When is a video game more than just a video game? When the story it tells is woven into the legends and events of one of the biggest blockbuster movie franchises of all time. This weekend, Electronic Arts debuted the first footage from its upcoming Star Wars Battlefront II, the sequel to the bestselling 2015 Star Wars video game, with the promise that this game would tell canonical stories not previously seen in the Star Wars universe. It’s all part of an ambitious effort by Lucasfilm to weave these Star Wars stories across a variety of media, including the films, television shows, video games, and books.

As noted by iO9, Star Wars Battlefront II will tell the story of Iden Versio, an Imperial special forces operative who is devistated by the loss of the Death Star at the Battle of Endor. As iO9 notes, “the character wholly believes in the Empire and, for players, it’ll be a focus they are not used to: the eradication of the Rebellion.” The story will also tie into the events of the previously announced Star Wars: Inferno Squad, an upcoming novel about the special forces squad that the Emperor puts together after the Death Star plans are stolen. According to the Star Wars website, the novel will follow Inferno Squad as they attempt to “infiltrate and eliminate the remnants of Saw Gerrera’s Partisans,” effectively weaving together the events of Rogue One, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Star Wars Battlefront II.

After a certain point, Star Wars fans will need to decide how far down the rabbit hole they’re willing to go to chase canon. Watching the movie is one thing, but with an increasing number of books tackling the events between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens  —  not to mention this new video game  —  some people may just need to tap out on understanding every new character and event referenced in the upcoming movies. Star Wars completionists won’t want to miss Star Wars Battlefront II, however, as it seems to give our best non-book look yet at how the Rebellion and the Empire fractured and continued to fight in the years following the original trilogy.

Here’s the full plot synopsis for Star Wars Battlefront II:

Live the untold Star Wars story of Iden, an elite Stormtrooper, in an original single-player story. Battle on land and in space in an expanded multiplayer experience with iconic heroes and villains, thrilling space battles, and a deep progression and customization system.

Star Wars Battlefront II will be released on November 17, 2017.

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