A Jedi Appears In The Latest 'Rogue One' Trailer

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story delves into the tale of the Rebellion stealing the Empire's plans for the Death Star. And, in the trailer for Rogue One , fans were surprised to see the appearance of a Force-wielding character: a Jedi that looked a whole lot like Obi-Wan Kenobi. In a shot of a U-wing starship flying over the desert (at the 40 second mark), a giant ancient Jedi statue is seen lying in the sand. But where does this Jedi statue fit in with Jyn Erso and the Rebellion? The Force could still be with us after all.

According to a recent MTV interview with Rogue One director Gareth Edwards, one of the main settings for the film is the unexplored (by fans) planet of Jedha. He describes Jedha as a place where "people still believe in the Force and have that spirituality." That leads one to assume that the giant statue shown in the trailer resides there. However, the statue's uncanny resemblance to Obi-Wan — and the ancient planet's dedication to the history of the Force itself — does give me reason to pause. While the Rebellion fights to find Jyn's father and the plans for the Death Star, other Jedi could be doing their part as well.

Despite prior confirmation that Rogue One strives to remain separate from the Jedi story, it does seem like the Jedi and the powers of the Force are pretty important for Jedha. This statue in the sand just proves it.

In fact, considering Darth Vader is returning for Rogue One , I can't help but wonder if Obi-Wan Kenobi will be coming back as well. Despite Obi-Wan becoming Ben Kenobi on Tatooine between Episode III and Episode IV, Ewan McGregor is on board for reprising his role.

“I’ve always thought there was a story to tell between my last one and Alec Guinness’ first one. It would be fun to film that story now. I hope that they’re going to explore different genres under the Star Wars banner. And one of those could be an Obi-Wan Kenobi feature film. Or two! The Obi-Wan Kenobi Story Part 1 and Part 2!”

I would be totally down for those spin-off films, too, but let's not get our hopes too high. If anything, the Jedi statue that appears in the trailer seems more like a brief nod to the overall Star Wars galaxy. That alone is worth getting excited about.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters December 16, 2016.

Images: Star Wars/YouTube