Dads, am I right? Can’t live with ‘em, can’t keep ‘em from cutting off your hand in a lightsaber duel or designing planet-destroying weapons for a totalitarian regime. As Rogue One’s Dec. 16 release date creeps ever closer, like a loth-cat stalking its prey, it seems the movie will continue the grand Star Wars tradition of reuniting fathers and their children.
Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, who has been keeping a low profile in previous trailers for Disney’s standalone Star Wars movie, now takes center stage in a new trailer released Thursday morning, which opens with Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) remembering how her father, Galen (Mikkelson), once assured her that “Whatever I do, I do it to protect you.” It seems Mikkelsen may actually be the one in need of protection, however, as Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) explains that Jyn’s father has gotten tangled up with the Empire, designing a “super weapon”—the Death Star, no doubt.
Things look bad for Galen, who appears to be at the mercy of that other famous father in Star Wars. Fortunately, his daughter, along with a ragtag team that includes Diego Luna, Forest Whitaker, Jiang Wen, Donnie Yen, and Riz Ahmed, are on top of things. “We have hope,” Jyn Erso promises her crew, in what will surely be the Independence Day–style pep talk that the Star Wars universe so desperately needs. “Rebellions are built on hope.” Can’t argue with that.
