Fans are stoked about this favorite 'Star Wars' character returning in 'Rogue One'

The first teaser trailer for "Rogue One: A Star Wars Movie" was released on April 7. The standalone film is the first in a new series of "Star Wars" movies focusing on independent events that have taken place within the exciting universe. This means fans will have the chance to see their favorite characters from the original series in brand new stories.

One person everyone seems excited to see back on screen is Mon Mothma, one of the primary leaders in the rebel alliance who first appeared in "A New Hope." She was one of the commanders who coordinated the epic Battle of Endor in "Return of the Jedi," and now she's back at it again. 

The "Rogue One" storyline was inspired by a part of the opening crawl that appeared in the first-ever "Star Wars" movie. The line reads: "During the battle, rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the Death Star ..."

In the new trailer, we see the protagonist Jyn Erso meet Mon Mothma. Our guess is Mothma will assign Erso the "rogue one mission" to steal the construction plans of the Death Star. 

So far, Mothma's reappearance is a major talking point of the trailer.

Some fans also pointed out that the actress playing Mothma appears to be the same one who was cast for a deleted scene in "Revenge of the Sith," Genevieve O'Reilly. 

And here's a shot of the Mothma in the new trailer, compared to a still from the original trilogies. Looks like Disney really nailed this casting and costume design.

Plenty of "Star Wars" fans on Reddit are really stoked about Mothma's appearance as well. One of the top comments on the trailer discussion in /r/StarWars simply says: "MON MOTHMA!!! Yes!!!!!" Over in the general movies subreddit, the top comment is currently: "Flawless casting on Mon Mothma."

"Rogue One" arrives in theaters December 16. In the meantime, read our breakdown of everything spotted in the teaser trailer.

Update: Entertainment Weekly has confirmed with Disney that actress Genevieve O'Reilly is playing Mon Mothma in "Rogue One," reprising her role she had in the deleted scene from "Revenge of the Sith."

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