The cameos and Easter Eggs went by quick in Rogue One. Some were obvious, like the reappearance of A New Hope’s blue milk and the great Jimmy Smits returning for a few scenes as Bail Organa, Leia’s adoptive father. These little tidbits excited fans and gave the Star Wars galaxy some connecting threads. They made all the disparate planets seem like they could exist in relation to one another. But there were some subtle shout out ands cameos that viewers might have missed the first time around. Some are small, background appearances of characters who take focus in other Star Wars media. Others are nods to George Lucas’ early drafts and to the earlier Star Wars movies. Some are just fun little quirks that made their way into the film. After reading this list, keep your eyes peeled for these fun Easter Eggs. Here are 10 things you didn't notice in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story:
The Whills leave pre-production
This shout out is a little obscure, going back to pre-production on the original Star Wars. As Cassian guides Jyn through Jedha, she asks him who Baze and Chirrut are. Cassian replies that they are “The Guardians of the Whills.” The movie goes by fast, and what the Whills are isn’t explained to the audience. If you don’t know what the Whills are, the line is a little baffling. Originally, George Lucas intended the Whill to be a higher being watching and recording the events of Star Wars but scrapped that idea. Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith: Illustrated Screenplay indicates that Qui-Gon Jinn studied the teachings of the Whills to learn how to communicate beyond the grave. But this does not appear to be canon anymore. The line didn’t make it into the Revenge of the Sith proper, and The Clone Wars cartoon indicates that Qui-Gon learned to become a Force Ghost from Force Priestesses. Whatever Baze and Chirrut are guarding, it has something to do with the Force and maybe with the history of the Star Wars galaxy. Hopefully, Lucasfilm will expand on it.
The cameos from Star Wars: Rebels
If these guys didn’t make an appearance, it would have been weird. The crew of the Ghost have been getting a lot done in the Star Wars: Rebels cartoon, and if they had been sitting around while the events of Rogue One were going down, it would be a disservice to their characters. So they get quick shoutouts in the film. We hear one of the Rebels call for General Syndulla. Looks like Captain Hera Syndulla got a well deserved promotion! Good for her! Chopper, the lovable droid character on the cartoon, beeps around in the background on Yavin IV. The Ghost, the ship our cast of heroes fly around in appears during the Battle of Scarif. Hopefully we can expect to see what exactly they were up to in future episodes of Rebels. It’ll be exciting to see the battle from a new perspective. Hopefully it’ll end better for the Rebels heroes than it did for Rogue One’s.
The running joke about T-16s continues
As the Rebels plant their bombs around the Sacrif information facilities, we hear stormtroopers talk about the new T-16s and how much better they are than the old T-15s. You have heard of the The T-16 skyhopper. It’s the craft Luke mentions piloting while he lives on Tatooine. We see him playing with a model T-16 in A New Hope while he talks to C-3PO. His model of skyhopper is apparently well-respected across the galaxy. As Obi-Wan sneaks around the Death Star, we over hear Stormtroopers talking about it. One calls it a “sight to behold.” The running gag is continued in the Force Awakens. While Rey escapes from Starkiller Base, she, like Obi-Wan, overhears Stormtroopers talking about a new model of ship, this time the T-17. Took them long enough to update the model. One could wildly speculate over this small parallel between Rey and Obi-Wan. Perhaps she’s his daughter! I kid, it’s probably nothing more than a running gag.
The call sign Red Five is freed up for Luke
During the battle over Scarif, Red Squadron makes an appearance. They soar above the planet, fighting off the TIE fighters and Imperial Star Destroyers while our heroes rush to transmit the Death Star Plans. Most of Red Squadron makes it out alive, but one pilot, Pedrin Gaul does not. His call sign, Red Five is left open for someone else to take. In A New Hope, just a few mere days after the events of Rogue One,Luke Skywalker takes that call sign. While flying as Red Five, Luke takes his lucky shot that destroys the Death Star.
Repurposed Footage from A New Hope and Return of the Jedi
Speaking of X-wing fighters, two of the pilots were in A New Hope appear in Rogue One. Angus MacInnes and Drewe Henleyplayed Gold and Red respectively in A New Hope. But some of the footage of them never made it into the final cut. The crew of Rogue One discovered this footage and used it to recreate the two actors. It makes sense that Gold and Red Leaders would be at the Battle of Scarif. Why would the Rebellion keep two of their best pilots on base during such an important battle? When the audience sees the actual Red and Gold Leader, they may not instantly recognize them, but hearing their voices and seeing their faces registers on a subconscious level. Adding the two squadron leaders gives a sense of continuity between the two films.
