Rogue One easter eggs

Rogue One is a treasure. Not just because it’s an amazingly exciting film that includes some new classic scenes – read my review if you so please… But also because it’s chock full of easter eggs and references! Some of the returning characters, you’ll no doubt recognize for yourself. Other cameos and references are a bit more obscure. Let’s go over some of those, shall we?
Any reference that might be construed as a spoiler is saved for last, after a giant disclaimer. The first part of this article is safe to read!

What: Blue milk
Where: The Erso household on Lah’mu
Original appearance: A New Hope
While the Ersos are getting ready for their respective flight of and confrontation with Krennic, the camera lingers on a glass with a blue substance.

What: Clone turbo tank
Where: Imperial labor camp on Wobani
Original appearance: Revenge of the Sith
Originally a design for Empire Strikes Back that lost out to the AT-AT, the HAVw A6 Juggernaut made its debut in Revenge of the Sith as a Republic tank. It was kept in use by the Empire as a transport on the labor camp on Wobani. We get a good look at its interior as Melshi and his squad save Jyn from imprisonment.

Speaking of Wobani… It can’t be a coincidence that the planet’s name is an anagram for our old friend Obi-Wan, right?

Who: R2-KT
Where: Yavin 4
Original appearance: Real life
This droid with a heart of gold actually originated in our universe rather than the Galaxy Far Far Away. After being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, Katie Johnson, daughter of the founder of the 501st Legion costuming group, wished she had a droid watching over her. The R2-D2 Builders Club kindly obliged, and R2-KT was born. After supporting Katie during her final days, R2-KT went on to become a symbol for raising awareness for children’s diseases. The droid regularly appears at events and has reportedly raised millions for this great cause.
Since then, R2-KT has appeared in multiple episodes of Clone Wars, comics, videogames, The Force Awakens, and now Rogue One.

What: Biker scout helmet
Where: Outside Jedha City
Original appearance: Return of the Jedi
In true Star Wars fashion (both in-universe and behind the scenes), everything gets re-used… Like this helmet. Saw’s rebels clearly had some run-ins with Imperial biker scouts, because one of the people escorting Bodhi Rook to Saw’s hideout can be seen wearing a black biker scout helmet.

Who: Dr Cornelius Evazan and Ponda Baba
Where: The streets of Jedha City
Original appearance: A New Hope
As Jyn and Cassian are walking through the streets of Jedha, they literally bump into these two buggalugs. It almost comes to a confrontation, but Cassian deflates the situation. Mere days later, the two companions have a run-in with the heroes of another film in the Mos Eisley Cantina, which doesn’t end as well for them…

Who: Whills and the Force of Others
Where: Chirrut and Baze
Original appearance: Concepts for A New Hope
Some forty years after the creation of the name Whills, we finally get a namedrop in a Star Wars film. Originally an alternate title for the Force, Whills is the latest in a series of old concept names – after Ashla, Bogan, and Bendu – to make its way into canon. Chirrut and Baze are part of the Guardians of the Whills, defenders of the temple on Jedha.
Another old term is “the Force of Others”, which was a name the Force had before George decided to shorten it. Chirrut utters it in the film, adding the name to canon.

What: Dejarik
Where: Saw’s hideout
Original appearance: A New Hope
As we pan across Saw Gerrera’s hideyhole (a clear homage to the cantina scene in its own right), we see a couple of aliens hunched around a familiar table. They’re playing a physical version of the holochess game found aboard the Falcon in A New Hope (and Force Awakens)! The game is called dejarik… And someday, we may get to play it too, one would hope!

Who: General Hurst Romodi
Where: Death Star
Original appearance: A New Hope
A non-speaking role in the original film, Romodi sat at the table with Tarkin, Vader, Motti, Tagge and Yularen. In Rogue One he reappears in the Death Star command chamber, played by Andy de la Tour.

Who: Hera Syndulla
Where: Yavin 4, space battle over Scarif
Original appearance: Rebels
Right after the crowded meeting on Yavin, keep your ears wide open. A radio announcement urges General Syndulla to report in. Coupled with the Ghost, Chopper, and a line from Hera’s voice actor Vanessa Marshall in the space battle, we can determine that the radio is probably talking about Hera rather than her father, Cham. Suggesting that not only is Hera alive and kicking during Rogue One, she also managed a promotion!

Who: C2-B5
Where: Scarif research facility
Original appearance: Rogue One
Technically not a cameo or reference to another piece of Star Wars lore. However, since he featured in marketing and even got a Funko, I thought it prudent to point out his single easily missed appearance in the film. When Jyn, Cassian, and K-2SO are walking through the long busy corridor in the Scarif base (filmed at London’s Canary Wharf tube station), you see the little guy making his rounds off in the distance.

What: T-15
Where: Scarif
Original appearance: Reference to A New Hope
As Chirrut and Baze are going around Scarif taking out stormtroopers, we overhear a conversation between two of them. One asks the other if he heard about the T-15 being marked obsolete. This is a clear reference to A New Hope, where Ben Kenobi overhears two stormtroopers remarking on the new BT-16.
(The same scene was also referenced in The Force Awakens, when Rey overheard a conversation about T-17s. Apparently this is all stormtroopers talk about in their spare time!)

