Even with a little bit of distance from their initial release, there’s not a lot to enjoy about the Star Wars prequels. They’re still poorly acted, overly reliant on CGI, and too bogged down in origin stories to develop new characters for us to care about. That being said, give credit to George Lucas for writing a powerful arc for Senator Palpatine. Palpatine’s methodical dissolution of the Old Republic  —  and our mounting horror as we watch him convince the galaxy to give up freedom in exchange for a false sense of safety  —  aren’t enough to save the Star Wars prequels entirely, but they do represent some of the smartest writing of Lucas’ career.

If the Star Wars prequels showed the Empire’s consolidation of power, and the original trilogy showed the Empire as an iron fist, then Rogue One: A Star Wars Story promises to show us the chaos and violence that erupted around the galaxy as people tried desperately to fight back. I left my Star Wars fandom behind me years ago, but the part of me that used to love the franchise  —  the part that read the Extended Universe books and knew the backstory of every video game character  —  still gets a chill every time I hear Forest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera plead with Rogue Squadron to save the dream that is the Rebellion. This latest television spot might not offer new footage, but it does show the full violence and destruction brought against those who dared stand up to the Empire. Thank goodness we already know the good guys win.

Here is the full plot synopsis for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story:

From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves.

Disney’s newest Star Wars adventure will hit theaters on December 16, 2016.

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