Research scientist Galen Erso and his family are in hiding on the planet Lah'mu when Imperial

weapons developer Orson Krennic arrives to press him into completing the Death Star, a space
station-based superweapon capable of destroying planets. Galen's wife Lyra is killed in the
confrontation while their daughter Jyn escapes and is rescued by rebel extremist Saw Gerrera.
Fifteen years later, cargo pilot Bodhi Rook defects from the Empire, taking a holographic
message recorded by Galen to Gerrera on the desert moon Jedha. Rebel Alliance intelligence
officer Cassian Andor learns of Rook's defection and the Death Star from an informant. Jyn is
freed from an Imperial labor camp at Wobani and is brought to the Rebel leaders Bail Organa
and Mon Mothma, who convince her to find and rescue Galen so the Alliance can learn more
about the Death Star. Cassian is covertly ordered to kill Galen rather than extract him.
Jyn, Cassian, and reprogrammed Imperial droid K-2SO travel to Jedha, where the Empire is
removing kyber crystals from the holy city to power the Death Star; Gerrera and his partisans are
engaged in an armed insurgency against them. With the aid of blind spiritual warrior Chirrut Îmwe
and his mercenary friend Baze Malbus, Jyn makes contact with Gerrera, who has been holding
Rook captive. Gerrera shows her the message in which Galen reveals he has secretly built a
vulnerability into the Death Star and directs them to retrieve the schematics from an Imperial data
bank on the planet Scarif.
On the Death Star, Krennic orders a low-powered test shot which destroys Jedha's capital. Jyn
and her group take Rook and flee the moon, but Gerrera remains to die with the city. Grand Moff
Tarkin congratulates Krennic before using Rook's defection and security leak as a pretext to take
control of the project. Rook leads the group to Galen's Imperial research facility on the planet
Eadu, where Cassian chooses not to kill Galen. Jyn makes her presence known moments before
Rebel bombers attack the facility. Galen is wounded and dies in Jyn's arms, before she escapes
with her group on a stolen Imperial cargo shuttle. Krennic is summoned by Darth Vader to
answer for the Death Star's attack on Jedha. Krennic seeks his support for an audience with the
Emperor, but Vader instead Force-chokes him and orders him to ensure no further breaches
occur.
Jyn proposes a plan to steal the Death Star schematics using the Rebel fleet but fails to gain
approval from the Alliance Council, who feel victory against the Empire is now impossible.
Frustrated at their inaction, Jyn's group lead a small squad of Rebel volunteers to raid the
databank. Arriving on Scarif on the stolen Imperial ship, which Rook dubs "Rogue One", a
disguised Jyn and Cassian enter the base with K-2SO while the other Rebels attack the Imperial
garrison as a diversion.
The Alliance learns of the raid from intercepted Imperial communications and deploys their fleet
in support. K-2SO sacrifices himself so Jyn and Cassian can retrieve the data. Îmwe is killed
after activating the master switch to allow communication with the Rebel fleet, and Malbus is
killed shortly afterward. Rook is killed by a grenade after informing the Rebel fleet that it must
deactivate the planetary shield to allow the transmission of the schematics. Rebel Admiral
Raddus uses a Hammerhead corvette to destroy two Star Destroyers, and the wreckage crashes
atop the shield generator, deactivating the shield. Jyn and Cassian obtain the schematics, but
are ambushed by Krennic, who is shot and wounded by Cassian. Jyn transmits the schematics to
the Rebel command ship via the base's antenna moments before the Death Star enters orbit
above Scarif; Tarkin uses another low-power shot to destroy the antenna, killing Krennic, and the
impact creates an approaching blast that engulfs the base, killing Cassian, Jyn, and the
remaining ground forces.
The Rebel fleet prepares to jump to hyperspace, but Admiral Raddus and many of the fleet's
ships are intercepted by Vader's arriving Star Destroyer. Vader boards the Rebel command ship
and kills many rebel troops in an attempt to regain the schematics, but a starship escapes with
them on board. Aboard the fleeing ship, Princess Leia Organa declares that the schematics will
provide hope.