While you’re probably well aware at this point, the first trailer for Lucasfilm’s new and highly anticipated Star Wars film, Rogue One, has finally been released online. Directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla), Rogue One is the first stand-alone film set in the Star Wars universe. Taking place shortly before the events of A New Hope, the film follows the team of Rebel soldiers and spies who stole the plans for the Empire’s planet destroying super-weapon, the Death Star. Rogue One is written by Gary Whitta (TellTale’s The Walking Dead) and Chris Weitz (About a Boy), and stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, and Alan Tudyk.
Despite being shy of two minutes, there’s a ton of stuff to unpack in this teaser. For starters, we know that Felicity Jones’ character is named Jyn Erso. As described in the trailer, she’s a bit of scoundrel, even among her rebellious brothers and sisters-in-arms. Along with the laundry lists of offenses, which include forgery of documents, possession of stolen property, aggravated assault, and resisting arrest, she doesn’t exactly seem to be the the most favorite person of the Rebel Alliance’s leaders, most particularly Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly). Despite her troublesome behavior, the Rebellion clearly values her skills and knack for stirring up trouble, thus making her the perfect candidate for the suicidal task of uncovering the plans for the Death Star. We also get a several quick glimpses of the other Rebel fighters who will join her on her mission. Along with a grizzled looking Diego Luna, we get a very brief look at Donnie Yen, showcasing his martial-arts prowess against several unsuspecting stormtroopers; Jiang Wen, who appears to running away from a fairly sizeable explosion; and Forrest Whitaker, who provides a nice bit of ominous narration in the later half of the trailer.
Along with all of the cool little action scenes scattered throughout the one minute and 30 seconds of footage (always great to see a couple of AT-ATs blasting Rebel scum from afar), one of the most intriguing parts of the trailer is the appearance of Ben Mendelsohn’s character, clothed in a very familiar white garb. Longtime Stars Wars Extended Universe (EU) aficionados will instantly recognize Mendelsohn’s regal white uniform as the uniform of an Imperial Grand Admiral. As explained in the EU and Timothy Zahn’s Thrwan Trilogy, Grand Admirals were some of the highest ranking military officials within the Galactic Empire. Master strategists and tacticians, Grand Admirals only answered to Emperor Palpatine himself, and were often put in charge of extremely important and highly classified tasks. Although nothing has yet been revealed about Mendelsohn’s character in the film, assuming that he is a Grand Admiral, it’s reasonable to guess that he might be in charge of the construction and security of the Death Star.
It’s still hard to fathom that we’ll be getting another Star Wars film so soon after the release of 2015’s The Force Awakens. Personally, I couldn’t be more excited, and if this trailer truly reflects the actual look and tone of the film, I’m confident we’ll be getting a very unique and thrilling cinematic addition to the Star Wars franchise.
Rogue One will be released in theaters on December 16, 2016.
What about you reader? What did you think of the first trailer for Rogue One? Let us know in the comments below!
