Earlier this week, Disney XD debuted a new preview for the second half of Star Wars Rebels Season 2, which revealed that Princess Leia will make her debut on the beloved animated series. With less than one week left until the Star Wars Rebels mid-season premiere, Disney XD has released a new three-minute trailer, which features another look at Leia, while teasing the return of Darth Vader and Yoda. Perhaps the most interesting part of this footage is an intriguing connection to the current blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Towards the end of this footage, Ezra Bridger (Taylor Gray) is seen wielding a new lightsaber that has the same crossguard design as Kylo Ren's (Adam Driver) lightsaber from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It isn't the exact same weapon, though, since the blades on Ezra's saber are green and Kylo's is red, but the fact that it has the same design is certainly intriguing. Keep in mind that it was revealed via a Disneyland sign that Kylo Ren's weapon is an "ancient design," and the crossguard blades represent power vented out from the main blade.

Star Wars Rebels is set in the years between Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, which means the show takes place several decades before the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It would make sense to showcase this "ancient design" in the series, given its place in the timeline. It's also fitting he would find this weapon since the trailer hints Ezra is being drawn in to the Dark Side of the Force.

We reported in November that Disney XD has already renewed the hit series for Season 3, scheduled to premiere sometime in 2016. The Star Wars Rebels Season 2 voice cast includes Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan, Vanessa Marshall as Hera, Steve Blum as Zeb, Tiya Sircar as Sabine, Taylor Gray as Ezra, Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano, Dee Bradley Baker as Captain Rex, Captain Gregor and Commander Wolffe, David Oyelowo as Agent Kallus and Sarah Michelle Gellar as the Seventh Sister Inquisitor. As we see in the trailer, Yoda is also returning, with Frank Oz providing the voice for this iconic character.

The transformative Star Wars Rebels Season 2 featured the return of fan-favorite clone troopers Captain Rex, Captain Gregor and Commander Wolffe, and the debut of new characters including the Seventh Sister, a cunning and crafty Inquisitor who is tasked by Darth Vader to track down the rebels. Following a series of critical events, the lives of our heroes will be changed forever as Season 3 begins. Star Wars Rebels is created by Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg and Carrie Beck. Check out the new trailer before Star Wars Rebels Season 2 returns next week.