Two popular characters will be returning to the Star Wars franchise when Star Wars: Rogue One hits theaters this winter. While almost everyone has heard of Darth Vader, the secondary character Saw Gerrera might not be as well known.

Disney officially unveiled that Forest Whitaker’s role in Rogue One will be Saw Gerrera, and the character has appeared within the Star Wars cinematic universe before, just not as part of the live-action films. The character originally debuted in “A War on Two Fronts,” which was the first installment of a four-episode arc of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. That popular animated-series was a big hit with fans when it first debuted, and fans should be happy to see him appear in the live-action film.

The original character in the animated series was voiced by Andrew Kishino, and Saw helped the rebellion rise against the Separatist droid occupation of his home planet Onderon. The character’s fighting force was trained, and was lead by, Anakin Skywalker. That could be a major plot-point in Rogue One since Darth Vader will also be appearing in the film. There were a few other major players in that insurgence group as well, including Ahsoka Tano and Obi-Wan Kenobi, but if Disney is having them appear in the film it’s a very well kept secret at this point.

According to Disney Gerrera was “tough, a natural leader, and essentially laid the groundwork for what would become the Rebellion.” The official description went on to say,
“Rogue One finds him years later, and it appears Saw has only grown more hardened and grim, his methods more extreme.”

“Consider him kind of a battered veteran who leads a band of Rebel extremists,” Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy told EW. “He’s on the fringe of the Rebel Alliance. Even [they] are a little concerned about him.” In today’s episode of The Star Wars Show, Pablo Hidalgo of the Lucasfilm Story Group discusses how Saw Gerrera was created, developed, and then made an integral part of Rogue One.

If you’re looking for a timeline to put this all together, Rogue One happens after “Disney’s animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” but before “Star Wars: A New Hope.” Lucasfilm did confirmed that Darth Vader would be appearing in the film, but no further information was given at this time.

Disney stated that the rest of the rebel strike team and Imperials seen in the film’s trailer, are: “Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), Captain Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen), Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed), K-2SO (Alan Tudyk), Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), and Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn).”

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which tells the story of resistance fighters who have united to steal plans to the dreaded Death Star, hits theaters December 16, 2016.