There's no reason to assume everyone dies

I think they'll all die.

 

I agree, I think a portion of them will live. Someone somewhere could always write a book that explains what these characters do afterwards, and thus it becomes part of the canon. The "Star wars rebels crew" is kind of under the same boat as the team in "Rogue one" , we don't see any of them in the original trilogy, so everyone just assumes that they are dead, which is not a bad assumption at all. There are jedi in rebels though so "the last of the jedi you will be" quote from yoda pretty much confirms that the rebels crew ain't making it. The rogue on team on the other hand doesn't have any jedi. Id just be slighly annoyed if the only main character that lives by the end of rogue one is Felecity Jones (Jyn Erso).

 

I'd be OK with the movie ending with not knowing the fate of any/all of the crew involved in stealing the plans. Sort of like a cliffhanger where something bad is about to happen and then the screen goes black...

 

I could totally see something like this. It'd certainly fit the very "war-movie" type vibe that they've said they're going for.

 

At the end of the day, they are Rebel soldiers, so therefore wouldn't need to be prevelant during the OT. The soldiers did their job, then onto the next job and next job etc. It isn't like Jedi running around stealing the plans and leaving a huge hole in the OT.

I think a few will bite it, but no need to assume they all die due to not showing up in the OT

 

I have no canon reason to assume everyone dies, I assume it because of dramatic effect

 

I would assume the Rebellion was more than just the 50 rebels we see in A New Hope. I think it's totally acceptable if the Rogue One characters live. I've always had a problem with everyone assuming that the Rebels crew would all need to be killed off as well. When Yoda says "last of the jedi, you will be" he may not be talking literally. Let's remember this is the same franchise that had a character who said that Anakin Skywalker was killed by Darth Vader. I'm inclined to believe that there are no absolutes in the Star Wars universe.

 

There were way more than 50 rebels in A New Hope (img below), at this point the rebellion was starting to look like a small army and just kept growing from there. The rebels grew to which they had there own fleet in the time period between Empire and Jedi. There is a difference in meaning between the two quotes. Anikan Skywalker was indeed destroyed and we legitimately see that over the course of six movies. When turning to the darkside, you really do become a different person. You even get a new name. "Lord Vader", The dark side of the force removes everything away from you. It was also meant to be symbolic "That name no longer has anymore meaning for me". Yoda's line is completly different. He is saying that you, Luke Skywalker are the absolute last of us. Yoda knew of Ezra and Kenan, so he would of meantioned them to Luke at one point. Still that doesn't mean Rex, Sabine, Hera, Chopper, or Zeb will die.

 

There is a very good chance that not all of the main characters from this group die. Vader even says it himself in ANH "there'll be nobody to stop us this time". This implies the Empire was thrwarted in regaining the plans. If that is the case, then there is a chance some of them survived. If the new characters go over well with the audience and some of them live (or if it is left up in the air about their fate), I can see them creating comics (maybe even novels) about what other things these characters did for the Rebellion during the time of the OT.

 

I think one of the comment made at celebration was that this was a war film. people tend to die in war so it would certainly make sense and add some needed weight to the movie if a significant number of main characters die.

 

I think that MOST of them will die. But I have my doubts that ALL of them will die. Not ruling it out 100%, but I just doubt that Disney would want to end the film on THAT bleak a note. I could see 1 or 2 of them surviving, but perhaps being wounded and ending the film recovering in the medical bay or something.

Plus they have long-term plans for SW and I could see them maybe keeping one or two of them around to potentially use in another project later on, maybe.

And as others have said, just because we don't see them in the OT doesn't automatically mean that they HAVE to be dead. The Rebellion is supposed be this alliance of various groups and factions united by a general common goal of defeating the Empire. And I never thought that the entire Rebellion was just that small group on Yavin IV, even as a kid. Plus the Rebels assemble a pretty big fleet in ROTJ, yet we only get to see a TINY portion of it overall.

So their absence from the OT is easy enough to explain, they were off on another mission somewhere else and just didn't run into the OT characters (at least onscreen). It's simple, but it works.

 

Yeah this isn't Hamlet

 

The film needs a few main characters to bite it during the film, to add the weight it will need - it's a film where the viewers essentially know how it pans out (Rebels steal plans, cue A New Hope) so there needs to be events within that draw us in and make it less a film that is predictable as we all know the outcome, and more a near tragic element to the story highlighting the sacrifices that took place to help the Rebellion take steps to defeating the mighty Empire

 

I see what you did there. I doubt it, but I still like what you did. And I do love those awkard blockade runners.

I don't assume all the Rogues will die, though I admit I enjoy viewing gratuitous violence, so I'm optimistic.. And I'm pro Empire, so....

Seriously though, on the one hand I want to leave the cinema moved and satisfied, but on the other, I like the idea of further media development of the good characters.

 

Only the Sith speak in absolutes.

And that could even not imply Ezra, Kanan or Ahsoka are dead by then. Ahsoka is no Jedi, Kanan is but he might be either dead or retired from the Jedi and Ezra might have turned to the dark side.

As we learned back in Rebels Season 1 Finale, even in the early stages there was a bunch of Rebel cells all across the galaxy.

I reckon I would be fin with either all of them dead or if they survive. Maybe having them sacrificing their lives for the Death Star plans would be more poignant to the moment we go back to the start of ANH and see those plans floating away to Tatooine inside Artoo. Maybe we imply they all die since we have the words of Mon Mothma about the Bothans in ROTJ with the info about the Second Death Star. We shall see.

 

SW saga to keep in mind is that certain characters will have to end during the Episode movies. "I" just dont see or can assume they dont die and go off on their merry ways. Rebels characters can find their way into the ST but with the movies, they tend to keep them within the episodes. yeah you can say Darth Maul did survive but I think he's story stops in Rebels. He's not in the OT and if he makes it to the ST then he would be the strongest Darksider in the force. Going with what Yoda said he's the last of the Jedi's is that Kanan has to end as well. The gap of characters in SW would not factor in as to why they would be alive til TFA. every story/trilogy is its own. No characters has overlap into each trilogies except the main ones. PT: Anakin/Obi/Yoda/Sidious/Darth PT:: Darth/Sidious/Yoda/Obi/Luke/Leia/Han/Chewie ST: Leia/Han/Luke/Chewie. Artooie and treepio(TCW saying) are the only ones who survive all trilogies. it would be alot of questions/stories to fill in if Ahsoka or Ezra or Kanan shows up in the ST. if so then where is Jar Jar in TFA?

 

None of which is relevant to these characters, who are supposedly just the "ordinary grunts" and who's absence is much easier to explain in ways besides death.

 

If Anakin Skywalker was actually "destroyed" there would be no chance of redeeming Darth Vader. I know Obi-Wan says that Vader murdered Anakin, but let's remember it's Luke who still sees the light in Darth Vader. I think no matter how far into the dark side Vader went, Anakin was still in his consciousness. In a sense Anakin is prisoner to the persona of Darth Vader by RotJ.

I don't mean to derail the conversation but I just want to say that the Galaxy is a big place. It's very possible Yoda, like Obi Wan was being symbolic when he said that Luke was the last of the Jedi. It could be that he's the last one who is relevant to their cause.