EW have given those of us waiting eagerly for the next chapter in the Star Wars saga something of a Christmas morning today. Along with a pretty uninspired Photoshop collage of a new cover featuring Rogue One, comes the confirmation that Darth Vader is in the film, and that we can expect more details on exactly how much he is in it later today.

To those keeping up with all the leaks surrounding the first Star Wars Story the Vader news won’t be a surprise. The recent artbook leaks showed off Vader in a commanding position on the Imperial artwork, however confirmation is greatly appreciated as it may hint at an appearance in the next trailer for the film. This is expected in a month’s time at Star Wars Celebration.

Here’s the cover in all its airport paperback glory,

Rogue One EW coverAnd just now EW have revealed the following character images along with a few hints about what we’ll be seeing.

The Imperial walkers glimpsed in the trailer are revealed to be ‘taller, slimmer walkers known as AT-ACTs hauling cargo’, while the new shark toothed winged TIE Fighters shown in the leaked artwork and described as ‘flatter, fang-like interceptors known as TIE Strikers’.

Each of the characters have a number of details revealed. Some of these are well-known, others could be more of a surprise.

Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso’s troubled past and current involvement with the Rebels is described plainly. That she ‘has a chance to clear her ledger of past wrongs by leading a mission for the good guys’. Kathleen Kennedy uses a particularly potent allegory when she describes Erso thus, ‘She becomes a kind of Joan of Arc in the story’.

The article also confirms a family connection, ‘It’s also personal – her father, played by Mads Mikkelsen, is a scientist whose knowledge is sought by both sides’. So we can deduce that he is the one who helps the Empire design the Death Star’s terrifying weaponry.

Here are the character images, which don’t look pretty in their mud and cloudy sky duotone, but click onto EW for more tidbits, including a mystery about Forest Whittaker’s character who isn’t given a name. They say, ‘This character has a past that Star Wars completists will recognize immediately when they see his name, even if he looks very different than the way they’ve seen him elsewhere.’

Let the speculation begin…

Here are the character portraits – didn’t anyone tell Mads Mikkelsen to dress up? Unless he’s playing an Imperial lumberjack…

Rogue One Jyn Erso Rogue One Captain Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) Rogue One Chirrut Emwe Rogue One Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen) Rogue One Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed) ROgue One K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) Rogue One Galen Erso Rogue One Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) Rogue One Forest Whittaker