A blind Guardian named Chirrut Îmwe and his companion Baze Malbus appear as supporting characters in the 2016 film Rogue One, they aid members of the Rebel Alliance to steal plans of the Death Star, the ultimate weapon of the Galactic Empire.

The Whills was originally a vague reference to an omnipresent yet distant order which was meant to be the narrative framing in an early draft of the Star Wars saga by George Lucas.

[2] Lucas also came up with the Journal of the Whills as a concept of "Bible-like texts that inspire the stories chronicled in the Star Wars movies",[3] essentially serving as a plot device that connects the fictional universe he created to the real world.

[7] Chirrut's skill in martial arts can rival that of a lightsaber-wielding Jedi; he is capable of defeating an entire squad of stormtroopers single-handedly, and even shoot down a TIE fighter using a specialized crossbow-shaped energy weapon called a "lightbow".

[8] Chirrut and his companion, Baze Malbus, a former Guardian who left the organization prior to the events of Rogue One, were conceived during the initial design stage as a "dyad" who "don't belong together, but they do": the former, "a believer in the Force", and the latter, a "militaristic soldier".

[8] Yen was originally reluctant to accept the part as he did not want to be away from his family for an extended period of time, as he was required to relocate to the United Kingdom for five months of filming.

[8] Baze's signature weapon, a heavy repeating blaster cannon, was designed by artists Jamie Wilkinson and Adam Brockbank early in the film development.

Along with Imperial defector Bodhi Rook, the group would eventually make their escape from the Partisan base aboard a U-Wing as Jedha City is attacked and destroyed by the Empire's new superweapon, the Death Star.

Chirrut and Baze appear as the main characters of the 2017 prequel tie-in novel to Rogue One, Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills, which explores their backstories, as well as their past interactions with Saw Gerrera.

[16] In her review of the Guardians of the Whills novel, Amy Ratcliffe from Nerdist appreciated the duo's grounded characterization – Chirrut's sense of hope and Baze's inner conflict – and the fact that they accept that they are not fully in control of their situation following the Empire's disruption of their lives.

[14] Similarly, Jesse Schedeen from IGN was hopeful that Disney would revisit "the glory days of Jedha and the Guardians of the Whills" via a television series set before Rogue One.

[18] Leon Hurley from Gamesradar wanted to see a spin-off movie featuring either Chirrut and Baze in the style of a buddy film, or a narrative that is centered on the Guardians of the Whills as a whole.

[19] Chirrut and Baze appeared as a popular pairing in several "shipping" related posts and opinion pieces by critics and fans, particularly during December 2016, which was the month Rogue One was released.