Arrow season 8, episode 9 preview: How do the Canaries end up in the future?

Arrow’s backdoor pilot Green Arrow and The Canaries is finally upon us, but just how do our favorite Pretty Birds end up in the future?

The future of Arrow is limited, but the same can’t be said for the shared universe of superheroes it has spawned as, because of Oliver Queen’s sacrifice, the Arrowverse itself will live on. And, you know what? That’s a pretty phenomenal legacy to leave behind – for both him and the show.

However, before the show comes to an end, it’s looking to add one more spin-off to The CW’s line-up – something it will hopefully accomplish through tonight’s backdoor pilot episode “Green Arrow and The Canaries”.

Set in the year 2040, the episode will reintroduce us to a post-Crisis Mia Smoak – now known as Mia Queen – who appears to have no knowledge of what went down in Crisis On Infinite Earths or the events leading up to it. And with that, she has no memories of meeting her own father Oliver Queen before he sacrificed himself to save the multiverse.

However, the arrival of two familiar faces will indeed change things up for Mia, as Black Canaries Laurel Lance and Dinah Drake show up in the future in order to make her remember everything.

Watch the episode’s trailer below:

As the memories come flooding back to Mia, she chooses to take up her father’s mantle and ultimately carry on his legacy as the new Green Arrow. However, right by her side will be Laurel and Dinah. But as they don’t look a day older than they currently do on Arrow, the question is, of course: How do they end up in the future?

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We’ve seen previous 2040 versions of both Canaries in Season 7 and it’s clear that they age like the rest of us, and as, we’re pretty sure the Crisis did not undo the laws of nature, the obvious answer as to how they arrived is, of course: Time travel.

But how do they time travel? Do they end up utilizing a speedster to help them, or will Laurel reach out to the sister of her Earth-1 doppelganger for a little help aboard the Waverider?

On that note, rumor has it that Dinah Drake has landed herself a bar called The Fishnet – one that she just so happens to be a singer in. So the question is: Does she travel with Laurel or has she always been in the future, watching over Mia as a favor to Oliver?

Want another little snippet of information? Check out The CW’s official synopsis for “Green Arrow and The Canaries” below:

"STAR CITY 2040 – It’s the year 2040 in Star City and Mia Queen (Katherine McNamara) has everything she could have ever wanted. However, when Laurel (Katie Cassidy) and Dinah (Juliana Harkavy) suddenly show up in her life again, things take a shocking turn and her perfect world is upended. Laurel and Dinah are tracking a kidnapping victim with direct ties to Mia and they need her help. Knowing it will change everything, Mia can’t help but be a hero and she, Laurel and Dinah suit up once again to save the city."

Green Arrow and The Canaries stars Katie Cassidy, Juliana Harkavy and Katherine McNamara (Arrow‘s Ben Lewis also appears in the pilot as William Clayton), and if the backdoor pilot is picked up, it will join Superman & Lois and the rest of the tenured Arrowverse shows on The CW next season.

Arrow airs on The CW tonight, Tuesday Jan. 21, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Make sure you tune in to see the pilot of Green Arrow and The Canaries! Are you excited? Let us know in the comments below!