This is not a drill. A character created for the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars is making the jump to live-action in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Repeat a Clone Wars character is headed to the big screen. Entertainment Weekly has revealed Forest Whitaker will play Saw Gerrera in the upcoming anthology film, out on December 16. They initially held back his identity when they released details about their upcoming Rogue One-centric issue, only citing that he was a character who’d been seen in the galaxy before. This Clone Wars fan is losing it, so let’s take a moment to fully appreciate Whitaker as Saw:

But who is Saw Gerrera? When we met him The Clone Wars, he was a freedom fighter on the planet of Onderon. He rebelled against the crown when Onderon’s leader allied the planet to the Separatists. He fought alongside his sister Steela, who was the leader of the rebels and lost her life to the cause. Saw, Steela, and the other Onderon insurgents received training from Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan. Here’s Saw’s look in the animated series (he was voiced by Andrew Kishino)–Whitaker’s Saw has the same scar over his left eye.

According to the book Ultimate Star Wars, “Saw later becomes a key figure in the rebellion against the Empire.” Hmm, key as in he helps the Rebels steal plans to the Death Star?! Maybe not, as EW reports Gerrera is an ally to the Rebels but not one of them. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said, “He’s off on his own.”

If you want to learn more about Saw Gerrera and see his rebellious side in action, get thee to Netflix and go to season five of The Clone Wars. Watch “A War on Two Fronts,” “Front Runners,” “The Soft War,” and “Tipping Points.”

What do you think about Rogue One being connected to The Clone Wars? Let me know your opinion in the comments! Also, is anyone else excited about the possibility of other characters created for the Star Wars animated series jumping to the big screen?

Images: Entertainment Weekly, Lucasfilm/Disney