AT-ATs coming at-at you. These designs seem to have different coloring, and appear slightly slimmer and more agile than the bulkier four-legged walkers we saw stomping toward the Rebel base on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back. That may be an optical illusion due to the yellow plates on the sides, which make the arch of the vehicle's back seem a little taller than those earlier (or, in the narrative chronology, later) designs. Still, what works on snow appears to work just as well on sand as they attempt to crush the Rebel forces.




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This ship calls to mind the batwing shuttle flown by Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens, although it has four upright wings instead of two. We don't know where the Imperials are, or what the context may be for this battle, but it looks to be an ambush of some sort. The palm trees and shoreline make it almost seem like the Star Wars version of Pearl Harbor. That would make this the destruction of an important battleship.




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Here we see Mendelsohn's Imperial admiral wading through the tide after the beach battle is complete. There are bodies in the surf and smoldering wreckage on the shore. His regal cape drags in the water. We can't tell his state of mind, but this could result in a powerful Patton-like scene of an aggressive military leader surveying the sacrifice of his rank-and-file soldiers. God help him, maybe he loves it so.




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Another caped character seen only from behind. The timeline of this story, just prior to the original Star Wars, means Darth Vader is alive and at his peak during the events of Rogue One. Is this him, approaching a glowing, cylindrical tank? This shadowy figure doesn't really move like Vader, though. That tube is flanked by the crimson colored Royal Guard, who are like the secret service, protecting Emperor Palpatine -- who also could appear in this film. In fact, maybe this is him...


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While we may not see the Death Star destroyed in Rogue One (remember, that has already happened in another movie), we apparently will see it being built. Here, we're shown that iconic concave dish being moved into place. This is the device that combines all the battle station's tributary beams into one super laser, capable of pulverizing whole planets into asteroid fields. Watch your six, Alderaan...




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As a terrifying alarm sounds, we see Jones and Luna racing into action alongside a squad of X-Wing pilots, with a few of those starships arrayed in the background. Although it's hard to know for sure, the walls of this hangar look a lot like stone, and it calls to mind the Yavin 4 temple the Rebellion uses as a secret stronghold in the original Star Wars. That was the place Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin were hoping to find when they were torturing Princess Leia, and showing it again would be a fascinating callback.




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Jiang Wen is barreling toward the Empire like a runaway truck, a screaming commando ready to die or kill -- whichever comes first. Since we aren't given any context for his character, the best we can do is speculate about what it is he's carrying in that tank on his back. Flamethrower? Some other kind of demolition gear? In any case, it's his expression of total fearlessness that makes him so imposing.




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A staff? That's no match for a good blaster at your side, Donnie Yen. But in his hands, this doesn't seem to be a problem. One thing that's missing from the Rogue One trailer that we've seen in every other Star Wars movie is the presence of a lightsaber. Yen's character gives us a taste of that familiar hand-to-hand combat, but without the glowing blade of a laser sword. Not to mention, it calls to mind Rey's staff-wielding in The Force Awakens. (Cue theory: IS THIS REY'S DAD???) In the background, there's a crashed X-Wing, and beyond that, a cityscape that resembles the type of architecture seen at the Hagia Sophia. This is a place of sophistication, of wealth, and Yen's character projects the same.




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Forest Whitaker, on the other hand, looks like a madman. Armored and weary, he staggers through this tunnel (sewer?) like a street rat who has some pieces missing after many years of hard-won survival. We don't know his name, don't know his role in the story, but he has some Yoda-esque wisdom for Jyn: Whatever it is you fight to save, inevitably you lose something, too.




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As Whitaker's character doles out his guidance, we see this image of Jyn appear over his words: “If you continue to fight, what will you become?” The minute-and-a-half teaser trailer goes to great effort to make it clear that her character is an unstable element. There's no talk of the Force, or any of that familiar Jedi/Sith mysticism, but she is obviously someone who straddles both the light and dark. Is her appearance in the uniform of a Death Star gunner or TIE Fighter pilot a sign that she could be a traitor? Doubtful. Most likely a disguise. But the fact that she passes so well says something, too.




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Really hope they don't kill off Mendelsohn in this.
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This movie is going to kick the shit out of TFA.
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It's going to be fucking AWESOME to see an Imperial Grand Admiral, finally! And that view of him from the Death Star is awesome.

This movie looks to be everything I wanted from TFA but didn't get.
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I sure hope so. I just can't express how much I dislike TFA and it's not because of the cast or the look or the direction, it's the shitty story.
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Very disjointed, and the bad guys truly suck.
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