The latest trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story dropped on Thursday during Olympics coverage, thrilling fans with never-before-seen visuals, new character dialogue, and more from the upcoming Star Wars standalone film which tells the story of a group of unlikely heroes who band together on a mission to steal the Death Star plans.
Here’s our breakdown of the biggest reveals:
“The world is coming undone. Imperial flags reign across the galaxy,” says Forest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera as the camera pans over this raised, fortified city. This is our first look at Jedha, a small desert moon of historical and spiritual significance to Force-believers — it’s a holy site where pilgrims once flocked seeking guidance and inspiration.
The Galactic Empire have occupied the moon and now control its resources, once used by the Jedi Order to build lightsabers. Rebel extremist Saw Gerrera is leading an insurgency here when he encounters Jyn Erso.
As seen in the trailer, the Empire’s powerful new weapon, the Death Star, is orbiting the moon. Keen-eyed fans will have noticed that the Death Star’s superlaser dish is positioned on the bottom in this shot, a perspective we haven’t seen before on screen.
“If you’re really doing this, I want to help,” Cassian Andor tells Jyn, regarding her mission to lead a team to steal the Death Star plans. Here we see the pair lifting off in a U-wing from the Rebel base on Yavin 4 — yes, that’s the same base from which the Rebels would later launch their attack on the Death Star in A New Hope. Massassi temple structures can be seen in the background.
The U-wing, or Incom UT-60D, is a transport/gunship used by the Alliance to drop troops into battle and provide cover fire. It’s the main ship of Rogue One and one that’s brand new to the Star Wars universe.
In this scene, Jyn is startled by the appearance of a towering Imperial enforcer droid, but soon realizes he’s an ally. Voiced and motion-capture performed by Alan Tudyk, K-2SO is the robotic star of Rogue One and the film’s main source of comic relief.
Captain Cassian Andor stole the droid from the Empire and reprogrammed him to serve the Rebellion. Kaytoo, in a moment reminiscent of OT odds-quoting C-3Po, informs Cassian that their mission has a “97.6 percent chance of failure,” prompting a concerned look from Riz Ahmed’s Bhodi Rook.
The Rebels aren’t the only ones with never-before-seen toys in Rogue One. The still above shows Stormtroopers escorting an Imperial Assault Hovertank through the streets on Jedha. They’re driven by Imperial Hovertank Pilots who wear a new type of trooper armor.
There’s a new version of the Imperial Walker debuting in Rogue One, too. This is the AT-ACT, shown here taking a blast to the head from Baze Malbus’ bazooka. The tall, slim version of the standard All Terrain Armored Transport features a dedicated cargo bed and is used for transporting heavy building materials and combat munitions.
Here’s the shot we’ve been waiting for. Darth Vader is shown in front of a red-lit technical display of the Death Star. This final shot of the trailer reveals only a rear glimpse of the iconic villain as we hear his mechanical breathing over a somber rendition of John Williams’ “Imperial March.” Vader is thought to only appear briefly in the film, but the power of his presence looms large.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on December 16.
