I’m not here to mince words. The trailer is out. Let’s break it down.
Here’s the link to the trailer from the official Star Wars account: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wji-BZ0oCwg
:06 Seconds: We hear the Force theme as our new hero walks – in cuffs -into a Rebellion bunker. The base appears to be under construction. Is it new? Has it been attacked recently? Is this connected to her being in cuffs?
:10 Seconds: We get the laundry list of her sins. This is not an uncommon technique for trailers. It establishes her as a character we don’t know from other films and as someone with a past. It seems Rogue One (from hereon “R1”) will be a predominately character-oriented film. Much of the early trailer is in introducing this character.
:18 Seconds: We see a wide shot of the base. From the shape of the door: could this be Yavin?
:24 Seconds: Mon Freakin’ Mothma. (IMDb now confirms this is the same actress who played Mothma in the Revenge of the Sith deleted scenes.) She continues the list of character traits for the new leading-lady, Jyn Erso. I almost cry.
:24 Seconds: Diego Luna smuldering. Could he be a re-cast Biggs Darklighter? Is there already a connection between Maybe-Biggs and Jyn? Or are they meeting for the first time?
:28 Seconds: Awesome costume. Awesome droid. Now there’s shooting.
:31 Seconds: An explosion. Jyn is throwing someone to the ground for safety. Is it Maybe-Biggs? Perhaps the fighting and explosion is what leads to her apparent arrest?
:34 Seconds: “I rebel.” Here we have the snarky, female, no-I’m-not-from-the-hunger-games-why-do-you-ask, reluctant hero. In her trailer-defining moment if you will.
:36 Seconds: Mon Mothma be like *I can’t condone this but man is she a baller*
:40 Seconds: Lens flare.
:43 Seconds: Ooooo it’s a Star destroyer in space OH FRICK THAT’S A SPACE STATION. I guess the Death Star was always cleverly camouflaged. Who knew? Also, now we hear it for sure: this is a movie about stealing the Death Star plans.
:49 Seconds: Years and years after the rise of the Empire, we see the final piece of the Death Star go into place. Must have been one heck of a labor dispute following RotS. Maybe Rebels will take after the Clone Wars and do an arc about the dispute in the Imperial Senate for Season 3. #kidding Also please not how tiny those Star Destroyers are in comparison.
