Force in Focus: Rogue One Trailer #2

The second full Rogue One trailer (and third look at the film counting the initial teaser) was released earlier this week (along with the official movie poster), and it was once again packed with a ton of cool images and teases about the film's story. By all accounts, this will be the final trailer for the film (barring the likely TV spots as it gets closer to release), so here are some final thoughts on the images presented thus far, at least until the movie is released.

Jedi Statue

By all accounts, there will be no Jedi in this film, as it focuses more on the down-to-earth elements of the fight against the Empire at a time when all Jedi and their lore have, seemingly, been long since wiped out. But that lore and history still looms large over the film, something this haunting image of a massive fallen, half-buried Jedi statute represents (this is presumably on the planet Jedha, an Imperial-occupied world - it's the same world featured in the shots of the hovering Star Destroyer - which the filmmakers have said is tied to the Jedi's past, a sort of Mecca for Force-users).

Death Star Shots

All three trailers have thus functioned a bit as Death Star porn, providing some fantastic and creative shots of the super weapon that would have been impossible back in 1977. The standout one in this trailer is this shot of the Death Star looming, moon-like, on the horizon of, presumably, Scarif (the jungle/beach world seen in the trailers).

Rebel Brass

The first teaser gave us a look at Mon Mothma and a couple new Rebel leaders, This wide shot (which also features the first Death Star finally starring in its own "Rebels stand around a hologram of and discuss how to destroy it" shot for the first time) features a couple of notable inclusions. First, in the top right of the shot, there's a blue Mon Calamari officer. Teased at New York ComiCon, this is a Mon Cal from the polar side of the planet, hence the blue coloring (instead of the more familiar red of Admiral Ackbar). Second, there's at least a couple older, bearded men in this shot that could very well be General Dodonna, the Rebel leader in charge of the base on Yavin IV and the assault on the Death Star in A New Hope.

"We have hope. Rebellions are built on hope."  

The previous two trailers struck a fairly grim tone, emphasizing the might of the Empire at this time and the relative hopelessness of the Rebel's cause. That remains here, but a counterpoint is also suggested, with Jyn Erso arguing for the power of hope in the face of despair. It's not only a very Star Wars kind of sentiment, but is also a different note to hear Jyn playing, as the previous trailers have painted her as a bit more of a pragmatic, jaded person (more Han Solo than Luke Skywalker). And, of course, it also sets up nicely the emergence of Luke as a, well, new hope in the chronologically-next film.

Darth Vader 

Last trailer and this one have deployed Darth Vader sparingly, holding back any dialogue or significant action He pops up three times in this trailer, in silhouette back-dropped against a red readout, getting a lesson from Director Krennic on the power of the Death Star, and my favorite, the GIF-worthy shot of him striding through smoke towards Krennic. Reports are that Vader's presence in the movie will be relatively minimal, but these shots suggest that, at the very least, the filmmakers have managed to capture the iconic-ness of the character.