If the phrase "Star Wars prequel" still gives you the Gungan blues, then you're in luck: This morning, Lucasfilm and Disney premiered the first trailer for this winter's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and it looks AT-ATastic.
A stand-alone tale that takes place before the events of 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, the action-heavy Rogue One follows a team of Rebels tasked with gathering intel on the first Death Star, which in the trailer is shown as dangerously close to completion. Their new hope in stopping the Empire? Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), a forger, thief, and all-around youth gone wild who's skilled with a blaster, and clearly has no qualms about taking out a Stormtrooper or two. Don't look for any Force-talk here; Rogue One is a war film, and Erso is a clear-eyed soldier. "This is a rebellion, isn't it?" she tells Mon Mothma, the leader last seen in 1983's Return of the Jedi. "I rebel."
Also hearing that Rebel yell is another, as-yet-unnamed fighter, played by Diego Luna (Y Tu Mamá También), along with a slew of awesomely clad commandos and allies, including Oscar winner Forest Whitaker as a mysterious sage: "What will you do when they catch you?," he asks. "What will you do if they break you? If you continue to fight, what will you become?" (Hey, it's Ghost Dog in space!) Meanwhile, the foes look as formidable as you'd expect, including Ben Mendelsohn (Bloodline) as a dour-faced Imperial leader, and our first look at dark-armored soldiers that many fans believe to be Shadow Troopers, a sort of super-smart Stormtrooper; clearly, they who won't make Erso's mission any easier.
Also spotted in the trailer: AT-ATs! An Imperial Shuttle! And lots of lightsaber-free, down-and-dirty combat! If you've long hoped for a Star Wars prequel that didn't involve Jar Jar Binks and a bunch of senate meetings, today will be a day long remembered---though you'll have to wait until December 16 to see how Rogue One plays out.
Directed by Gareth Edwards, whose 2014 version of Godzilla was a monster hit, Rogue One's ensemble cast also includes Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler), Donnie Yen (Ip Man), and Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal). The movie is the first of what's expected to be a series of spin-off stories that exist within the Star Wars universe, but take place between or before the episodically titled Star Wars films. A Han Solo stand-alone film, which will follow the smuggler in his early years, is expected in 2018.
Pause at: 1:21, to see a team of Rebels run head-first into a cavalcade of laser-blasting AT-ATs.
