5) Rebels Connections
In the modern Star Wars universe, it’s easier to include aspects of The Force Awakens in the TV shows and vice versa (such as Ezra Bridger’s cross-guard lightsaber from Season 2 of Rebels) because they were created around the same time. However, with the possible exception of Episode VII, Rogue One could be the first film with pre-orchestrated connections to the Star Wars: Rebels universe.
In fact, Lucasfilm higher-ups have teased that players from the show, perhaps even members of the Ghost crew, could wind up in the upcoming standalone. Conversely, Rebels’ showrunner Dave Filoni and Star Wars continuity guru Pablo Hidalgo have a lot of interesting ideas bouncing around which studio head Kathleen Kennedy could greenlight into Rogue One, assuming she feels they’re appropriate.
Of course, nothing is set in stone yet. But it wouldn’t be surprising if a few familiar faces pop up in Rogue One. It also would make sense that, from this point on, that future Star Wars films draw heavily from their shared universe.