Stephen Colbert Reveals the Identity of a New 'Rogue One' Character

Leave it to Stephen Colbert to reveal a new character in 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' that you may have missed in the trailer: Whoopin' Willie.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Ever since the first trailer for the next Star Wars installment Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was released in April, super fans have been awaiting more details about the movie with bated breath. While we will surely receive more hints about the film leading up to its December release, leave it to the host of The Late Show Stephen Colbert to draw your attention to a new character in the Star Wars franchise you may have missed in the trailer: Whoopin' Willie. 

As you may already know, Rogue One is the ninth Star Wars film and the first stand-alone in the anthology. It takes place before A New Hope and revolves around a group of Rebel spies determined to steal the Death Star, the Galactic Empire's dangerous new weapon. 

In the new footage from The Late Show, Colbert proudly states  that he's been a fan of the franchise since he was 13 years old and comically name drops J.J. Abrams. Colbert uses the segment to explain the high-pitched, whooping sound that echoes constantly throughout the Rogue One trailer, although you may have been too entranced by the other details to notice. That's the sound of a new Star Wars character. 

The sound in discussion is prominent once Colbert calls attention to it. It sounds like a little bit like an elephant trumpet blast mixed with a loud car alarm, or a mix of any other strident, droning noises. It definitely increases the suspense of the trailer, but the origin of this noise is hilariously unexplained. Colbert takes advantage of this by introducing a new furry, blue character Whoopin' Willie who definitely doesn't fit into the grim Star Wars universe. 

First Colbert plays the trailer to see if the audience can recognize what he's talking about. "Ok, did you catch it?" he asks the audience. He replays the whooping sound and introduces Whoopin' Willie, a blue feathered creature who wears a Star Wars shirt and a thrilled facial expression, and then superimposes him over the trailer footage in what he calls the second official trailer for the movie. In this new exclusive, audiences can see where Willie fits into the story as he flails around behind the other characters making that ear-piercing noise. 

Willie will not actually appear in Rogue One, but you'll be able to see Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, and others in action starting Dec. 16. 

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