to interface with Imperial computers.
The Imperial fleet in orbit, which poses major obstacles for the Rebel fleet.
Bodhi's knowledge of how the Imperial comms network functions.
Jyn's connection to her father.
The Rebel ground troops, who are scrappy and able to ambush their way out of some local problems despite being outnumbered.
Cycle #3
Goal/Method: The same as before, except that Jyn and Cassian are going to need to physically climb through the data vault to get the tapes, and they no longer have K2 to help them.
Problem (Group 2): Bodhi is surrounded by a firefight. He's freed the extension cord, but he doesn't think he can get it back to the ship through the battle.
Solution: At Cassian's urging, Bodhi gathers his courage, makes a brave run for it, and plugs in the cord.
Problem (Group 3): The ground battle is turning against the Rebels. Blue Squadron is taking heavy losses, and now a group of Death Troopers are on the way.
Problem (Group 1): There is a window in the way between Jyn and Cassian and the data vault.
Solution: Jyn breaks it.
Problem (Group 1): Beyond the window, the vault contains a seemingly bottomless pit which will be perilous to climb.
Solution: Jyn and Cassian grimly take off their jackets, jump into the vault structure, and start climbing.
Problem (Group 1): Krennic arrives in the data vault, threatening Jyn and Cassian.
Solution: Despite the threat, Jyn and Cassian have managed to climb high enough to get the tape. Jyn attaches it to her belt.
Problem (Group 3): The main group has found the master switch, but it is protected by heavy fire from stormtroopers, and the first Rebels to try to get to it are quickly shot down.
Solution: Chirrut draws on his belief in the Force and walks to the master switch while chanting.
Problem (Group 1): Krennic and his troopers open fire. To get out of the data vault with the plans, Jyn and Cassian will have to climb even further to the air vent at the top, while being shot at!
Solution: Jyn and Cassian dodge the blaster fire, use parts of the data vault as cover, and shoot back at Krennic's troopers while climbing.
Problem (Group 1): Cassian gets shot and falls down to a ledge.
Solution: Jyn calls down to him in distress, but she's the one with the Death Star plans and she has to keep going. She climbs further up and out of Krennic's range.
Problem (Group 3): Chirrut's tactic of trusting the Force is extremely dangerous and he is being shot at. Baze is upset. (Here Baze is used as an emotional gun, using his emotional attachment to Chirrut to underscore the danger Chirrut is in.)
Success-At-A-Cost (Group 3): Against all odds, the Force guides Chirrut to the master switch and he turns it on. But immediately after flipping the switch, he gets shot and falls. He dies in Baze's arms.
Cycle Success: Jyn has escaped from the data vault with the plans, and the master switch is open so that she can communicate with the Rebel Fleet. But the Rebel Fleet still isn't sure what's going on - and to receive a file as large as the Death Star plans, they will have to find a way to take down the shield. With only a short reactions/setup phase, the film now pivots into a mini-cycle centered around the Rebel Fleet - which we otherwise haven't seen yet this cycle.
Reactions/Setup
The only significant pause for reaction here is Baze's reaction to Chirrut's death - a poignant moment in which the dying Chirrut promises to be with him in the Force.
Here are the guns that have been fired in this cycle:
Bodhi's need to gather his courage and overcome his fear.
The Imperial ground troops, which continue to be an overwhelming opponent for the Rebels.
Jyn and Cassian both continue to be effective maneuvering around obstacles to get to the data tapes.
Krennic personally chases after Jyn and provides an obstacle for her and Cassian, even seeming to take Cassian out of the picture.
Chirrut's trust in the Force lets him accomplish what no other Rebel could, though at great cost; Baze's attachment to Chirrut drives home the level of risk he is taking on and the magnitude of his sacrifice.
You might recall that, in my first post in this series, I mentioned that I didn't get lost in the Battle of Scarif - that the stakes and reasons for each tiny action were always clear to me even though there was a lot going on. Charting out this very complicated problem/solution cycle, you might wonder why that is.
It turns out that one of the big ways "Rogue One" retains its clarity is also one of the simplest - it uses its words. Characters are constantly reminding each other verbally of what they need to do next and why. Bodhi tells the main group over the comms how to find the master switch. He complains to Cassian on the comms about the obstacles in his way, and Cassian encourages him to be brave (even though Cassian, as we have seen, is very urgently otherwise occupied). K2 tells Jyn and Cassian exactly what they will need to do in the data vault - even when plans change and the task becomes more dangerous. The most crucial information about each subgoal is repeated more than once - especially if we've been away from a particular set of characters for longer than a minute or two.
