Disney reveals teaser for new Star Wars film

On Thursday, Disney Studios released the first trailer for the new Star Wars film. No, sadly, it’s not the trailer for Episode VIII, but when that trailer does come out, expect to see nothing but posts and tweets about it for the next several days.

However, the same thing is happening now for the first trailer for Rogue One: A Stars Wars Story. Since Thursday afternoon, I have seen at least three Facebook posts about the trailer, the story, and the cast every day! Now how’s that for a trending topic?
For anyone who is confused about the film and what it means for the history and timeline of Star Wars, let me break it all down for you.

In Episode IV, the main purpose of the film is to introduce all of the key characters (Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, etc.), and to show the audience how evil and powerful the Empire is through the Death Star, which is a weapon of mass destruction that is as big as a moon.

In order to begin his long-lasting fight against the Empire, it is up to Luke to destroy the Death Star. Thankfully, the Rebel Alliance has the plans to the Death Star, so they know how to destroy it. But how exactly does the Rebel Alliance retrieve the plans?

That is where Rogue One comes in! This spin-off film will follow the story of the group of Rebels that steal the plans to the Death Star. So, their story occurs before Luke destroys it (obviously), and possibly before Luke even finds out that he has the power of a Jedi. Since this film is before the beginning of Episode IV, there will be no Rey, Finn, or BB-8 in this film. They haven’t been born (or created) yet!

Actress Felicity Jones stars in the new film as Jyn Erso, who is most likely a criminal of some kind who stands with the Rebel Alliance. Though she is a criminal, the head of the Alliance sees something special in Erso and decides to have her lead a group of brave and daring souls to retrieve the plans to the Death Star, in order to destroy it. Along with Jones, the cast will also include Diego Luna, Forest Whitaker, and Alan Tudyk. No character names have been released for these actors yet.

When the trailer was released, fans of Star Wars flocked to the Internet, immediately asking burning questions and coming up with theories as to whom Jyn Erso actually is. Some people think that she may be Rey’s mother. In Episode VII: The Force Awakens, it is revealed that Rey, the main character, was left behind on the plant Jakku by her parents, and it is never revealed who her parents were.

With her accent, some believe that Erso could be Rey’s mother. When Episode VII came out, people were quick to guess that Luke Skywalker could be Rey’s father, since she has the ways of the Force within her. Nothing has been confirmed nor denied by Disney Studios or Lucasfilm about Rey’s origins.

Of course, the new teaser for Rogue One is only the first with at least one more trailer coming, which seems to be what happens with these highly-anticipated films that Disney Studios has been producing lately (other films include Through the Looking Glass, Captain America: Civil War, etc.). There is still much to learn about the story and the characters, just like how there is still much to learn about the ways of the Force.