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‘My father sacrificed his life for the rebellion’ says Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as she leads a small band of rebels to almost certain death in their fight against the evil empire.

Rogue One is a prequel to the original Star Wars film, A New Hope. In it we discover how the Rebel Alliance managed to obtain the Death Star plans that allowed Luke Skywalker to destroy the massive space station and become the hero who saved many lives. This is interesting back-story for Star Wars fans, and riveting cinema for a new generation, but most poignantly it provides perspectives on two different types of sacrifice.

The team led by Jyn Erso, and the rebel intelligence officer Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) are willing to sacrifice their own lives for the cause of freedom as they seek to acquire the Death Star plans from the data store on the heavily defended planet Scarif. To protect their secrets, the Empire uses the Death Star to obliterate the Imperial installation, sacrificing all its staff and troopers in their determination to hold on to their power.

These two notions of sacrifice are starkly contrasted, stimulating thought about the nature of sacrifice and the price of freedom.