In a sense, Rogue One is something like the Marvel Studio installments that regularly crop up in theaters in between the “event” all-star Avengers reunions, a stopgap to keep the brand name in the spotlight while waiting for Episode 8 to arrive. Also, like most stand-alone Marvel offerings, while generally well-done, it can be skipped without really missing anything essential to the larger narrative. It’s engaging but not as exciting or compelling as The Force Awakens, and while it sheds some interesting light into shadowy corners of the Star Wars mythos and serves as an intriguing companion piece to A New Hope, it doesn’t ultimately add anything indispensable to the main series. As an excuse to spend a little more time in the much-loved Star Wars universe, it’s a fun ride, but in and of itself, it’s moderately underwhelming.