clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Finally, the first trailer for the new Star Wars movie is here

Aja Romano writes about pop culture, media, and ethics. Before joining Vox in 2016, they were a staff reporter at the Daily Dot. A 2019 fellow of the National Critics Institute, they’re considered an authority on fandom, the internet, and the culture wars.

This morning, Star Wars fans who tuned in to ABC's Good Morning America got their first glimpse of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The newest Star Wars movie, set to open December 16, will hopefully help fill in the crucial gap years between Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.

Luckily for the rest of us, Lucasfilm released the trailer online at the same time. Here it is, complete with a tantalizing look at the plot and the characters who'll take us into this side of the galaxy.

Directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, and Forest Whitaker, Rogue One has clearly been influenced by The Hunger Games, judging from the costumes and the emphasis on Jones's character, Jyn Erso, a teen who tries to fight back after being disenfranchised by the Empire. The trailer shows the Rebellion recruiting her to become a fighter pilot and spy on a very important mission — stealing plans for the first Death Star.

The trailer also offers a great look at the Star Wars universe as we remember it from the original film trilogy, featuring spaceship flyovers, the Death Star, and the return of those terrifying Imperial walkers.

We even get a glimpse of what appears to be a white-robed Mikkelsen, a look at Donnie Yen, and several shots of Diego Luna as a flyboy who helps Jones's character on her quest.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opens December 16, 2016.


Watch: Here's why fewer computer graphics make for better movies