After news of Rogue One, has finally arrived in theaters. And to the relief of moviegoers across the globe, both fans and critics alike are hailing the picture as a groundbreaking step forward for the franchise, and an encouraging show of good will for future spin-off endeavors and anthology stories.

In celebration of this brand new Star Wars picture, we have compiled a list of more than a dozen of the film's best scenes. Both dialogue-driven character exchanges and action packed fight sequences make up this fun countdown. Fan-favorite characters and new faces alike can both be found just below. Of course, it should be noted that this list is chock full of spoilers, so if you have yet to see the film, you may want to head over to the theater and check it out before reading this article.

Still with us? Good.

Here are the 16 Best Scenes in Rogue One.

16. A New Hope

Just as director Gareth Edwards said it would, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ended moments before A New Hope began. With the entire movie taking place within the original film's opening crawl, the events of Rogue One are well-known by Star Wars faithful, but for the first time, fans got the opportunity to see these scenes transpire on the big screen. Those who have followed the film's development closely most likely suspected that this prequel would end with the Death Star's blueprints being handed over to the rebellion, but actually seeing the iconic Princess Leia in this film may have served as a surprise to many fans.

Through the use of CGI, moviegoers had the opportunity to see Leia looking as young and spry as she did almost 40 years ago. While some argue that this technology still is not quite where it needs to be, its continued improvements are evident in the final moments of Rogue One.

15. Empire Disguises

In yet another great callback moment for the franchise, Jyn and Cassian use Empire disguises in order to sneak into enemy territory. Rogue One was simply at its best in times of battle, but great character moments such as this served to give much-needed depth and humor throughout. Han Solo and company disguising themselves as stormtroopers serve as one of the most beloved scenes from the entire original trilogy, and this callback in the series' latest prequel worked as a great nod to the iconic movies that came before.

While Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens was praised by fans and critics alike as a return to form, it was not without its detractors. One of the most common criticisms of the long-awaited follow-up was that it perhaps borrowed a bit too much from the original trilogy. The jury is still out as to whether or not Rogue One will be as beloved as the J.J. Abrams-directed Star Wars film from last year, but one aspect in which this anthology story exceeded expectations was in its ability to pay homage to the iconic trilogy without feeling like something fans have already experienced.

14. Crashing Star Destroyers

In a moment of pure, campy, Star Wars fun, a dogfight in space led to Star Destroyers crashing into one another, serving to lower the Empire's shields. In a film that is much darker than anything we have seen from the franchise thus far, this moment harkened back to entertaining action beats – the likes of which fans have not seen since the '80s.

In true Star Wars style, Rogue One's final battle featured several separate conflicts occurring simultaneously. Jyn, Cassian, and K-2S0 worked covertly to secure enemy plans. The rest of Rogue One served as a distraction for Empire forces, and the Rebellion arrived late in order to give ground troops much-needed backup. Air was not simply a distraction, however. Without the in the air, the blueprints for the Death Star would've never found way to Princess Leia. Not to mention that the two Star Destroyers crashing into each other will end up serving as one of this film's most memorable images.

13. Jyn and Saw Gerrera Meet Again

As told through dialogue and exposition, Jyn and Saw Gerrera have quite the history. That said, moviegoers did not get the opportunity to see this history played out on screen until the two finally met nearly halfway through the film. The weight and gravitas that Academy Award-winner Forrest Whittaker brought to the character were evident, despite the fact that Saw Gerrera saw relatively little screen time.

The dynamic between the two characters was one of the most interesting relationships throughout the entire movie, again, despite seeing a small amount of time in the spotlight. Saw was a father figure for Jyn; a guardian and a protector. We find out during their interactions that he abandoned her years prior, and Saw now fears that Jyn has come to kill him. Their relationship is complicated, to say the least, but the acting capabilities between the two of them revealed depth that would otherwise not be possible in one mere character exchange. Exposition of this nature would generally fail in a lesser film, but due to the talent at play, Rogue One was able to pull it off.

12. A Rebellion Divided

In order to succeed in bringing down the Empire, and not to mention one of cinema's most iconic villains, Darth Vader, one would imagine that the Rebellion would have to stand together united. However, this was not the case for most of this film. Whether it be the extremist Saw Gerrera or the different factions and ideals of the Rebellion, it did not appear as though the forces opposing the Galactic Empire were necessarily on the same page. This was perhaps most evident toward the end of the film's second act.

Just having learned that her father purposely designed the Death Star with a major mechanical malfunction, Jyn returned to the Rebellion in order to inform the troops that there was still hope. The Death Star was slated to be the most powerful weapon in all of the galaxy, but given the current information, it looked like there was a convenient self-destruct button so to speak.

