By now, it’s no secret that Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith and apprentice to the Empire’s supreme ruler Palpatine, will make an appearance in this December’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. And, of course, it makes sense that the former Anakin Skywalker would at least figure somewhat in the story, as the plot revolves around the Rebellion’s attempt to steal plans for the Empire’s Death Star.
(Yes, that Death Star. The same Death Star that, in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, some womp rat-shooting kid made go kablooey using some magic hooey he learned from a former cult member—er, Jedi.)
Although the newest TV spot for Rogue One primarily relies on footage we’ve seen before in the various trailers Disney and Lucasfilm have dropped on eager fans, what sets this offering apart is the heavy breathing of Vader underlying the action, acting as a signifier of the danger lying just under the surface of everything Jyn, Cassian, the other Rebels hope to accomplish. And when the familiar tones of the “Imperial March” hits our ears toward the end of the spot, there’s no question that, even though we know from A New Hope that the Rebellion does secure the plans for the Death Star, things are, at best, still dicey for the freedom fighters.
Will Jyn or any of her fellow crew members meet their end at the lightsaber blade of Darth Vader? We’ll have to wait until December 16th when Rogue One drops in theaters.