Potential spoilers may follow below...
Telling the tale of the brave Rebels who stole the plans to the first Death Star out from under the Empire’s nose, the film had the challenge of filling in a blank in the Star Wars timeline, while also delivering enough nostalgia – and enough innovation – to entertain fans both old and new.
For the devoted followers of the galaxy far, far away, that means a TON of cameos, impossibly small details, and substantial connections to A New Hope and the films that preceded it.
Saw Gerrera
The legacy of ‘Saw Gerrera’ preceded him thanks to an appearance in the fifth season of the animated Clone Wars, in which Saw’s already-extreme methods established him as something of a loose cannon. That was decades earlier in his freedom-fighting career, long before his organs or limbs had been replaced, or he had anchored himself as a figure of legend on Jedha.
Jedha
Edwards doubles down on the new setting of “Jedha” by littering the horizon with what is clearly a massive, crumbled statue of a Jedi, lightsaber extended. Shockingly, no mention is ever made of the feature, or why such a monument once stood on what appears to be a backwater world. Thankfully, the answers were made available in other releases tied to the film. Established as one of the very first worlds on which the nature of The Force was explored, Jedha became a site of great spiritual significance for Force Users. That millenia-old tradition drew pilgrimages from any who sought the wisdom of The Church of The Force – but it was the moon’s abundance of lightsaber-powering kyber crystals that made it important to the Empire.
General Syndulla
Despite being set in the same period of Star Wars history, the links between Rogue One and Star Wars Rebels aren’t too numerous. During one of the many exchanges between the Rebel leadership, radio chatter can clearly be heard making mention of “General Syndulla.” That gives the fans two distinct possibilities to debate: the namedrop could be a reference to Cham Syndulla, a leading Twi’lek resistance fighter whose path crossed that of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi in Clone Wars. But even better is the chance that it’s a nod to his daughter, Hera Syndulla, star of Rebels – who has apparently worked her way up to the top of the Rebel Alliance’s leadership.
Tarkin
In Rogue One, one of the biggest twists is the presence of Grand Moff Tarkin – considering that Peter Cushing, the actor who first played him passed away in 1994. The same trick had been pulled off in Revenge of the Sith, though limited to a single shot of actor Wayne Pygram in heavy prosthesis.
This time around it’s CG (and voice overs) to thank, grafting Cushing’s facial features onto the body of actor Guy Henry, longtime veteran of the stage and screen who may be best known to wide audiences for his performance as ‘Pius Thicknesse,’ the Death Eater/Minister of Magic in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Ponda Baba and Dr. Cornelius Evazan
the pair of troublemaking patrons in the Mos Eisley Cantina. Even die-hard fans won’t know that the two are actually named Ponda Baba and Dr. Cornelius Evazan, but Rogue One shows they had an even crazier month than fans ever realized. Jyn bumps into the two on Jedha as she and Cassian are picking their way through the crowd. Barking out what is apparently his catchphrase, Evazan (here played by Michael Smiley) and his pal go on their way, avoiding the destruction of Jedha City by a matter of hours…
Guardians of the Whills
the enigmatic duo of Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus. The two are given a bit of backstory by Cassian, observing Jyn’s interaction with the apparent Force-sensitive Chirrut and explaining that the two men as ‘Guardians of the Whills’ – protectors sworn to safeguard the ancient Temple on Jedha. That name is actually much more important than fans will recognize, since the true history of ‘the Whills’ goes back to the very first concept George Lucas ever had about the story that would become Star Wars. In the beginning, he imagined the entire Skywalker story being told to the audience from a ‘Journal of the Whills,’ recorded a century later by the mysterious beings (hence “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away”). It’s a deep reference to the earliest days of Lucas’ creation – and it’s not the only one delivered in the same scene…
“May the Force of others be with you.”
Before Jyn is actually called to by Chirrut directly, he can be overheard giving well-wishes to the people passing by – uttering a modified version of the famous blessing: “May the Force of others be with you.” It might sound like a small tweak, or be missed entirely, but the “The Force of others” goes back to the first drafts of Lucas’s original Star Wars screenplay. It originated as a saying or expression of good luck in the first versions of the story, when the Jedi were simply noble warriors, not superpowered monks. At that time, the idea was simply that “the force of others” recognized a larger, unifying bond between living things. That would eventually be expanded into a literal “Force” that could be manipulated by a select few,
Dejarik
Colloquially known as “space chess” – The game appears in Rogue One to illustrate just how much rougher some parts of the galaxy were hit by the rise of the Empire. When Jyn and Cassian are brought into Saw’s fortress, a group of his soldiers can be seen playing a version of Dejarik with actual carved figures. Hard evidence that Han Solo was a seriously devoted fan of the game.
