'Star Wars' trailer gives glimpse of Darth Vader's return

The second trailer for the hotly-anticipated "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" has been released – giving fans the first new footage of Darth Vader in more than a decade.

The 135-second teaser was due to premiere in the United States during NBC's primetime Olympics coverage but it didn't hit screens until 10:30pm on the east coast – past a young child's bedtime.

But the wait was worth it for older fans, who were treated to sweeping space-scapes, all manner of Imperial battleships, laser fire everywhere and a suitably portentous Forest Whitaker.

The highlight was undoubtedly a one-second cameo by a certain Dark Lord of the Sith in full villainous black regalia, his back to the camera, breathing like someone had just stamped on his inhaler.

It was the first glimpse of the character since 2005's "Revenge of the Sith," and came at the climax of the clip, which was made available online after its TV debut.

NBC was flooded with complaints on Twitter about holding back on the trailer, some humorous, some irritated and others downright furious.

But when it finally aired, the Twitterati were predictably cock-a-hoop.

The first standalone "Star Wars" story, "Rogue One" is set just before "A New Hope" – the original film in the blockbuster series – and stars Felicity Jones alongside Mads Mikkelsen and Whitaker.

Last year's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" made more than $2 billion worldwide, and analysts believe "Rogue One" will dominate this year's box office.