'Star Wars Battlefront' Trailer Offers Glimpse at 'The Force Awakens' Backstory

The Battle of Jakku already has taken on great significance in Star Wars mythology, with the conflict — which happened shortly after the end of 1983's Return of the Jedi — leading to the crashed Star Destroyer as seen in the initial teaser for this December's Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Now, fans will get their first chance to see the battle for themselves in a new tease for the Star Wars Battlefront video game.

The 30-second trailer for Battlefront's upcoming downloadable content "The Battle of Jakku" shows a battle between Rebellion and Imperial forces amid much carnage, including downed X-Wing and TIE fighters, while AT-AT and AT-ST Walkers shoot down remaining X-Wings. … And something big is falling right above everyone's heads.

The video also reveals that the battle — described by Battlefront publishers EA as "the pivotal moment when the New Republic confronted key Imperial holdouts on a remote desert planet" — takes place 29 years before The Force Awakens, offering the first official identification of the time frame for the new movie.

"The Battle of Jakku" will be available Dec. 1 for those who preordered Star Wars Battlefront (which is released Nov. 17 on PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One), with general release following a week later. Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be released Dec. 18.