Rogue One: New TV spot asks, 'This is a rebellion isn't it? I rebel'

Star Wars season is waiting in the wings - with the first of its spin-off films set to debut during the holiday season

We'll have to wait until 2017 to get back to Rey, Finn, and the main Star Wars narrative with Episode VIII; but this year at least brings the first of a series of spin-off films for the franchise.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story follows a wayward band of Rebel fighters brought together for one improbable mission: steal the plans for the Death Star. These events, of course, directly link into the first scenes of A New Hope; when Princess Leia is seen concealing the plans in R2-D2 before she's captured by the Galactic Empire.

Following a few revelations at London's Star Wars Celebration, it looks as if the marketing campaign for this film is really starting to kick into gear; with the debut of a brand new TV spot, far in advance of the film's holiday release date.

Unfortunately, there's no new footage to be garnered here - not even from the secret second trailer debuted to Star Wars Celebration audiences, we can only hope that's about to drop any day now - but there's a good sense here at the atmosphere Disney's attempting to build around this film.

Celebration's Rogue One panel certainly emphasised the idea this is a Star Wars film unlike any other; featuring vastly different locations, and a gritty feel more akin to a traditional war movie than a space adventure.

Directed by Gareth Edwards, Rogue One specifically centres around Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso: a criminal misfit who becomes entangled in the Rebellion's ambitious, and resolutely dangerous, schemes. The TV spot's key moment belongs to her as she utters, "This is a rebellion isn't it? I rebel". Donnie Yen, Diego Luna, Jian Wen, Forest Whitaker, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen and Ben Mendelsohn also star.

It was recently confirmed Whitaker would be playing a familiar face to the more dedicated of Star Wars fans, Saw Gerrera; the shadowy Rebel fighter first seen in season 5 of The Clone Wars animated series.

Though the film had recently come under the spotlight for a series of "expensive reshoots", reportedly revisiting up to 40% of the film, the controversy has since been played down by many of those involved; Mads Mikkelsen insisting, "It’s not a new thing, it happens with every film. It’s the same film, it’s just adding little bits here and there to do the final polishing. That’s my feeling."

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits UK theatres 16 December.