6. There's Jedi Involvement - Star Wars: Rogue One
Rogue One is going to be a big departure for Star Wars. Not just because it's the first "Star Wars Story", a series of feature film spinoffs from the Skywalker-centric Episodes (in this case showing how the Rebels got the Death Star plans), but because it's going to be a "dark and gritty" outing in that galaxy far, far away, with a focus on military and criminals over the Jedi. The problem is that Jedi have been such a prolific part of Star Wars since the very beginning that it's hard for a writer to resist throwing one in. Several Expanded Universe characters - Kyle Katarn, Corran Horn - who started out as regular joes were gifted lightsabers and Force powers to create more exciting gameplay/narratives. And Star Wars: Rebels, which is set a between the prequel and original trilogies a few years before Rogue One, is heavily populated with saber-swinging wizards - two of the main characters are Jedi, a key character from The Clone Wars is back in Season 2 and the big bads are all Dark Jedi - despite this being at peak of the dark times and the Empire's stranglehold on the galaxy. Sure, it's for kids, but it show that Disney/Lucasfilm aren't above twisting things to get some of that sweet, sweet iconography. Rogue One is a different beast though - to have a Jedi is this down-to-Alderaan world would cheapen not only the movie itself, but also the Alliance's victory (spoiler alert: they'll steal the plans in the end).