There’s equal parts hope and pessimism in the latest trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The Empire is at the height of its power, and with the Death Star nearly complete, it threatens to control the galaxy through violence and fear. But the Rebel Alliance has an ace up its sleeve that goes by the name of Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones).
Much of the new trailer is dedicated to fleshing out the story of Rogue One, which features new worlds, characters and ships. Most important of all, however, is getting familiar with the characters who band together to steal the Death Star plans.
At the center of all this is Jyn, described as someone who doesn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with authority. It’s unclear why the Rebellion is so keen to pick her to spearhead the most important heist in Star Wars history, but we speculated on this in our Rogue One explainer. It might have something to do with her father, Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), a brilliant scientist who was apparently inspired by J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Here’s all the information you might have missed in the newest trailer, which is truly spectacular and everything we hoped it would be.
See full gallery on TechnoBuffaloWe start off with a wide shot of the new planet Jedha, which director Gareth Edwards recently explained is a spiritual place for believers in the Force. As you can see, however, it’s heavily occupied by the Empire. Even still, it looks gorgeous from afar. But get closer, and it doesn’t look like a very friendly place to be.
Saw Gerrera (Forrest Whitaker) explains the current state of affairs, “The world is coming undone. Imperial flags reign across the galaxy.” Gerrera is a familiar figure in the Clone Wars, not exactly a hero, but someone who fights for what he believes in, even if that means doing questionable things. Think of him Jyn’s guide to the world of politics and war.
Jyn is escorted to see Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), who we saw in the first Rogue One trailer. “Can you be trusted without your shackles?” Jyn is asked. Clearly, she’s a firecracker of a character who isn’t afraid to engage in fisticuffs. The fact that a room full of high-ranking Rebellion generals can’t contain her without handcuffs tells us a lot about who she is.
Jyn appears reluctant to meet with Mon Mothma, but the moment she’s presented with intel about the Death Star, Jyn seems very interested.
“We have a mission for you,” Mon Mothma says. “A major weapons test is imminent. We need to know how to destroy it.”
See full gallery on TechnoBuffaloThe Death Star looms over a fleet of massive Star Destroyer.
Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) tells Jyn that he wants to help. It’s clear these two are polar opposites—Cassian is a respected figure among the Rebellion while Jyn is regularly in trouble with the law—but they quickly warm up to each other. They soon travel to Jedha in an effort to recruit more people for their mission. Here we meet Baze Malbus (Wen Jiang) and Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), the latter of whom is a major believer in the Force; the former, not so much.
“I fear nothing,” Imwe says. “All is as the Force wills it.” He then kicks some major Stormtrooper ass.
See full gallery on TechnoBuffaloA minute into the trailer and we get our first good look at K-2SO (Alan Tudyk). He’s the new droid who’s been reprogrammed by Cassian so that he’s no longer controlled by the Empire. For this reason, he’s indebted to Cassian and essentially acts as his sidekick. Think of the two as having a relationship similar to that of Han Solo and Chewbacca, only K-2SO is a 7-foot 1-inch droid who isn’t afraid to speak his mind.
See full gallery on TechnoBuffaloThe Death Star looms over Jedha, eclipsing the planet’s nearby parent star with its immense size. Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) looks on from his perch aboard the Death Star with visible disgust. Why so much hate? Hopefully, his character is a little more complex than someone who is simply angry. I mean, you can’t look that fabulous in a white cape and be so mad without good reason.
See full gallery on TechnoBuffaloThe now-famous scene of the Rebellion storming the beaches of Scarif, a new tropical planet seen in the Rogue One poster. It would seem this is the climactic battle of the movie—the recent behind-the-scenes footage we saw apparently showed Jyn running with what looked like the Death Star plans.
K-2SO, not one to mince words, tells the crew that there is a 97.6 percent chance their mission will fail. Undeterred, Cassian responds by saying K-2SO means well. A nice moment of humor, while also reminding viewers what’s at stake.
See full gallery on TechnoBuffaloThe action is truly spectacular over the next several shots. Disney and Lucasfilm have repeatedly described Rogue One as a war movie, saying they chose director Gareth Edwards because of his more visceral and raw style. That comes across in a big way in the newest footage, proving that different approaches to the material can work. I mean, who would have thought we’d see a rocket launcher in a Star Wars movie?
See full gallery on TechnoBuffaloJyn rallies the team, who respond by showing their wholehearted support. The title card for Rogue One fades in, fades out, and reveals a hair-raising glimpse of Darth Vader. Fans will be happy to hear that James Earl Jones, who voiced the character in the original trilogy, is returning. It just wouldn’t be the same without him.
The entire trailer is full of great moments, all underscored by different variations of The Imperial March. The Empire’s power reigns over the galaxy, physically represented by the Death Star.
If this was the last trailer before Rogue One’s release this December, I’d be okay with that. It showed just enough but it didn’t give away too much. Hopefully, the upcoming marketing blitz doesn’t spoil the whole thing before its release.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on Dec. 16, 2016.