New Clip From 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,' Film May Connect To 'Episode VIII'

The big hook for “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” — besides being a “Star Wars” film — is that it’s the first official spinoff from the mainline saga. But it would seem that’s not entirely the case, as a quick tease in a recent Entertainment Weekly piece suggests otherwise.

READ MORE: 15 Films To See In December

Waxing about the timeline as it stands, Anthony Breznican dropped an intriguing graphic during his video chat that shows that ‘Rogue One’ takes place before “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope” — which we already know — but then a red line also connects the upcoming spinoff to Rian Johnson‘s “Episode VIII.”

star-wars-timeline

So, how does that work? Does that mean we’re going to see Force Ghost Darth Vader in the upcoming saga movie? If so, those rumors about Obi-Wan Kenobi certainly carry a bit more weight. It surely gives us pause in the lead up to ‘Rogue One’ about what could be awaiting us in Gareth Edwards‘ film, and makes us wonder if part of the reshoots — which included fixing the ending — made the film more like an entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where it might be “stand-alone” but still have odds and ends to fit the overall narrative schematic.

Something to consider at any rate. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” opens on December 16th. Check out the new clip below.