'Star Wars: Episode 8' spoilers: Obi-Wan Kenobi rumored to have a narrative tie-up to the current film saga

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Sir Alec Guinness/Ewan McGregor) telling Rey (Daisy Ridley) about her "first steps" in the latter's force vision in "Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens" was immediately picked up by fans, assuming that it could be a deliberate sign that the new heroine has ties with the Jedi Master. Now, latest rumors back up the theory with Lucasfilm reportedly trying to bring in Ben into the story fold moving forward to "Star Wars: Episode VIII."

This tidbit comes from a supposed buzz that the George Lucas-founded studio is holding off the prospect of delving into an Obi-Wan spin-off film because narrative-wise, his relation to the ongoing saga film will be significant. Entertainment Weekly writer Anthony Breznican divulges the details when he had a guesting stint in a "Rebel Force" podcast (via Collider) earlier this week.

"I have heard rumors that the one reason they haven't moved sooner on Obi-Wan is that they're not done with Obi-Wan quite yet in the saga films. So I wouldn't be surprised to see an Obi-Wan [solo film] happen beyond 'Episode IX,'" he shared.

The move makes sense especially when "Star Wars: Episode VIII" and its succeeding "Star Wars: Episode IX" will be the opening narrative portal to a potential standalone. Assuming that Rey eventually turns out to be a Kenobi, a family tree trace down would be needed all the way back to what Obi-Wan had been doing those days that he had been in hiding in Tatooine. There is also a more previous narrative of him falling in love during the Clone Wars era with Satine Kryze — a topic that has not really been fleshed out before or maybe even suddenly cut short. Business-wise, it is a perfect reason as to why the lore has yet to jump on the idea of bringing McGregor back into the lore. The British actor has openly expressed his eagerness to reprise his role as the wise mentor to young Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) in the prequel trilogy. And although that particular era in movies was frowned upon in the "Star Wars" franchise, many agrees that McGregor was one of the bright spots of the threequel. Arguably, the Ben story may even be a more necessary story than the Han Solo adventure that has already landed a 2018 release date.

While this particular nugget of information is still a rumor, folks over at Jedi Council poses the idea that this could actually be a move by Lucasfilm in trying to spin the story around just to gauge how fans would react to it. Obviously, with their first anthology, "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," debuting in two weeks, the company is still trying to test the waters in terms of non-episodic narratives.

The yet to be titled "Star Wars: Episode VIII" is set to arrive in cinemas on Dec. 15, 2017, while "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" blasts through theaters on Dec. 16.