Vader’s Palace
the burning lava of Mustafar cooking his skin… yikes. Apparently, it’s a trauma that Vader has internalized, as Rogue One includes a sequence set in the fallen Jedi’s own palace. The idea of Vader having a castle-like stronghold of his own was tossed around in the original plans for the original trilogy films, but the location is the key: Anakin Skywalker built his home on the very site he was dismembered, burned, and left for dead.
Rian Johnson Cameo
Rogue One‘s firing of the Death Star sticks painfully close to the procedures, camera shots, and sounds of the original film – right down to the flipping of switches and pressed buttons that lead to the super weapon’s discharge. The strangest moment of all is when a pair of Death Star technicians must lean away from the green laser, covering their eyes in lieu of protective goggles (or a railing, for that matter). Rogue One includes that very same shot for both firings of the weapon, giving fans two chances to see Star Wars Episode VIII director Rian Johnson and producer Ram Bergman in a cameo role. A cameo that, due to the connected timelines, cements the two filmmakers as certified supporting characters in the original Star Wars.
General Jan Dodonna
Audiences will see Mon Mothma debating the strategies of the Rebel Alliance alongside a bearded, white-haired man and simply think that… it feels right. But the character in question isn’t just anyone, and it isn’t a new character, either.
The Rebel leader is General Jan Dodonna, portrayed in the original movie by Alex McCrindle (he’s the one who aids Leia in placing the medals on our heroes at the movie’s close).
He’s brought to life not through CG, like some other returning faces, but by actor Ian McElhinney. McElhinney will be best known to fantasy fans for his role as ‘Barristan Selmy’ in HBO’s Game of Thrones.
Bail Organa
Mentioned in A New Hope, we never got to meet him because he died when Alderaan was destroyed by the Death Star. Smiths debuted as the character in Attack of the Clones.
Despite retaining his position as a Senator in the Empire, Bail helped found the Alliance to Restore the Republic, a.k.a. the Rebel Alliance. Rogue One takes place directly before A New Hope, so that means he's been spending almost 20 years secretly fighting the Empire.
“I Have a Bad Feeling About This”
it turns out in the galaxy far, far away, people have been having “bad feelings about this” even before Luke, Leia and Han joined forces. The catchphrase has been uttered in every film as a means of practically inviting misfortune – a detail that the cast of Rogue One seems to know all too well.
This time, it’s K-2SO who voices the concern as he, Jyn, and Cassian begin to make their way into the archives tower on Scarif. Before he can say it, however, both Jyn and Cassian silence the droid. It’s a knowing wink to the films that came before, while managing to make a meta joke of its own.
Returning Squadron Leaders
As the Rebel Fleet arrives at Scarif to offer support to Jyn’s team, fans are treated to a roll-out of fighter squadrons just days away from the biggest battle of their lives (and for some of them, their last). Aside from using radio chatter lifted from the first movie to bring this film’s Red and Gold Squadrons to life, the filmmakers restored footage of the squadron leaders themselves, most notably actors Drewe Henley (Red Leader Garven Dreis) and Angus MacInnes (Gold Leader Jon Vander). The shots aren’t difficult to spot, and help complete the sensation that for these veteran pilots, Scarif and Yavin were just another day at the office.
Rebels’ Ghost & Tantive IV
there’s the obligatory shot of a Rebel Blockade Runner/Tantiv IV, the same design of ship that Princess Leia first entered the Star Wars universe aboard (the very first one seen, period). But the presence of said ship actually makes sense, given that it’s present at the end of the battle – the other easter egg is a bit more intentional. Keep an eye out for the signature alignment of rear lights, and you’ll be able to make out the Ghost – the home of the Star Wars Rebels cast.
Ingvild Deila as Princess Leia
Rogue One is brought completely to a close when the final sequences of the film see the Death Star plans escape the clutches of Vader by a matter of inches, and be hand delivered to Princess Leia on the bridge of the Tantive IV. More CG is used to portray a young Carrie Fisher, but even though the shot is just one word and a few seconds long, an actress was used to ground the performance.
Audiences may not know actress Ingvild Deila by name, but this is technically her second blockbuster role for Disney, having appeared alongside Robert Downey, Jr. as an internet “Hub” tech in The Avengers: Age of Ultron.
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