Star Wars: Rogue One First Trailer Has Landed And It's Awesome, Watch It Here

When Star Wars debuted in 1977, the thrilling Death Star trench run was the highlight of the film's action-packed climax, and a crucial moment in the Rebellion's history. Now, we're about to see the valiant efforts that helped make such an event possible, as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has released its first trailer, depicting how those stolen plans were secured in the first place. You can watch the film's first trailer below.

As promised yesterday, the trailer debuted on ABC's Good Morning America this morning. From this first look at Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the film looks incredible!

The bulk of the trailer is focused on introducing audiences to Jyn Erso, a new hero played by Felicity Jones. And as you can tell, she’s a rebellious anti-hero who doesn’t conform to very many rules. She has a criminal past. She has been through the system. As she says, matter-of-factly, "This is a Rebellion. I rebel."

Which makes her the perfect recruit for a new plan. Well, a new "old" plan, as this action takes place before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope , so it fills in a lot of the gaps that we might have had regarding the Death Star. In this film, we know that the weapon is being constructed. We even see a moment of the construction finishing up. And we know that Jones’ character is going to lead a a team into the heart of the Empire to steal the plans that will be crucial to Luke Skywalker and the Rebellion in the original Star Wars story.

Directed by Godzilla's Gareth Edwards, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story boasts the all star cast of Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Diego Luna, and Forrest Whitaker, and tells a story from the early days of the Rebellion, somewhere between Revenge Of The Sith and A New Hope. Specifically, the film will detail how Rebel spies obtained and smuggled the technical plans of the first Death Star right under the Empire's noses.

The visuals of this trailer already set it apart from J.J. AbramsThe Force Awakens. Except for the lens flares. Did you notice all of those lens flares?! The movie has a grittier, real-world feel to it. It has a combat-fatigue tone, so when the soldiers are racing across planet surfaces to fight, it almost looks like a brought-to-life cut screen from Star Wars: Battlefront. That’s a good thing. And it all ends with this TOTAL bad ass image of Felicity Jones. Seriously, I’m in love:

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will reach theaters on December 16, 2016.

Mike Reyes
Senior Movies Contributor

Mike Reyes is the Senior Movie Contributor at CinemaBlend, though that title’s more of a guideline really. Passionate about entertainment since grade school, the movies have always held a special place in his life, which explains his current occupation. Mike graduated from Drew University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, but swore off of running for public office a long time ago. Mike's expertise ranges from James Bond to everything Alita, making for a brilliantly eclectic resume. He fights for the user.