Star Wars: Rogue One - 16 Major Details Lucasfilm Just Revealed
6. The New Ships Are A Twist On The Old
The problem with prequels is that while the director may want to advance the world, they can't because the original film acts as a stylistic limit. Star Wars Episodes I-III really exemplified this, with much more high-tech ships and only a token effort to create the illusion of development. Gareth Edwards seems to have learned from George Lucas' mistakes, however; he's introduced new ships (probably by merchandising necessity), but they all seem to fit the era we're in.
We had technically learned this stuff a few weeks back in a leaked companion book, but as with Galen and Vader it's still nice to get it done officially. The AT-ATs we saw in the trailer are different to the ones in the Battle of Hoth - they're AT-ACTs (All Terrain Armored Cargo Transport), which are a taller, slimmer brand. Also seen on the EW cover are a new TIE variant the TIE Striker, which have angled wings and appear to be a faster vehicle, somewhat inspired by the TIE Phantom and TIE Droid from the EU.
Of course, you have to hope there'll still be lots of standard TIE/X-Wing action in amongst this new stuff - never go full Lucas.