A very interesting rumor is floating around the Internet today in regards to the eventual Star Wars TV show we now refer to as Star Wars: Underworld. If true, it would be considered not only a massive spoiler, but the kind of thing that changes Star Wars as we know it. It involves time travel. However, it’s important to remember that even if this information came from George Lucas himself (it doesn’t), we wouldn’t see it happen for several years at least.

With that said, it’s a doozy. Read about it after the jump.

The rumor first popped up on Ain’t It Cool News. They stress it’s from a new and unproven source, but someone who did have “reasonable context.” So take that for what it’s worth.

Here’s the quote. Again, major spoilers for something that could be over a decade from realization.

One of the series’ first episodes will involve a group of bandits acquiring the capability of time travel, and using it to travel back in time to stop Darth Vader from ever existing.

Whoa. So what could that possibly mean?

It’s important to remember Darth Vader is different from Anakin Skywalker. If Darth Vader doesn’t exist, it doesn’t mean his kids don’t exist. Luke and Leia would, presumably, still be born. They might just grow up with a strong parental unit.

That’s assuming the story is true. Here’s an argument for why this would be false. Everyone who has ever spoken about the show has said that it’s a dark show about the seedy underbelly of the galaxy. Rick McCallum even called it “Empire Strikes Back on Steroids.” Now, we’ve all seen The Phantom Menace. Before the Empire, the Star Wars universe wasn’t a very seedy place. There were pockets (Tatooine) but for the most part, it was fairly pristine. Only the rise of power personified in the existence of Darth Vader made the universe into a place where bounty hunters and smugglers ran rampant.

Then again, the rumor doesn’t say these bandits are successful. Maybe they try and fail.

As I said, it’s a fun idea to play around with no matter what. What do you think?