'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story': Plot featuring Darth Vader, others explained

Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryLucasfilm

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is the first "Star Wars" spin-off film and will kick-start the "Star Wars Anthology" that will include a Han Solo prequel film and more. A new report from JoBlo now gives some insight into what fans can expect from "Rogue One," including confirmation that Darth Vader will play a pivotal role in the film.

According to the report, Darth Vader will be in the movie more than expected. It was widely speculated that Darth Vader may only make an appearance through monitor screens and holographic messages but it now appears that the iconic villain will appear in person throughout the film.

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is set prior to "A New Hope" and will tell how the Rebel Alliance got the Death Star plans. With that in mind, the report points out that the film will feature a new kind of TIE Fighter and will also involve AT-AT walkers, walking tanks that were pivotal in the opening sequence in "The Empire Strikes Back."

Along with new TIE Fighters is a new kind of Storm Trooper. While "The Force Awakens" introduced baton-wielding troopers like FN-2199, popularly referred to as "TR-8R," this prequel film will introduce troopers dressed entirely in black and will be called "Death Troopers."

The report also states that the film will introduce a new droid, one which is said to be a "scene stealer" akin to BB-8. This droid is a bipedal robot with thin, long arms and legs but is significantly different from C3-PO. The droid is said to originally be from the Empire but was re-programmed to serve the Rebels.

Lastly, the report states that one of the key characters is named "Cashen," although this spelling may be altered to "Kashyn" or "Kashen" to keep it in line with the style of the "Star Wars" universe. It is also unclear which of the characters this name will be bestowed upon.

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" opens in theaters this Dec. 16.