When Disney said that they plan on releasing one Star Wars movie a year for the foreseeable future, I couldn’t help but write that off as a corporate cash in on a once-loved franchise that they purchased for $4 billion. Of course, that was before JJ Abrams came in to reinvigorate Star Wars with Episode VII – The Force Awakens, a movie that was loved by critics, Star Wars fans and movie goers to the tune of $2 billion.

Hot off the heels of The Force Awakens, LucasFilm and Disney bring us back thirty-some years from The Force Awakens to just before Episode IV – A New Hope. The first Star Wars spin-off, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, tells the tale of how the Rebels stole the Death Star plans.

First, let’s get the canon discussion out of the way. Pre-Disney Star Wars canon held that Kyle Katarn stole the Death Star plans as part of the great LucasArts game Dark Forces. However, as we know, Disney erased non-movie canon with their purchase of LucasFilm so we just have to live with it. The Force Awakens earned them that benefit of the doubt.

Rogue One introduced Jyn Erso, played by Felicity Jones. She seems to be a criminal (perhaps one could call her a rogue[!!!]) who happens to run afoul of the Rebel Alliance and gets herself captured and conscripted into an attempt to steal the Death Star’s plans. Fortunately for us considering modern Hollywood, that’s all we really know about the story of the movie with the exception of little snippets like AT-ATs on a beach, Donnie Yen kicking ass with a staff and Forest Whitaker dispensing sage-like wisdom on Jyn.

Apart from that, there is an amazing dedication to nostalgia in this trailer. While there definitely is some CGI in the trailer, most of what is on display appears to be real sets and practical effects. We get to see classic sets like the command centres of both the Rebels’ Yavin IV base and the Death Star. There are classic costume and prop designs including classic Rebel guard outfits, stormtrooper armor, X-wings, Star Destroyers and more. They even found a really convincing Mon Mothma lookalike in Genevieve O’Reilly who was supposed to take on the role for Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.

I wasn’t going into Rogue One’s trailer expecting to be excited. I had it pegged as a first or second weekend viewing but not a first night must-see like The Force Awakens. After seeing the trailer, I’m thinking that it’s a first weekend visit at the latest. What does everyone else think after that trailer?

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