Next month Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will hit theaters and take the action away from the heroes we have come to know and love over the last 40 years. Instead of the Skywalker clan, Rogue One will center on a group of scoundrels intent on stealing the plans to the Death Star. Taking a story away from familiar and beloved heroes is always a gamble, but it seems that Rogue One's central heroine, Jyn Erso, will be just as inspiring as Luke, Han, or Leia. Check out a new clip from the film below to see for yourself!
Oddly enough, this trailer is one of the first clips from the Rogue One marketing campaign to directly reference the Death Star by name. Laying out its powers and its ability to destroy an entire planet, the rebels begin to lament the hopelessness of their cause. Not willing to accept certain death in the face of insurmountable odds, Jyn Erso yells at her fellow soldiers and demands to know what other choices they have besides hope. As she speaks, we see gloriously violent shots of the rebels facing off against the technically superior Imperial forces, and it completely hammers home the idea that this rag tag group of rebels is in a last ditch fight for survival.
One of the most pleasantly surprising aspects of this particular trailer is the way in which it allows Jyn Erso to step up to the plate, while not compromising her character. Even while giving a rousing speech to the rest of the rebels, she remains a cynical and jaded scoundrel that we have come to know and love over the course of Rogue One's marketing campaign. She's willing to inspire these other fighters by appealing to their desperation, and Felicity Jones completely sells the character's conviction by channeling a scrappiness that has clearly been developed over a lifetime of fighting, stealing, and rebelling.
I have to admit, this trailer also serves as an insane reminder of how utterly terrifying the Death Star is. Sure, The Force Awakens featured the (technically) more powerful Starkiller base, but the Death Star carries a certain iconography that really adds to the weight of Rogue One's central mission. We've already seen the devastation that this ultimate weapon can cause over the course of several Star Wars movies, and as such we understand that it's not something for the rebels to trifle with.
CinemaBlend will bring you all of the latest and greatest news related to the upcoming release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as new specifics become available to us. The first standalone Star Wars movie will blast its way into theaters next month on December 16, 2016. May the force be with you!
