Star Wars: Squadrons teased the Rogue Squadron movie, and no one noticed

Disney has created an interconnected web of Star Wars media. Movies, games, books, and comics can all play off each other, and we're seeing them pay off in shows like The Mandalorian as it features Ahsoka Tano and references Operation Cinder from Star Wars: Battlefront II. Following the announcement of the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron during a Disney investor call on December 10, Inverse noticed that the groundwork for this film may have already gotten teased in Star Wars: Squadrons.

Star Wars: Squadrons was released for PC, PS4, and Xbox One in October, offering an intense flight combat simulator that let players take control of various classic starfighters like the X-wing and TIE Fighter. It even features Wedge Antilles, a classic pilot and friend of Luke Skywalker's. He's often associated with Rogue Squadron, a squad of fighter pilots at the focus of an upcoming film helmed by Patty Jenkins, but he isn't with them during the events of the game.

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When introducing himself to the player's custom character in Star Wars: Squadrons, Wedge mentions Rogue Squadron: "Normally, I'd have Rogue Squadron do this, but General Syndulla gave me a temporary assignment to Project Starhawk," he tells the player. "Meanwhile, Rogue is handling — well, that's classified too — General Syndulla keeps us all busy."

While this exchange initially seems like little more than an Easter egg to the classic Rogue Squadron games that inspired Squadrons, it has some meaningful implications now that we know a Rogue Squadron movie is in the works. What if the classified mission that Antilles is referring to is the focus of the movie?

It's possible that the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron movie by Patty Jenkins could follow up on this Easter egg, revealing the importance of the classified mission Rogue Squadron is on during the events of that game. It could even tie into Project Starhawk, a New Republic superweapon introduced in Star Wars: Squadrons that no other Star Wars media has explored in-depth yet.

If that's the case, there's a good chance the movie is heavily tied to the events of Star Wars: Squadrons and features characters like Hera Syndulla and Wedge Antilles. That said, the film's official synopsis does suggest that it could be set after the end of The Rise of Skywalker.

"The story will introduce a new generation of starfighter pilots as they earn their wings and risk their lives in a boundary-pushing, high-speed thrill-ride, and move the saga into the future era of the galaxy," an official blog post teases. While the film may be set in a new "future era," Star Wars films have shown time and time again that they aren't afraid to call back to previous films and events.

What if the classified mission that Rogue Squadron is on during the events of Squadrons has implications that come back to haunt them after The Rise of Skywalker? What if Rogue Squadron needs to protect the New Republic's Starhawk superweapon now that it's trying to rebuild and assert its power once again? There are plenty of ways that Star Wars: Rogue Squadron can directly connect to Squadrons.

Now that the sequel trilogy has concluded, we're starting to see various Star Wars projects emerge that are all intertwined with each other. If the Star Wars: Squadrons game and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron movie are closely tied, then it will cement the fact that Star Wars video games can have a major impact on other Star Wars media in the future.

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron will be released in theaters December 25, 2023.