May the Fourth is upon us with Star Wars-themed celebrations across the world. Meanwhile, in a studio far, far away, a team of animators is hard at work on the upcoming Star Wars Rebels animated series. Today, the first trailer/featurette was released for the series, which is set to premiere on the Disney Channel in the fall before it shifts to Disney XD for the rest of the episodes.

“Star Wars Rebels” is set about five years before the beginning of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and follows the adventures of a group of heroes desperately trying to combat the all-consuming might of the Empire, the fascistic government arisen from the ashes of the Old Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.”

Watch the new trailer below.

Dave Filoni is overseeing the series in his capacity as supervising director and executive producer. He is well-known in Star Wars fan circles for his work on the first animated series The Clone Wars. He has previously said that the new animated episodes will recall the feel of the original trilogy (how many fans have been hoping for that?) with fast-paced action sequences and more action-oriented stories.

Of the differences between the two series, Filoni told The LA Times’ Hero Complex last year: “ ‘Rebels’ will be different from in a couple ways, and one is the decision to stick with one story and one main group of characters. We wanted fans to get to know the new characters and what they are fighting for. Each episode has its own unique story, while still fitting into the much larger picture of what is going on in the Star Wars universe.”

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