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Amnesia is a classic plot hook for fiction. Even if it is represented in an overly simplistic (i.e. wrong) way most of the time.
So of course it can be used in roleplaying games. The simple way is to have an NPC have some cinematic form of amnesia. And the PCs have to interact with them and/or recover their memories somehow.
The more hard core approach is to have the PCs have amnesia. Start them in the middle of the story, but don't let the players know anything that has happened before. They have to explore and figure out what happened that they should remember, but don't. This interlocks well with starting the party in a prison/dungeon cell, with no equipment. They've been locked up, but they can't remember why, and possibly who they are either.
[Reminder: Our guest commentators have not seen Rogue One. Part of the fun is seeing how their untainted impressions re-interpret the movie through the lens of our comic.]
After the first three panels, I cannot see the guard saying "Um, okay". Something like "show me your authorization papers" at the same time that you're pressing the alert button. After all, the primary job of a guard is to raise the alarm, not take out the intruder.
And it looks like the last row of panels shows what happens when you don't raise the alarm. There's now no one to guard the data.
If we didn't know that this was going to be a total party kill, it might be believable that the distraction group will be killed off while the stealth group... Has no way off. Well, I guess it will be a total party kill.
— Keybounce
Retro-anterograde amnesia? That seems like the kind of condition that disqualifies you from being a guard of anything, anywhere. In fact, you really shouldn't be in the military at all with that kind of condition.
How exactly has the Rebellion managed to not win yet?
— aurilee
Transcript
K-2SO: According to that droid's brain, we can find the data in here.
Vault Technician: Hello. Can I help you?
Bria: Oh, we're the data inspectors. We need full access.
Vault Technician: I don't recall anyone telling me you had authorisation for that.
Bria: How about partial access?
Vault Technician: Who are you, even?
Bria: I'm Killface the Ninja. This is Brobot the robot, and my condimentary friend Sergeant Pepper.
Vault Technician: Um... okay.
Cassian: So... What's your name?
Vault Technician: I can't remember. I have retro-anterograde amnesia.
[SFX]: Klunk! {K knocks him on the head}