Watch The First Seven Minutes Of ‘Star Wars Rebels’

Briefly: Disney XD has just debuted the first seven minutes of their anticipated new series, Star Wars Rebels. The extended preview  does exactly what it intends to, and gets us excited as hell for what’s to come.

Starring a small band of heroes — Sabine, Kanan, Hera, Ezra, Zeb, and Chopper — Star Wars Rebels is set in a time where the Empire rules through fear and shrouds the galaxy in darkness. This trailer offers many new glimpses at sequences from the show, including the starship Ghost chased by TIE Fighters; young Ezra watching as a Star Destroyer looms overhead; Stormtroopers marching; a zero-g fight between our heroes and Imperials; and Kanan, a secret Jedi, assembling his lightsaber and preparing for battle. It ends, however, with an Imperial officer reporting to the Inquisitor — the Empire’s Jedi hunter, seen and heard here for the first time. Star Wars Rebels takes place between Star Wars: Episode III and IV as the Empire tightens its grip on the galaxy and a rebellion begins to form. The series, executive produced by Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg, and Greg Weisman, is scheduled to premiere in fall 2014 as a one-hour special telecast on Disney Channel and will be followed by a series on Disney XD.

Here’s what Disney said about the preview:

In this special extended preview of Star Wars Rebels, the Empire arrives on Lothal — bringing tyranny with them. Imperials and stormtroopers establish an intimidating presence on the planet, enforcing strict new laws for trade and arresting citizens for expressing dissent of any kind. A young boy named Ezra, however, discovers that a mysterious group is attempting to steal cargo from the Empire. Intrigued, he tries to take it for himself – and ends up on the run from both Imperials and this small band of rebels.

Take a look at the video below, and let us know what you think!