'Rogue One' 101: Everything to Know Ahead of New 'Star Wars' Movie

As the Clone Wars end and Emperor Palpatine exerts his control over the galaxy, he orders construction of the ultimate battle station, the Death Star, seen here in the closing moments of Revenge of the Sith, where Palpatine, Grand Moff Tarkin, and Darth Vader admire its construction. (Photo: Lucasfilm)

But the Death Star isn’t so deadly at first. While the construction of the superstructure uses existing technology and is assembled to specs, the station’s signature weapon, the superlaser, is underpowered, unable to blast a planet to smithereens. (Photo: Lucasfilm)

The man in charge of construction is the scheming Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), a prime rival of Tarkin’s. He believes there is only one person who can make the superlaser super. (Photo: Lucasfilm)

That person is Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), a former school chum of Krennic’s who has become a brilliant scientist specializing in renewable energy with a focus on kyber crystals, the “living” gems that power lightsabers. A pacifist at heart, he reluctantly agrees to help Krennic to protect his little girl, whom he nicknames “Stardust.” (Photo: Lucasfilm)

Galen’s wife, Lyra (Valene Kane), has deep respect for the Jedi and the Force, and deep distrust of Krennic. In the novel Catalyst, she convinces Galen to abandon his friend and go into hiding on a remote planet. But Krennic tracks them down. As seen in an international trailer, Lyra gives her young daughter, Jyn, a necklace containing a kyber crystal. (Photo: Lucasfilm)

Now grown, the spunky Jyn (Felicity Jones) is abducted by the Rebel Alliance as a means of getting to her father. Jyn hopes to steal Death Star plans before the station can wreak havoc on innocent planets and render the rebellion obsolete. (Photo: Lucasfilm)

The leader of the Rebel Alliance, first seen in Return of the Jedi, understands the strategic value of Galen Erso’s daughter and the impending threat of the Death Star. She commands her motley band from a base on the moon Yavin 4 — the same base we saw in A New Hope. Mon is played here by Genevieve O’Reilly, who appeared in the role in the prequels. (Photo: Lucasfilm)

Mon Mothma reviews the threat of the Imperial weapon while surrounded by Captain Cassian Andor, General Draven, the white-haired Jan Dodanna (whom you might remember from A New Hope), and Jyn. (Photo: Lucasfilm)

Andor (Diego Luna), a young intelligence officer who has been recruiting rebels, accompanies Jyn on her hunt for the Death Star plans. As Luna tells Yahoo Movies, “Cassian has lots of secrets.” Behind him are two of his alien allies, the furry Bistan and the scowling Pao. (Photo: Lucasfilm)

Andor’s companion and the film’s scene-stealing comic relief is this former Imperial security droid, now reprogrammed to serve the Alliance. “He’s a little odd. He’s got no filter. He just says whatever he thinks. But he’s always looking out for Cassian,” says Alan Tudyk, who voices the droid. (Photo: Lucasfilm)

Introduced as an idealistic young warrior in The Clone Wars cartoon series, Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) is now a grizzled freedom fighter and protector of the Ersos, having helped them escape the Empire once before. Jyn used to refer to him as Uncle Saw; now she seeks his help for her mission. (Photo: Lucasfilm)

Once a sacred site for the Jedi and a repository for kyber crystals, Jedha is now under the stranglehold of the Empire, which brutally cracks down on its people due to their growing discontent. Krennic ultimately selects the moon for Death Star target practice. (Photo: Lucasfilm)

A denzien of Jedha, the spiritual Chirrut (Donnie Yen) is a blind warrior monk who believes in the Force and battles against the oppressive Imperial occupation alongside his best friend Baze Malbus.

This brash fighter (Jiang Wen) scoffs at his buddy’s fascination with the Force, preferring to use his big gun when battling the enemy. But the two are inseparable. As Wen says, Baze goes wherever Chirrut goes. (Photo: Lucasfilm)

Ahmed plays Imperial turncoat Bodhi. He’s a cargo pilot who escapes the Empire with an important message. Bodhi is also responsible for the team’s call signal, Rogue One. (Photo: Lucasfilm)

Vader (voiced again by James Earl Jones) is skeptical of Krennic’s “technological terror,” but is charged by Palpatine with making sure Krennic delivers the goods as promised. Director Gareth Edwards says Vader won’t have much screen time, but we expect his role to be impactful. (Photo: Lucasfilm)

This elite corps of Stormtroopers, set apart by their imposing height and sleek black armor, are the menacing minions of Krennic. Perhaps the movie will explain why we never see these troopers on screen in any other Star Wars installment. (Photo: Lucasfilm)

The first tropical planet we’ve seen in the Star Wars galaxy, Scarif has vital strategic importance based on the ferocity of the battle there, as seen in preview clips. Could that monolithic structure be the repository of the Death Star plans? (Photo: Lucasfilm)

We do know that at the film’s conclusion (at least some of) Jyn and Cassian’s team successfully transmits the Death Star plans to Princess Leia aboard the Tantive IV, the Alderaanian ship captured by Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer in the opening moments of A New Hope. Does that mean we’ll see a cameo from Leia, R2-D2, or C-3PO? We’ll find out soon enough. (Photo: Lucasfilm)