New TIE Fighter Models Rumored for Star Wars: Episode VIII

Two fresh rumors hit the Star Wars blogosphere that both center around the ships we'll be seeing [...]

Two fresh rumors hit the Star Wars blogosphere that both center around the ships we'll be seeing in Star Wars: Episode VIII. The film, currently in post-production, doesn't hit theaters until December, but fans are already clamoring for any information they can get. Both of the rumors center on the First Order and the latest models of TIE Fighters.

NEXT: Star Wars: Episode VIII Will Explore Kylo Ren's Humanity

First up is the TIE Bomber, which was just seen in Star Wars Rebels this past weekend. The First Order had legions of standard issue TIE Fighters (with the red flare an easy way to spot the new ones compared to the Imperial models), but not a lot of variety in their ranks. The TIE Bomber, with its double-barrel design, made its debut in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, and its function is just what it sounds like - it's a fully functioning and maneuverable starfighter, which also carries a payload of bombs. According to a LEGO leak spotted by Houndstooth, the First Order is going to be making some bombing runs in Episode VIII. The end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens basically cleaned the slate and leveled the playing field for the two sides - the core worlds of the New Republic were destroyed, but so was the Starkiller Base.

Making Star Wars, meanwhile, has a rumor that we'll see a new version of the TIE Advanced, which also takes some design cues from the new TIE Striker we just saw in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story for the first time. The TIE Advanced was Darth Vader's personal starfighter, of course, and the new one will reportedly be Kylo Ren's ship. With Adam Driver spotted in Ireland during production, we could see Kylo Ren flying this vessel to the Jedi Temple on Ahch-To. The design of the new TIE Advanced is rumored to have a longer fuselage, along with sharper, longer wings. Click over to that site to see concept art they uncovered that may be the design we're looking for.

With NY Toy Fair around the corner next month, we will likely see confirmation of at least one or two of these sorts of things in toy form then.

Star Wars: Episode VIII, from writer-director Rian Johnson, is in post-production now for a December 15, 2017 release.

TIEBomber
(Photo: Lucasfilm)

MORE STAR WARS NEWS: Star Wars: Ahsoka Tano Actress Ashley Eckstein Teases a Future for the Character | Donald Glover Was Shocked to Be Cast in Han Solo Movie | Star Wars: Rumored Han Solo Standalone Filming Locations Revealed | Star Wars: Adam Driver Reminisces About His Time Spent With Carrie Fisher | Star Wars: History of Darth Maul vs Obi-Wan Kenobi | Rogue One: A Star Wars Story EP Comments on Ethics of Digital Resurrections of Tarkin and Leia | First Look at Obi-Wan "Old Ben" Kenobi on Star Wars Rebels | 5 Best Moments in Star Wars Rebels Mid-Season 3 Trailer

Star Wars: Episode VIII2017

ComicBook Anticipated #6Best-Rated Before Release
Anticipated Rating
4.54/5 from 13 users #4 All-Anticipated Rating
0comments