Even after a heartfelt speech, however, Jyn was unable to convince the Rebellion that to attack. Despite her best efforts, she came up short. Throughout the original Star Wars trilogy, the Rebellion was generally portrayed as the never-faltering protagonists. At numerous points within this film, it is established that the Rebellion is not without sin, illustrating the politics at play even among the galaxy's greatest heroes.

11. The Force Is (Also) With Me

One of Rogue One's strengths as a film was its introduction of a few new, standout characters; one of the most memorable of all these characters being the Donnie Yen-portrayed Chirrut Îmwe. Simply put, Chirrut was a badass. Utilizing the Force and a keen sense of hearing, this blind character is one of the most feared fighters in the entire rebellion. By repeating his catchy mantra, "I am with the force and the force is with me," the character solidified himself as a spiritual man through the power of meditation.

Yet another character that did not receive an overwhelming amount of screen time was Wen Jiang's Baze Malbus. Baze and Chirrut were shown to be close friends and allies throughout the film, however, this relationship was shown on screen rather than described through exposition. That is perhaps the reason that, despite their limited amount of time in the spotlight together, their friendship was obvious and tangible for moviegoing audiences. When Chirrut died in the heat of battle, leaving Baze to pick up the mantra, it specifically struck a chord with fans and critics-- proving how well their relationship worked.

10. Cassian's Betrayal

As alluded to earlier, it is continually reiterated throughout Rogue One that the Rebellion is not without fault. War is dark, and the tactics necessary to win a fight against an enemy such as the Galactic Empire are sometimes terrible. This theme is perhaps most evident early in the film, in a scene featuring Diego Luna's Cassian Andor. Cassian is a Rebellion fighter, but just because he is on the side of good, that does not necessarily mean that he is blameless. This character displays his willingness to do whatever it takes to defeat the Empire when he murders an informant after learning about the leak of the Death Star's apparent weakness.

The quest to become a good man, rather than a good soldier plagues Cassian throughout the film, causing him to continually question his own motives. This theme is played over and over again throughout the character's arc, causing friction between him and the film's main protagonist Jyn Erso. Each scene and decision find Cassian torn between of blindly following orders for the good of the galaxy, or rather doing what is best according to his own morality.

9. The Cost of War

Immediately after witnessing the death of her estranged father, Jyn and Cassian were, yet again, at odds with one another. After realizing a change in Cassian's inner Force, Chirrut revealed to the rest of the crew that the Rebel fighter might be on his way to kill Jyn's father, Galen. Despite the fact that Cassian did not, in fact, pull the trigger, Jyn is still angered by the way he handled the situation. This led to one of the best character interactions from the entire film.

Obviously upset after the death of her father, Jyn confronts Cassian with warranted rage. During this scene, Cassian reveals that he has been with the Rebellion since he was six years old. As a rogue rebel, Jyn does not have to worry about what her superiors might think about her actions. She is able to no one. In this dialogue-driven scene, Cassian's inner-conflict is revealed to the rest of the crew as well as the audience, giving his character depth and an intriguing backstory. His arc is not only interesting on a personal level, however, but it also serves as a peek into the heart and soul of the Rebellion before Luke, Han, and Chewie the fight.

8. Enter Saw Gerrera

Saw Gerrera is a character who, for the majority of this film, is talked about by other characters rather than actually shown on screen. When filmgoers finally do see this character in action, however, it is clearly well worth the wait. The Forrest Whittaker-portrayed Saw Gerrera is described as an extremist, and he proves to be just that when fans are finally properly introduced to this character.

Taking rogue pilot Bodhi Rook prisoner, Gerrera more than lives up to his reputation by torturing the informant. Star Wars has always been a story about good versus evil, but this character operates outside of that sphere as more of an anti-hero. The refreshing aspect of Rogue One is that it ventures to tackle themes and characters that the main saga otherwise would not touch. Rogue One has always been presented as a war film set in the Star Wars universe, but seeing the final product delivered on the big screen was still a treat. Much like Gerrera, this film operated outside of what fans would normally expect from a Star Wars movie.

7. K-2S0's Sacrifice

Just because this film was a bit darker than what fans are accustomed to does not mean that it was devoid of humor. In fact, there was plenty of comedic moments throughout this film that felt refreshingly authentic and unique. While most of the humor throughout the picture was situational, there were a lot of great comedic lines and moments from the franchise's newest droid K-2S0. Whether it be butting heads with both Cassian and Jyn or ending a scene with a sarcastic remark, K-2S0 proved to be good for a laugh on more than a few occasions.

Despite being a droid, K-2S0 was packed with loads of charm, and that perhaps gave even more weight to his sacrifice in the final battle. Giving his final seconds of mechanical life to the Rebellion, K-2S0 played an integral role in stealing the plans for the Death Star. Over the course of the film, this character served as comedic relief and quickly became one of the audience's favorite characters, serving up one of the more tragic endings in a third act filled to the brim with death and demise.