With the exclusion of the especially expansive Expanded Universe and instead focusing on key existing elements and brand new stories, the Star Wars continuity has gotten much more narrow than it once was, but it also means that there’s greater cohesion, and more chance for things to crossover. One of the best examples of this has been the series Star Wars Rebels, which delightfully bridges the gap between Episode III and IV and bringing in Leia, Lando, Darth Maul, and others. Now, a keenly spotted Easter egg from the latest Rogue One TV trailer suggests Rebels might be crossing over to the film world.
For a brief moment in the above spot, we see a squadron of Rebel Alliance craft heading toward a conflict with Imperial forces. Among the ships are familiar standouts like X-Wings, Corellian Cruisers, and even what appears to be Leia’s Rebel Blockade Runner from the opening salvos of A New Hope. But in the bottom of the frame, just below the Leia-looking ship, is a very distinctive vessel, with a specific shape and a triangular engine array…
That sure as hell looks to me like the Ghost, the cruiser piloted by Captain Hera and her plucky band of scoundrels from the beloved animated series. And it wasn’t just us who thinks so; we caught a glimpse of it from Furious Fanboys, though many different people online have been chatting about it.
I mean, if it’s NOT the Ghost, it’s a pretty cruel trick to play on fans. The timeline on Rebels—which is in its third season—as of this writing puts the Rebellion clearly in the earlier stages, and the B-wing has only fairly recently been produced. Wedge Antilles has been introduced as a teenager, and Leia seemed pretty young when she was on the show in season two. So, this all leads us to believe there won’t be a direct tie-in to Rogue One or A New Hope any time soon on the show.
And while I can’t imagine the Ghost will feature in much of Rogue One beyond this one fight scene (or maybe even just in that one shot), it’s a great nod to the show, which is a major part of the universe’s unfolding continuity, and is very heartening to know that at least some of our beloved Rebels characters will still be fighting the good fight against the Empire in the most major part of Star Wars history.
Am I off-base? Is this not the Ghost at all? Let me know in the comments below!
Images: Lucasfilm/Disney
Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist and a sci-fi geek from ancient times. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!
