SPECULATION Black Cloaked Figure?

This is my theory, I feel that the cloaked figure can be one of two things. An imperial equivalent of a 007 type character that the Emperor relies upon for secret missions that even Darth Vader isn't allowed to know about. The thing is, the Emperor was known to hide things from Vader, and he was an expert on planning things to work his way even though things appeared chaotic but in fact were really part of his plan. I feel that the Emperor saw the Rebellion as the last threat to his goal of absolute power. To fulfill his destiny he needed the Death Star. However, he knew the Rebellion had a base somewhere he couldn't find, and of course he has been trying to find them for a long time, this is the product of the dark side we're talking about, the fact that the rebels still exist is a miracle. So the emperor devises a plan to LEAK the plans of the death star because he knows the rebels would come and try to get them in order to blow it up, thus reveling their "secret fortress" because that's where they would take them to.

While this is happening, Darth Vader becomes aware of the situation. He finds out the Rebels are looking for the plans and make a move to obtain them. The Emperor plays coy and tells Vader to obtain the plans for if the Rebels were to get, well that would be devastating. So Vader is now all about getting the plans back. The emperor basically released something of great value to entice the rebels and also get Vader to go after them in a very natural set of events. Keep in mind, in a New Hope, which is supposed to take place right after Rogue One, Vader is on a mission purely to obtain the plans and there are discussions of Vader failing to find out where the Rebel Fortress is, as its something that they have been trying to find for a while and it's a bit embarrassing that they haven't found it yet (which would cause the Emperor to devise such a plan as this and would also explain his absence from the first real trial of the weapon on Alderaan).

The one thing the emperor didn't count on was Luke Skywalker. In a New Hope, if it wasn't for the fact that Skywalker became involved, the Emperors plan would have succeeded, the Rebellion did take the plans to Yavin where their secret base was and they did launch an attack but they were seconds away from being obliterated.

Back to the cloaked figure, it's either a 007 type imperial that is badass and helps release the plans to the rebels or an inquisitor type that can have some link to what is going on in the Force Awakens trilogy but more importantly someone who has special access to the emperor. I don't think for a second that this is Darth Vader in the Bacta tank, we have ever seen Vader guarded by Royal Guards, in fact, I always felt the Guards were there just in case Vader needed to be put down. We will see Vader in the movie, hopefully not just as a cameo at the end. But he will be chasing the very plans that the emperor wants to have leaked. Now the character in Rogue One that leaks the plans, the scientist that created/worked on the Death Star is played by a character that also plays Hannibal. It is possible that the scientist either fakes his defection for the Emperor by will or by coercion (by the cloaked figure). If the scientist is genuinely defecting, it could be something that was alerted to the Emperor and he decides to allow it because he comes up with the plan on the spot.

 

In sith robes?

 

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the cloaked figure is Forest Whitaker's character. I say that because in the shot of the cloaked figure, the left shoulder is elevated higher than the right shoulder. In the shots of Forest Whitaker, the armor he wears has an elevation of the left shoulder area and nothing similar on the right shoulder. Just my $.02

 

I was about to post this! Yes I think this is Forest or possibly even Jyn herself. This feels like a scene where the spies finally receive access to the inner circle. After passing the test they will be given the plans for the Death Star.

 

Maybe it's Mas Amedda or Sly Moore. Amedda seems to have already been in on the Sith conspiracy in TPM.

 

T

To give Hayden a cameo ?

 

I thought that it was Vader waiting for Sheev to Finnish in the shower

 

Maybe he defeated Maul but came out quite injured? Just speculating...

 

Ugh ,sometimes I hate teaser trailers, wanna know who that is, but my guess is Palatine, just because of the Royal guards, not gonna get to technical with who the figure looks like.
That being said, since I've seen ppl talking about it, just throwing it out there incase no
one else has already.. Bacta tanks are used to treat injures.. Snoke is badly injured.. So yep.

 

He has the stride of a tall man, so Palpatine is out of the question I think.

He has a hood, so Vader is out. Are we certain it's a Bacta tank? The guards could be there for another reason. Do they act exclusively as Palpatine's body guards or have they served other high-security roles?

I'm betting it's Galen, Mads Mikkelson's character. But why would an architect wear such a menacing cloak? That part doesn't follow for me.

 

So far in all Canon material, they are either guarding Palps personally, or his belongings.

 

It sure looks like one.

That part is puzzling, isn't it? The only thing I can think of, and I admit it's a stretch, is that wasn't the DS powered by some sort of large Kyber crystal? Can't remember if that's cannon or not. But maybe Palps needed some sort of Force sensitive to manage this aspect of the instalation, and this is some sort of 'Emporer's Hand' type person? Oh I dunno, really just playing with thoughts here.

 

I would love this to be Palpatine. He walks into this room and Snokes face appears in that tube/hologram. Maybe updating him on the progress of the Death Stars construction.

Everyone expecting Snoke to be revealed as Plagueis in The Force Awakens BOOM happens in Rogue One. Nobody would expect that!

(Yes I'm still holding on to the Snoke is Plagueis theory. Tightly)

 

Maybe it's the guy in the spaceship which explodes in the trailer in the bactatank.

 

He also drops to one knee as the scene fades to black. So I agree that Palpatine can be ruled out.

Based solely upon the PT & OT: Their inclusion makes no sense if Palpatine isn't present, or at least beyond the room in an antechamber that remains hidden in the trailer.

Could be a Prophet of the Dark Side... or one of the many boot-lickers that Sidious tolerated employed.

All I know is, that cloaked figure isn't Vader or Sidious...

 

So, based on context clues, that's a bacta tank containing a shriveled Emperor in his tighty whiteys.

But why is that sort of thing making an appearance in this movie? I would think that the Emperor only lets a microscopic handful of his cadre see him in such a vulnerable state, like Vader, the guards, maybe Tarkin at the outer most edge of that circle, but not an Imperial version of Oppenheimer. I'm probably wrong.

I'd be surprised if Palpatine is even in this movie; Vader seems the more appropriate choice for representing the Empire.

 

I voted Vader but I'm truly torn between Palps and Vader. I don't think the Guards would be there if Palps wasn't in that room. Is something/someone in that "tank" or behind it? Is Vader meeting with Palps and Palps is telling him that he knows Rebels are going to storm the DS for the plans? Who knows. But FUN TIMES!