Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Trailer Description Confirms Darth Vader’s Return

Come December, Gareth Edwards and Co. will stage the galaxy’s greatest heist in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. But what’s a nerve-shredding and indeed intergalactic game of cat-and-mouse with the galaxy’s greatest foe?

Though the ongoing Star Wars Celebration Europe brought forth a new featurette for Edwards’ grimy, visceral prequel, those in attendance were shown an all-new trailer for Rogue One, and a description relayed by Collider confirms that, yes, Darth Vader makes an appearance. Well, sort of.

Shedding some light on the Jyn Erso’s turbulent childhood, who grew up under the shadow of the looming Empire, the snippet then runs through a series of action sequences – most of which seem to be located on the paradise planet of Scarif – before Rogue One culminates with the unveiling of Darth Vader replete with that iconic, rasping breathing.

The trailer opens up with a few shots of what looks to be a young Jyn Erso running as an Imperial ship soars above before cutting to Felicity Jones as voice over plays; “There isn’t much time. Every day, we grow weaker. While the day grows grimmer, we still have a chance … to make a real difference.” The music begins to ramp up as we catch glimpses of handcuffed rebels being walked through the streets and shots from the first trailer and from the Star Wars Celebration reel including Stormtroopers walking through Scarif, the Shoretroopers, a shot of Orson Krennic flanked by Death Troopers walking across a terrain that looks a lot like the grassy area we see the young Jyn running through at the beginning of the piece.

The trailer wraps with the reveal we’ve all been waiting for – kind of. In comes the sound of Darth Vader’s breathing and then we get a shot that slowly pans up to show, not Vader himself, but rather his reflection on the floor. That’s all we get, but it’s chilling and satisfying enough and clearly leaves so much more to be discovered about his involvement in the plot of the film.

Overall, this is another fantastic piece of promotional material. Regardless of rumors circulating regarding the tone, just like the first Rogue One trailer, this one definitely has an intense war movie feel to it. It’s packed with Stormtroopers, explosions and other visuals that tease a very visceral intensity, sky high stakes, and a scenario where no one feels safe.

The galaxy’s greatest foe returns when Rogue One: A Star Wars Story punches it all the way into theaters on December 16.