Every Imperial Project Named In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Explained

Summary Rogue One: A Star Wars Story introduced a list of various Imperial projects, with many surrounding the construction of the Death Star.

While Project Stardust was elaborated upon in the movie, there are many other projects mentioned that have since gained more context.

Whether they directly regard the Death Star or other Imperial objectives, these projects provide interesting insight to the Empire's secret works.

During the climactic Battle of Scarif in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor come across a list of secret Imperial projects in the data vault. This list of names, including War Mantle, Stardust, and Mark Omega, is properly mysterious, and has puzzled viewers since 2016. Since then, Star Wars has expanded on a few of those names in various places. James Luceno's novel Catalyst, which expands upon Galen Erso's role in creating the Death Star, speaks on the background of these projects.

Each separate department of the battle station project had its own cover name and cover agency, and Galen wasn’t alone in working for a counterfeit division and having his research put to alternative uses. Scattered across the galaxy were teams of scientists working on conventional weaponry, tractor beam and hyperdrive technology, even hull cladding systems. Each project was concealed behind names like Stellar Sphere, Mark Omega, and Pax Aurora.

This confirms that some of these names actually had something to do with the development of the Death Star, just in different departments. As a space station the size of a small moon, the Death Star's creation was an incredibly large project, which explains how big of a responsibility this was - especially considering that the whole thing had to be done in secret. Knowing this, it's easier to understand these Imperial projects, and what they all are.

Related Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Cast, Character & Cameo Guide When Rogue One: A Star Wars Story came out, it answered a 40-year-old Star Wars mystery. Here's a guide to its cast, characters, and cameos.

7 Project War Mantle

Replacing Clones With Human Soldiers

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One of the project code names mentioned is War Mantle, which was a mystery until the events of The Bad Batch season 1 in 2021 in an episode titled "War-Mantle." The series develops the idea into the project that was instituted following the execution of Order 66, which led to the creation of the stormtrooper program. The main goal of War Mantle was to replace the clones of Jango Fett with human recruits.

TK-Troopers: The First Stormtroopers

The new human recruits made up the beginning of the Empire's shift away from the ideals of the Galactic Republic. After the Clone Wars, it was important for them to create a new identity, and War Mantle helped with that. The human troopers were known as TK-troopers and had new armor, displacing a lot of clones and possibly forcing them to be on the street without a purpose - as seen in Obi-Wan Kenobi. What this information is doing on Scarif nearly 20 years later, though, is the real question.

6 Project Stardust

The Death Star's Superlaser

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The most iconic one of these projects is Project Stardust, the team led by Galen Erso and the subject of Rogue One. Stardust, as it turns out, is the code name for the Death Star, which the Rebel Alliance needs to steal and deliver to Princess Leia. Named after Jyn Erso's childhood nickname, Galen planted that clue in memory of his lost daughter, leading to the successful capture of the plans. Project Stardust is the special name that allowed the Rebels to destroy the Death Star.

Project Stardust is the special name that allowed the Rebels to destroy the Death Star.

Just The Superlaser?

The quote above from Catalyst, though, draws into question what Project Stardust really is. If the Death Star's development really was so huge that it required completely separate departments to be working covertly yet in conjunction with each other, what if Stardust was not the entire Death Star, but just its weapons and energy systems? This would make perfect sense, considering Galen Erso even believed for a while that his project was actually to bring power to impoverished worlds. It's possible that Project Stardust is simply the energy and superweapon side of the Death Star.

5 Project Stellar Sphere

The Death Star – In Some Way

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Next is Project Stellar Sphere, also mentioned in the same lists in both Rogue One and Catalyst. While a direct correlation between Stellar Sphere and a specific intiative has not been confirmed yet, there are a few distinct possibilities. After all, it is mentioned in the same breath as Stardust, and Catalyst does imply it has something to do with the Death Star.

The Body And Frame Of The Death Star?

While its exact meaning is unknown, the term "Stellar Sphere" could absolutely be a code name for the body and frame of the Death Star. As a colossal space station, there must have been so much work to do in order to make it functional, and that includes the spherical frame of the station. Perhaps this spherical frame, as seen in the epilogue of Revenge of the Sith, is what Stellar Sphere refers to. It's a possibility – but the truth is still unknown.

4 Project Mark Omega

The Death Star & Omega?

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Once again, Mark Omega was a project name that was mentioned in Catalyst as possibly being smaller sections of the Death Star project. While it's limited to the same amount of information on it as Stellar Sphere, the name doesn't give viewers much to speculate about, either. Still, it should not be completely ignored that the name "Omega" is included in the project, like Omega from The Bad Batch – which has already tied into Imperial projects like War Mantle.

Related The Bad Batch Season 3 Premiere Ending Explained: Omega's Force Connection & Palpatine's Plan Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3's premiere shakes Star Wars history to the core. But what does the ending mean for Omega and Palpatine?

3 Project Pax Aurora

The Death Star Brings Peace?

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Similar to Mark Omega, Pax Aurora is another secretive, scientific sounding name that's not known much about. Though it was connected to the Death Star as well, and the name actually might contain a hint towards what Pax Aurora could mean. In Latin, "pax" means "peace" and "aurora" means "dawn", so perhaps Pax Aurora was the name of the Empire's propaganda initiative surrounding the Death Star. The goal of the station was to bring an oppressive "peace" to the galaxy, after all.

The goal of the station was to bring an oppressive "peace" to the galaxy, after all.

2 Project Black Saber

The Mandalorian Darksaber

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A name that stuck out to viewers immediately was Black Saber, which reminded fans of the famous Darksaber. This black Mandalorian lightsaber, built in the Old Republic era by Tarre Vizsla, was first featured in The Clone Wars, then appeared in Rebels. Not much later, The Mandalorian revealed that it was in Imperial possession for a long time – leading to this speculation. The Empire may have kept tabs on this sacred and powerful Mandalorian weapon in the data vault on Scarif.

The Legends Darksaber Was A Superweapon

What's also possible is that "Black Saber" is a reference to the original Darksaber, a superweapon in Star Wars Legends. This has a lot of precedence actually, as the Darksaber was actually a replica of the Death Star's superlaser, built without the rest of the station. This makes it equally likely that this project was simply put into the movie as a deep-cut Star Wars Easter egg for dedicated readers of Star Wars books.

1 Project Cluster Prism

Unknown

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Lastly is Project Cluster Prism, of which almost nothing is known. It's possible that this is another aspect of the Death Star's production, but that can't be backed up by any sources. Like many small details in Star Wars, though, this could absolutely be addressed at a later time by the right story. After all, the beauty of Star Wars often lies in these small details that really bring the universe together.