Rogue One: Director Gareth Edwards explains why it's called Rogue One

Gareth Edwards has admitted that it's only recently clicked as to what the film's title really means

Rogue One sounds cool, definitely.

And, it looks as if coolness was really the determining factor in its getting chosen as the title of the first Star Wars spin-off, considering it took director Gareth Edwards until last month's Star Wars Celebration to really figure out its meaning.

He told Empire in its new magazine issue, "I'd been thinking about it. What does it mean? Rogue One is a military call sign to some extent, but this is the first film that's gone off-piste and is not part of the saga – or the Anakin story – so it’s the 'rogue' one, you know?"

It doesn't really sound like Edwards' is referring to Rogue One being directly the military call sign of Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones)'s band of ragtag fighters, but that it's an entirely thematically-driven title instead.

As well as - in terms of what Edwards' is describing - being fitting to the film's place in the Star Wars canon; it also links nicely into Jyn's own character and her feeling of rebelliousness even under the leadership of the Rebel Alliance. "It's kind of describing her as well in a similar way,” Edwards said of the title. “It has [all] these split, multiple meanings that made it feel like the right choice."

Rogue One hits UK cinemas 16 December.