I like Whitaker as an actor. With that said, I prefer my Star Wars with as much unknown talent as possible, as I find characters to be stronger when I don't subconsciously associate the actor with other roles. When I see big names in science fiction films, it makes it harder for me to forget that they are just films and really get absorbed in the fun. I understand that I am in the minority here, and that big names were one of the few redeeming qualities of the prequels for many fans. I just like unknown talent when I imagine a "long time ago in a galaxy far, far away."
When I first saw the trailer, I didn't know what to think. Ideally, I'd like Disney to really deviate from the main films and make some isolated stories with new characters. I mean, putting these films out at one per year is fan service. And I wouldn't want any film that is connected to the main story/characters to feel like it was rushed or could have been better with another year or two of development. Point being, if they bomb one of these, it would be better if it were isolated. Anyway, after seeing the trailer a few more times and watching some reactions to it on YouTube channels, I think this has a lot of potential. A lot of the hardcore fans are predicting this to be a grittier, more violent film than the others. If this actually is the case, that would be awesome.
As a twenty year Star Wars fan, I admit to having some issues with The Force Awakens. But none of them, thus far, seem relevant to Rouge One. I'm getting excited for this.