Rogue One Opening Crawl
I love Star Wars. If I could see one movie for the first time again, it would be this iconic space opera. Which I find a bit funny given that I distinctly remember not wanting to see it. And one of the most interesting parts was the opening crawl. The treatment was a throwback to the old Flash Gordon serials and was just about perfect. So when I left Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, after seeing it with my son, I felt the urge to create an opening crawl. Here it is
The crawl’s purpose was to sum up the events leading up to the beginning of each film. My brother came up with the bulk of the text for the crawl and he did an awesome job. The crawl was recreated basically using Tim Pietrusky’s rendition of Star Wars’ opening crawl using HTML, CSS and Javascript. I added the star background and a little more CSS for titling. Overall, it came out awesome.
Just to remind ourselves, here are the texts of the opening crawl for every movie.
[YouTube]
<strong>Episode IV: A New Hope – the one where Han shoots first</strong>
“It is a period of civil war.
Rebel spaceships, striking
from a hidden base, have
won their first victory
against the evil Galactic
Empire.
During the battle, rebel
spies managed to steal
secret plans to the Empire’s
ultimate weapon, the
DEATH STAR, an armored
space station with enough
power to destroy an entire
planet.
Pursued by the Empire’s
sinister agents, Princess
Leia races home aboard her
starship, custodian of the
stolen plans that can save
her people and restore
freedom to the galaxy….”
[ YouTube ]
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back – The one introducing the most beloved Jedi master the Universe has ever known.
“It is a dark time for the
Rebellion. Although the Death
Star has been destroyed,
Imperial troops have driven the
Rebel forces from their hidden
base and pursued them across
the galaxy.
Evading the dreaded Imperial
Starfleet, a group of freedom
fighters led by Luke Skywalker
has established a new secret
base on the remote ice world
of Hoth.
The evil lord Darth Vader,
obsessed with finding young
Skywalker, has dispatched
thousands of remote probes into
the far reaches of space….”
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi – Another destruction of a Death Star
Luke Skywalker has returned to
his home planet of Tatooine in
an attempt to rescue his
friend Han Solo from the
clutches of the vile gangster
Jabba the Hutt.
Little does Luke know that the
GALACTIC EMPIRE has secretly
begun construction on a new
armored space station even
more powerful than the first
dreaded Death Star.
When completed, this ultimate
weapon will spell certain doom
for the small band of rebels
struggling to restore freedom
to the galaxy…
Episode I: The Phantom Menace – The introduction and death of one bad-ass Sith
Turmoil has engulfed the
Galactic Republic. The taxation
of trade routes to outlying star
systems is in dispute.
Hoping to resolve the matter
with a blockade of deadly
battleships, the greedy Trade
Federation has stopped all
shipping to the small planet
of Naboo.
While the Congress of the
Republic endlessly debates
this alarming chain of events,
the Supreme Chancellor has
secretly dispatched two Jedi
Knights, the guardians of
peace and justice in the
galaxy, to settle the conflict….
Episode II: Attack of the Clones – Wow! Yoda can fight
“There is unrest in the Galactic
Senate. Several thousand solar
systems have declared their
intentions to leave the Republic.
This separatist movement,
under the leadership of the
mysterious <a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_Dooku”>Count Dooku</a>, has
made it difficult for the limited
number of Jedi Knights to
maintain peace and order in
the galaxy.
Senator Amidala, the former
Queen of Naboo, is returning
to the Galactic Senate to vote
on the critical issue of creating
an ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC
to assist the overwhelmed
Jedi….”
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – The one where Darth Vader betrays and murders Luke’s father
War! The Republic is crumbling
under attacks by the ruthless
Sith Lord, Count Dooku.
There are heroes on both sides.
Evil is everywhere.
In a stunning move, the
fiendish droid leader, General
Grievous, has swept into the
Republic capital and kidnapped
<a href=”http://www.inafarawaygalaxy.com/2013/12/quotes-emperor-palpatine-darth-sidious.html”>Chancellor Palpatine</a>, leader of
the Galactic Senate.
As the Separatist Droid Army
attempts to flee the besieged
capital with their valuable
hostage, two Jedi Knights lead a
desperate mission to rescue the
captive Chancellor….
[ YouTube ]
Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Luke Skywalker has vanished. In his
absence, the sinister FIRST ORDER
has risen from the ashes of the
Empire and will not rest until
Skywalker, the last Jedi, has been
destroyed.
With the support of the REPUBLIC,
General Leia Organa leads a brave
RESISTANCE. She is desperate to find
her brother Luke and gain his help in
restoring peace and justice to the
galaxy.
Leia has sent her most daring pilot on
a secret mission to Jakku, where
an old ally has discovered a clue to
Luke’s whereabouts . . . .