There’s also a few female pilots flying around during the Battle of Scarif. These pilots were originally supposed to be in Return of the Jedi, but were cut. While it’s disappointing that they weren’t in Jedi, it’s good to see that footage of badass ladies being awesome pilots used in a new context.
Blue Squadron gets it's day
An X-Wing Squadron that was supposed to be in A New Hope appears in Rogue One during the final battle. They were the team managed to get past the shield on Scarif and gave air support to the Rebels on the ground. Blue Squadron was not in A New Hope because the color blue was incompatible with the the blue screen technology used during filming. And so they were renamed and repainted into Red Squadron. This change was made so late in production that the novelization by Alan Dean Foster calls Red Squadron “Blue.” Luckily, by the time Empire Strikes Back begun shooting the problem had been fixed and Blue Squadron was included in both Empire and Return of the Jedi.
Diego Luna trying not to laugh when K-2SO slapps Cassian
Alan Tudyk did some improvisation with his lines while playing the droid K-2SO. We don’t know how many of his improvs made it into the final cut of the film, but we’ll probably find out when the film comes out on DVD and we get to see the behind the scenes features. One moment we know was improvised was when K-2SO slapps Cassian and says something about him getting another fresh one if Cassian mouths off again. Luckily, Luna took Tudyk's slap with good humor. If you look carefully at Cassian during the scene you can clearly see him trying not to laugh as the scene continues to play out. He’s covering his mouth and trying to keep his eyes from the camera. Looks like even the most experienced actors have trouble keeping from laughing when working with amazingly funny co-stars.
A Hidden Mickey
If you look closely at a lot of Disney films, you can find the outline of Mickey Mouse’s head. This tradition has been part of Disney movies ever since the beginning. A hidden Mickey can be seen at the beginning of Snow White on some stone steps. Since then it’s been part of animated movies, live action ones, the Disney parks and TV series. Now that Star Wars is part of the Disney franchise, Hidden Mickeys have become a part of the movies, including Rogue One.For many people looking for the Hidden Mickey can be a fun game, so don’t read the rest of this section if you want to be spoiled! Around an hour and forty-five minutes a ship explodes during the Battle of Scarif. The smoke plumes out in three circles overlapping, making the shape of Mickey’s head. This is a bit grimmer than the normal Hidden Mickeys which are usually made of bubbles or flowers or spots on Pongo the Dalmatian. Guess we won’t have to worry about Disney “lightening up” the Star Wars franchise to make it more in line with it’s family-friendly image!
A shout out to Knights of the Old Republic
The Knights of the Old Republicmay be out of continuity, but don’t think the people at Lucasfilm have forgotten about them. The games are too popular, not to mention have too many cool ideas, to be totally left behind. The hammerhead corvette that smashes into the Star Destroyer was first seen in the first Old Republic video game. The Endar Spire, the ship where the game’s tutorial level takes place, is a Hammerhead. Sadly, the Hammerheads never smash into anything during the course of the video games. Rogue One wasn’t the first of the new continuity to borrow the Hammerhead’s design. They appeared on Star Wars: Rebels. They first appeared in the episode “A Princess on Lothal.” And as you may have guessed from the title, the Princess Leia guest stars as well! While it’s cool to see the Hammerheads appear in the new continuity, hopefully the rest of the games will soon follow them.
Warwick Davis’ cameo
Warwick Davis has been part of the franchise ever since Return of the Jedi where he played Wicket the Ewok. He returned to the franchise in the Phantom Menace, The Force Awakens, and of course, Rogue One. His appearances in the films can be hard to spot. Even though Davis’ height of three feet makes him stand out, he wears full-body costumes in Star Wars films, obscuring his face. His role in Rogue One is no exception. In it he plays, Weeteed Cyubee a monkey-like humanoid that works for Saw Gerrera. This role is notable for Davis because this is his first Star Wars character to carry a blaster. Be sure to keep an eye out for short aliens in the next Star Wars movie because Davis has been cast! It’ll be exciting to see what kind of alien he’ll bring to life next.