Star Wars: Rogue One Details on Characters and More

WARNING: Potential spoilers for Star Wars: Rogue One

Most of the recent news about the first Star Wars Anthology spinoff, Rogue One, has concerned either the talent behind or in front of the camera, with little in the way of plot or story.

But there’s a new report that offers a bit more as to what we can expect from Gareth Edwards’ foray into the universe, due out in December 2016.

JoBlo.com claims to have unearthed a few more tidbits from an unknown source about Rogue One’s storyline, although much of it is either already known or rather vague. As has been revealed, the film will be set between Episode III and Episode IV and follow a Rebel Alliance team as it tries to steal the plans for the Death Star. The film will carry the elements of a war film with a hist flavoring and is said to be darker and grittier than previous Star Wars films.

This new article covers all of that but also adds some new revelations of its own. The most interesting line says that new aliens and droids will be introduced, including a new droid character that will be part of the rebel team. It also goes out of its way to mention that the Mon Calamari (Admiral Ackbar‘s species) will be featured as one of the alien races in the film.

Moving to other production aspects, Rogue One is also rumored to include several scenes on Yavin IV, a lush jungle planet where battles and skirmishes will take place. As far as specific vehicles that will be included, JoBlo lists AT-ATs, AT-STs, X-Wings and Y-Wings.

We’ve already heard that this will be the first Star Wars film to not put the Jedi in the spotlight. Since it’s set after Order 66, the Jedi are in hiding, although it hasn’t been confirmed that they won’t appear at all. The new report merely says “expect this story to leave them in the background.”

More from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

• Are Cassian and Jyn Star Wars’ most tragic potential romance?
• 5 Rogue One characters who should appear in Andor Season 2
• Who is Sergeant Jyn Erso of ‘Rogue One’ explained
• Who is Captain Cassian Andor of the Rebel Alliance explained
• Gareth Edwards describes initial conversation with George Lucas about Rogue One

Finally, Felicity Jones is set to star as a member of the Rebel team, and she’s reportedly been seen wearing a “rebel soldier” outfit, according to the article. Ben Mendelsohn, Riz Ahmed and Diego Luna are the only other cast members concerned so far.

Much of this information seems like a logical extension of what we already know about the film. The jungle location jives with the concept photo and teaser shown at Star Wars Celebration. As part of the film’s tonal shift to a gritty war film, the absence of the Jedi means that there will be no obvious heroes in the story, bringing some suspense and moral ambiguity to the proceedings.

The specific mention of the Mon Calamari could suggest that we’d be paying a visit to their homeworld in the film. The Anthology films represent a great opportunity to explore the rest of the Star Wars universe that so far has only been glimpsed in television shows or comics.

As the first Anthology film, Rogue One will likely pave the way for the rest of the series by striking out on its own and putting its own mark on the universe. That’s why hearing all these details about the film, no matter how insignificant, are exciting, because it’s going to be unlike anything before it.

Next: Report: Michelle MacLaren Rumored to Be Circling 2nd Anthology Film