Cycle #3.5
Goal/Method: Take down the planetary shield.
Problem (Group 4): The Rebel Fleet is sustaining heavy damage. Shields are at 50%.
Solution: Raddus declares that there's "no turning back" and the Rebels should press the attack. Subsequently, they manage to disable a Star Destroyer by hitting it with an ion torpedo.
Problem (Group 1): Jyn is still climbing up toward the satellite dish, but there's a weird slicey thing blocking her way.
Solution: She times her jump and leaps past at just the right moment.
Problem (Group 4): Raddus still doesn't have a clear sense of why the Rebels are here and how best he can help them, and he still can't get through the shield.
Solution: Now that Rogue One is connectd to the master switch and the master switch is activated, Bodhi makes contact with Raddus. He tells them what Jyn is doing, and that they need to disable the shield gate and be ready to receive the transmitted plans.
Problem (Group 4): The shield gate has so far been impervious to all attacks.
Solution: Raddus calls up a hammerhead corvette, which pushes the disabled Star Destroyer until it crashes into another Star Destroyer, sending both massive ships onto a collision course with the shield gate. This successfully starts a chain reaction which - in a minute, at just the right moment in Cycle #4 - will destroy the gate.
Cycle Success: Jyn has the plans, and the way is open for her to beam them up. The subgoal of cycles #2-3 has been decisively achieved - but at a huge cost to the heroes, whose numbers are dwindling rapidly.
Reactions/Setup
There is a lengthier pause for reactions here which is mostly devoted to the fact that, although the heroes are making progress to the main goal, they are rapidly dying. In fact, all of Groups #2 and #3 have been destroyed - or are about to be destroyed in the reaction phase. As soon as Bodhi sends the message, he gets killed by a grenade. Meanwhile, the ground battle is not going well - nearly all the Rebel forces on the ground have been destroyed. Baze walks along the ruined beach, taking out as many Imperials as he can with his big gun. When a detonator rolls into range of him, he takes a last look back at Chirrut before dying.
(These deaths take place in the reaction phase, rather than within a problem/solution pair, because Bodhi, Baze, Blue Squadron, and the other Rebels in Group #3 haven't died in the process of solving a problem; instead, they die immediately after having solved their respective problems. They've risked and given everything in order to do so, and after that, they don't have any remaining resources with which to survive.)
The only major gun fired in this cycle is:
The Rebel Fleet's determination and their ability to damage big Imperial ships in creative ways.
Cycle #4
Goal/Method: Beam the plans up to the Rebel Fleet using the satellite dish.
Problem: Jyn reaches the satellite dish, but it is malfunctioning and she has to reset the antenna's alignment. The controls to reset the antenna are out on a balcony, and the balcony is surrounded by an air battle between X-Wings and TIEs.
Solution: Jyn goes out onto the balcony and resets the antenna.
Problem: The balcony gets shot and she ends up hanging precariously.
Solution: She laboriously climbs back up to the platform with the satellite dish.
Problem: Krennic has reached the platform too! He stands in her way. They have an angry, emotional confrontation.
Partial Solution: Jyn bluffs and tells Krennic that she already sent the plans.
Problem: Krennic doesn't buy the bluff - he tells her that the shield gate is still up.
Solution: Cassian, who is wounded but has survived, suddenly appears and shoots him - just at the same moment as the shield gate is destroyed.
Cycle Success: Jyn and Cassian transmit the plans together.
This cycle is very tightly focused on Jyn. It fires the following guns:
The need for a confrontation between Jyn and Krennic
Cassian's connection with Jyn
Interlude
Rogue One does something really incredible here structurally, because although technically the Battle of Scarif is still happening, structurally the battle stops. The music changes, turning soft and wistful, and we are treated to a series of reactions from all the heroes and villains still in play, in the way that would normally happen at the battle's very end. Each exchange is still very short, but compared to the frenetic pace of the battle itself, the feeling is langorous. In other words, while the battle still rages (and the Rebels have not yet escaped with the plans!) we are given the reaction moments that would normally happen at the battle's end.
Why does it work to put the "ending" of the battle in the middle here? Because Jyn and Cassian are our protagonists, and we are at the end of their story. They have succeeded at their battle goals and there's nothing else they can do to affect the battle's outcome. There's also no real way for them to get out of this alive. All the other characters who showed up with them are already dead. For Jyn and Cassian, this is in fact the end of the battle, even though a lot of other people nearby are still fighting.
