Eagle-eyed fans seem to have spotted a surprise cameo in the new trailer for ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’.  During a shot of the Millennium Falcon preparing to lead a fleet of ships into battle, it appears that among them is The Ghost from ‘Star Wars: Rebels’!

Check it out:

Rise Of Skywalker Easter Egg
Lucasfilm LTD/Disney Screencap Courtesy The Stupendous Wave/Youtube

‘Star Wars: Rebels’ was the second modern ‘Star Wars’ animated series, following ‘The Clone Wars’ and preceding ‘Resistance’.  ‘Rebels’ aired for four seasons from 2014-18, and was set prior to the events of ‘A New Hope’.  The Ghost was the ship that the main cast traveled in.  It belonged to and was piloted by Hera Syndulla (voiced by Vanessa Marshall).  It was a modified VCX-100 freighter.

The ship has previously been spotted in ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’:

Lucasfilm LTD/Disney Courtesy Thatguy4802 Deviant Art

On the series, Hera Syndulla eventually reached the rank of General of the Rebel Alliance.  In ‘Rogue One’, the name “General Syndulla” is heard over a radio, being instructed to report to a meeting at the Rebel Base of Yavin IV.  This is before The Ghost is glimpsed during the “dogfight” over Scarif.

 

RELATED: Lucasfilm Has Taken A Keen Interest In Following The Story Of One ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Character

 

At the end of ‘Rebels’, Hera and Captain Rex were depicted as participating in the Battle for Endor (‘Return of the Jedi’).  Further, on the digital series ‘Star Wars: Forces of Destiny’, Hera was shown teaming up with Leia Organa, Han Solo, and the Ewoks on Endor during the events of ‘Jedi’, further solidifying her presence at that conflict.

Following the fall of the Empire, the crew members of The Ghost were shown going their separate ways.  At some point after that, Hera gave birth to a son, Jacen Syndulla, with Kanan.

It’s entirely possible that Hera has remained a part of the Resistance in all of the years since ‘Rebels’ ended, but it’s a bit hard to believe that she would still be piloting a ship in battle, instead of acting as a higher-ranking official, like Leia.  Then again, in the new trailer, it looks as though Lando is back piloting the Millennium Falcon, the way he did in ‘Jedi’.  Maybe Hera is doing the same.

This may all be moot, as it’s likely that, yes, this is The Ghost, but it’s also probably just an Easter Egg.  It’s not likely that any of the characters from ‘Rebels’ will be seen in the flesh.

And if you were wondering about all those other ships, i09 did the research for you:

“Also spotted in this epic shot are Nebulons, Brah’atoks, U-Wings, Lucrehulks, MC75s, Nebulon Bs, Sphyrna-Classes (aka the Hammerhead Cruiser from Knights of the Old Republic), what looks like a Baleen-class heavy freighter (the ship Han Solo and Chewie have in The Force Awakens), a Defender Class Corvette, maybe even a YT-2400 light freighter, Lancer-class pursuit craft, a MG-100 StarFortress SF-17, a Vakbeor-class cargo frigate, a Free Virgillia-class Bunkerbuster, and many, many more.”

Were you a fan of ‘Star Wars Rebels’?  Are you excited that ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ is tipping its hat at that series?