New 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' Trailer Shows Some Familiar Faces and Exciting New Heroes
The new trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story premiered during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games on Thursday night, giving fans a deeper look at the highly-anticipated "sidequel" than ever before, as well as a glimpse at some familiar characters.
Rogue One, which is set right before and during the events of the 1977 original, A New Hope, follows a ragtag cadre of rebel warriors who band together for a dangerous mission: to steal the blueprints for the Empire's infamous Death Star.
Since the action takes place around the same time as the Star Wars installment that started it all, fans have been waiting to see how some familiar heroes and villains (specifically the big, bad man in black himself, Darth Vader) come into play.
If this new trailer is any indication, Rogue One could prove to be an exciting, revamped, overhauled trip down memory lane in the best way possible.
From the classic TIE fighters to the iconic space station hallways to the new 'droids (including the awesome K-2SO, voiced by Alan Tudyk, who appears to be C-3PO and Chewbacca rolled into one), the film looks like director Gareth Edwards' love-letter to the original sci-fi epic.
Here's a look at just a few of the nostalgic nods from Rogue One's exciting new trailer.
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Darth Vader
Just getting this one out of the way first, the trailer does include the deep-voiced baddie, but just a quick glimpse at the back of his helmet. Though we don’t hear it in the clip, James Earl Jones will once again lend his vocal talents to the film. Darth wouldn't be the same without it.
AT-AT Walker
Watching one of the quadrupedal behemoths storming a tropic beach is exciting on its own, but then watching Baze Malbus (played by Jiang Wen and easily one of the best Star Wars character names so far) shoot it with a futuristic bazooka really takes the cake.
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Mon Mothma
The co-founder and leader of the rebel alliance is back and still in charge like the superboss she is. Genevieve O'Reilly, who played Mothma in 2005's Revenge of the Sith, is reprising the role. Actress Caroline Blakiston originated the role in 1983's Return of the Jedi.
Saw Gerrera
Forest Whitaker plays Gerrera, a rebel and battle-hardened veteran soldier. While Gerrera never appeared in any of the previous films, he was a recurring character on the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
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Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen and Mads Mikkelsen also star in the long-awaited Rogue One, which is set to hit theaters on Dec. 16.
For those of you not up to speed on your Star Wars lore, check out the video below for a look at some of the most important things you need to know about this newest installment from a galaxy far, far away.