Simon Kinberg Suggests ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Could Introduce ‘Star Wars Episode VII’ Characters
The new animated seriesStar Wars Rebelsbridges the gap betweenEpisode IIIandEpisode IVas it charts the rise of the rebellion as the Empire takes hold of the galaxy. That puts it several decades on the timeline beforeStar Wars Episode VII.Still, we’ve wondered if characters or elements from the new movie might first show up in Rebels. Simon Kinberg, a creative on Rebels and also a writer on one Star Wars spinoff film, now says that Rebels will definitely introduce new characters, locations and elements “before we’ve ever seen them in the movies, possibly includingVII.”
At Comic Con this year,we asked Simon Kinbergabout the potential to use the influence ofRebelsto make people aware of stuff for the new film. (Which, in retrospect, was the wrong way to frame the question.)Kinberg said,
Now, just weeks later, Kinberg is singing a very different tune. Did things change? Or is now simply the right time to talk about it? He tellsEW,
It’s a very integrated process, there’s real communication between all the filmmakers because we’re all part of a larger timeline.There is absolutely communication and integration between the different stories.We are very aware of what they’re doing inVII, and we also have to click into place withEpisode IV. …There are characters, vehicles, imagery that are introduced in the show before we’ve ever seen them in the movies, possibly includingVII.
(Bolded elements are emphasized by me in both cases.)
What will some of those elements be? We don’t know at the moment.Rumors have flownthat one particularEpisode VIIcharacter would show up in Rebels, but there’s no confirmation of that. And given the timeline of the two shows, things don’t line up.
Rebelsdebuts October 3 on the Disney Channel, then run on Disney XD starting on October 13.