Nothing in this section of the film is a part of a problem/solution cycle. Instead, it is a series of reactions, mixed with the firing of a few last-minute guns which aren't met with solutions - the guns in this section either wrap something up, or set up a problem that the surviving characters will have to face in the final cycle.
Reaction: Jyn and Cassian let it sink in that they've transmitted the plans. Jyn wants to hurt Krennic further while he's down, but Cassian calms her. They ask each other if they think anyone received the transmission.
Reaction: Raddus exclaims "She did it!" as his ship begins to download the transmission.
Gun: The Death Star appears over Scarif. In a final, too-late attempt to stop the plans from escaping, Tarkin aims a "single-reactor ignition" at his own Imperial base. (I mentioned above, but will say it again because of how counter-intuitive it is - even though this is the actual Death Star, it doesn't affect the battle's outcome! It instead, very decisively, affects the outcome of the rivalry between Tarkin and Krennic - and also seals the fate of many other characters, after they have already fired all their guns and achieved all their battle goals.)
Reaction: Krennic, wounded but not dead yet, looks up from the platform just in time to see the Death Star strike.
Reaction: Raddus, in orbit, sees the strike and utters a benediction for everyone on the planet's surface.
Problem: Having downloaded the transmission, the Rebels prepare to jump to hyperspace. Some of them make it, but suddenly Darth Vader's flagship arrives, cutting off the escape for a good portion of the fleet. (Vader is now, finally, in play.)
Reaction: Jyn and Cassian share a long moment in an elevator and eventually make it out to the beach, wounded and exhausted. Cassian tells Jyn that her father would be proud of her. They hold each other as the wave of destruction from the Death Star swallows them.
Problem: The Rebel flagship, where Raddus is stationed, is disabled by an ion pulse as Vader's shuttle approaches.
This is a really gutsy choice on the part of the filmmakers. Even the most dramatic and violent battle actions in this section happen while the music is slow and wistful and elegaic. The focus remains, not on any struggle against allowing these actions to happen, but on the characters whose fate is already decided. The Rebel flagship being disabled doesn't even happen onscreen; instead, we are informed of it through dialogue.
So that's it. That's all the character arcs wrapped up and over. The only thing left to do, narratively, is to show the Rebel Fleet getting away with the plans - and to connect up the end of this movie to the beginning of "A New Hope."
Cycle #5
This problem/solution cycle is different from the others. Notably, it doesn't involve any of the characters who are specific to this movie. All those characters already died! (Even Admiral Raddus doesn't appear - his fate is left to the imagination.) It's pure connective tissue, accomplished with anonymous Rebel soldiers and with characters who have a larger role in A New Hope than in the current film. It's incredible that it works as well as it does.
Goal/Method: Transfer the plans from the disabled Rebel flagship to a smaller ship, the Tantive IV, which can escape. (We are jolted back into the urgency of the battle not only by the music and camera work, but by the Rebels' cries of "Move!" and "We gotta go now!" as the plans are successfully written to a portable disk.)
Problem: The door to the Tantive IV is stuck. It won't open more than an inch.
Partial Solution: The Rebels with the plans frantically get the attention of the Rebels on the other side.
Problem: Darth Vader appears.
Solution: The Rebels assume a defensive formation. Those closest to Vader fire on him, while those closest to the door frantically pound on it and try to pry it open.
Problem: Darth Vader mows through the Rebels and starts killing them very quickly, and the door is still jammed.
Solution: The last Rebel standing hands the plans through the small gap in the door. A Rebel on the other side grabs them and runs with them.
Problem: Although the door was an impassible obstacle for the Rebels, it isn't much of a problem for Vader, who gets it open in short order and continues pursuit.
Solution: The Rebel who grabbed the plans runs as fast as he can onto the Tantive IV and screams for them to launch immediately. The Tantive IV launches just in the nick of time and jumps into hyperspace.
Victory: The Rebels have escaped with the plans.
The only two guns fired here are:
The Rebels' dogged willingness to keep fighting against impossible odds; and
Darth Vader's deadly power with the Force.
Coda
The film concludes with a few seconds of reactions - all it really needs at this point, since it's already dispensed with most of its characters and given each of them a longer, more luxurious coda. Instead, since we are now in the business of setting up for A New Hope, both of these reactions involve A New Hope's characters:
Vader inscrutably watches the ship leave.
A Rebel on the Tantive IV asks Princess Leia (who is pure inter-film connective tissue, and has not appeared in "Rogue One" until this point) what was in the transmission that they've escaped with. "Hope," says Leia.
A Handy Chart
Here’s a little chart summarizing how each gun progresses through the battle:
