4 Things You Need to Know About 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'

The new teaser trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was released on Thursday, and features a first look at new characters, familiar environments and the game-changing plot of the new anthology film.

For those of you not up to speed on your Star Wars lore, fear not. ET is here to provide all the salient details of the newest installment from a galaxy far, far away.

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1. ‘A Long, Long Time Ago’

The events of Rogue One take place in between the first two Star Wars trilogies, that is to say, after the events of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and before Episode IV: A New Hope. It’s a time when the Jedi were believed to be extinct, so the rebels are on their own battling the Empire in what is essentially a straight-up war film.

Director Gareth Edwards opened up about the tonal shift at last year’s Star Wars Celebration, reminding fans, “It’s called Star Wars.”

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2. Our New Leading Lady

In the vein of The Force Awakens’ Rey (Daisy Ridley), the new Star Wars installment features another badass female protagonist: resistance fighter Jyn Erso, played by The Theory of Everything’s Felicity Jones.

Jyn and her fellow rebels are enlisted to steal the plans to the Empire’s ultimate superweapon: the Death Star.

“This is a rebellion, isn’t it?” she quips in the trailer. “I rebel.”

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3. Who Needs Lightsabers?

While the absence of Jedi means no lightsabers (as far as we know), martial arts master Donnie Yen brings an epic bit of acrobatic fighting to the trailer, as his unnamed character dispatches armed Stormtroopers with little more than a quarterstaff and quick maneuvers.

Few details exist about who the Hong Kong actor will play in Rogue One, but one thing’s for sure, he is not to be trifled with.

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4. New Tunes

Rogue One will be the first ever Star Wars film to not feature a John Williams score, but don’t worry. The music for the film is in good hands with Academy Award-winning composer Alexandre Desplat, who has created the aural backdrops for blockbusters like Zero Dark Thirty, The Queen, and Argo, as well as several Wes Anderson movies (he won his Oscar for The Grand Budapest Hotel) and the final two Harry Potter films.

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See more from the trailer in the video below and follow @etnow and @AshCrossan for the latest Star Wars updates!

WATCH: ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ Releases First Trailer: Meet the ‘Rebel’ Leading Lady

Watch Felicity Jones Go Full Rebel in First 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' Trailer

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