Collider has revealed that one of the designs Colin Trevorrow came up with for Episode IX has been used for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge , the TIE Echelon. They reached out to Trevorrow to get to the bottom of this.
Collider: When you’re building a theme park, you have to start designing years before it’s going to open. I heard the Tie Echelon was actually something you created with your design team when you were on Episode IX.
COLIN TREVORROW: That’s true.
Can you share how you were involved in Galaxy’s Edge and the behind-the-scenes story on creating the ship?
TREVORROW: It was just a natural part of the process. The Imagineering team asked us to develop a new ship for the park while we were designing the film. I took it pretty seriously—it’s not every day you get to be a part of something like that. They let me see what they were working on, so I got to see what Galaxy’s Edge was going to be. I think what they’ve created is incredible. It’s such an immersive experience.
When you were coming up with the ship, was it part of a sequence you had been working on or was it I’ll come up with a ship and then we can find a way to make it fit in the movie?
TREVORROW: It was part of an upgraded First Order fleet. An armed troop transport—the equivalent of a Blackhawk stealth helicopter. We wanted it to evoke memories of earlier ships while still being its own thing. If you look at the elements, it’s kind of a hybrid of designs from VII and VIII, with some familiar elements from OT Tie Fighters like Vader’s Advanced x1. There’s a lot of history in it.
If it was part of a sequence you had already been thinking about can you share what it would have been?
TREVORROW: I’m pretty sure you know the answer to that, but I respect the question. Honestly, I’m just proud to have been a part of it. I love that ship. Put my ashes in it, man.
It remains to be seen if the TIE Echelon will appear in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, we will be watching closely.
