In a world where Marvel can’t seem to get their TV and movie branches to cooperate, Star Wars managed to delight fans of either medium with back-and-forth appearances for Star Wars Rebels and Rogue One. Now, a Lucasfilm story group member speaks out on the interplay between the two, teasing “Rebels and Rogue One are all just the start of a larger strategy.”

You’re warned of full spoilers for Rogue One and Star Wars Rebels from here on out, but the animated branch of the Star Wars saga has far more to look forward to than a young(er) Saw Gerrera popping up in 2017, as the film confirmed “General Syndulla,” Chopper and The Ghost would all make it to the beginning of A New Hope. Supervising producer Dave Filoni has also spoken to the possibility of revisiting Rogue One a few seasons from now, while Lucasfilm Story Group writer (and live-action Chopper pilot) Matt Martin told StarWars.com of the effort to integrate continuity:

We’re very committed to the idea of the shared continuity across all Star Wars storytelling in all media, so knowing that Rogue One and Star Wars Rebels take place around the same point on the timeline, and both involve the early Rebel Alliance, it just seemed like a natural fit to make those connections. And it’s a reciprocal thing; elements of Rogue One could naturally find their way back into Rebels. We obviously had to be mindful of not spoiling Rebels since that story is set in the years before the film, but the restraints can come off a bit when working on Rebels in this capacity.

Not only that, but Martin teased that the Rogue One easter eggs were only the start of future shared universe interaction:

This is only the second movie since the formation of the Story Group and this unified story world, so it almost feels like Rogue was a coming-out party of sorts. Rebels and Rogue One are all just the start of a larger strategy that we’re all very passionate about.

Martin also noted that “getting the Ghost into the movie was an idea that came from ILM,” which supports some mutual interaction going forward. Next up will see Star Wars returning to the “present” for Episode VIII, so might we see more Rebels references forty years down the line?

What of the Han Solo film, which takes place before Rogue One (and likely Rebels as well)?

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