Who: Chopper
Where: Yavin 4
Original appearance: Rebels
Right as an Alliance radio op runs up to Mon Mothma, watch the left side of the screen. Rolling by is the sassiest droid in a film with K-2SO in it… Chopper! Another member of the Ghost crew confirmed to survive at least a few more seasons of the show…

What: The Ghost
Where: Parked on Yavin 4, space battle over Scarif
Original appearance: Rebels
TV spot #26 already kind of ruined the surprise, but I’m pleased to report that the Ghost, the crew’s main ship in Star Wars Rebels, has made it to the final cut of the movie. Given their cameos earlier in the film, one could assume that at least Hera and Chopper are on board, giving the Empire a good ass whooping.

Who: Garven Dreis and Jon ‘Dutch’ Vander
Where: Space battle over Scarif
Original appearance: A New Hope
The battle of Scarif involves both squadrons from the original film. We can assume most of the old gang is flying around, but the only ones we actually see that I’ve noticed are the squad leaders. Achieved by polishing up archive footage of actors Drewe Henley (RIP) and Angus MacInnes, it fits perfectly with the rest of the battle.

Who: Classic droid models
Where: Throughout the film
Original appearance: Original trilogy
There’s a few more appearances from familiar faces. They’re unlikely to be the same droids we see in the original trilogy, of course, but they’re definitely fun to spot! There’s a Death Star droid and probe droid on Jedha, tons of astromechs and a gonk droid in the rebel base and fleet, and a mouse droid in the base on Scarif. It all helps in connecting Rogue One to the aesthetic of the original films.

SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT

Spoilers from this scene, among others

I WARNED YOU, GET OUT IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT YET

Well then.. On we go.

Where: Coruscant
When: Flashback
Original appearance: Heir to the Empire
The Imperial capital, as seen in the prequel trilogy with a name adapted straight from Legends, makes another short appearance in Rogue One. In a montage of flashbacks, we focus on a young Jyn as Krennic visits the family home on Coruscant, in a scene plucked straight from Catalyst – or more likely, the other way around.

What: Darth Vader’s castle
Where: Mustafar (!)
Original appearance: Concept art for Empire Strikes Back
For all the speculation on the bacta tank scene from the first teaser, no-one could suspect that the real question should have been “where?” rather than “who?”. No Emperors or Snokes involved, just a random Imperial servant named Vanée fetching Vader from his slumber in his castle on Mustafar. The concept has been around since Empire, and was shortly considered for The Force Awakens as well. We finally got to see it in Rogue One, with the added significance of locating it on the place where Anakin Skywalker truly died and became Darth Vader, Mustafar!

And with that, for the people keeping score at home, we arrive at 10 locations, only one less than Revenge of the Sith. Lah’mu, Ring of Kafrene, Jedha, Wobani, Coruscant, Yavin 4, Death Star, Eadu, Mustafar, and Scarif!

Who: R2-D2 & C-3PO
Where: Yavin 4
Original appearance: A New Hope
As the Rebel fleet is preparing to leave for Scarif, two familiar faces can be seen, with 3PO complaining of course. Great to see that the tradition of having them in every Star Wars film hasn’t been broken yet!

What: Imperial code names
Where: The data vault on Scarif
Original appearance: Catalyst: A Rogue One novel
Searching for the Death Star plans, Jyn and Cassian find what they’re looking for when they see the file name Stardust. That’s not the only file name that would have worked for them, though. Stellar Sphere, Mark Omega and Pax Aurora are among the names Cassian lists. In Catalyst, these all refer to specific branches of the development of Project Celestial Power.. aka the Death Star.
The other three mentioned (War Mantle, Cluster Prism, and Black Saber) don’t mean in anything in canon yet. Though Black Saber may be a reference to the old EU superweapon, the Darksaber, which was based on the Death Star’s design.

What: Karabast!
Where: Pao’s vocal chords
Original appearance: Rebels
Garazeb Orrelios’ expletive of choice makes its first live action appearance. As the rebels on Scarif start to get flanked by AT-ACTs, the Drabata rebel Pao can be heard letting out a “Karabast!”. The only appropriate response in any fubar situation, of course.

Who: Red 5
Where: Space battle over Scarif
Original appearance: Rogue One
In the middle of the battle for the Shield Gate, there’s a chubby pilot who gets a suspiciously large amount of screentime getting blown up. His callsign? Red 5.
Well, that explains why the callsign was free for Luke to take in A New Hope..

What: Hammerhead corvette
Where: Space battle over Scarif
Original appearance: Knights of the Old Republic
The best reference of them all. The Hammerhead cruiser, canonized by Star Wars Rebels’ interpretation of a KotOR design, makes an appearance in the film. And not just any appearance, it steals the show. In the ultimate fan service, Admiral Raddus orders this ship to be true to its name. Ramming into a Star Destroyer, pushing it into another, and finally crashing them both into the Shield Gate, this one little ship saves the rebellion and the dream. I am a happy, happy man.

Who: Captain Raymus Antilles
Where: Tantive IV
Original appearance: A New Hope
Obtaining the Death Star plans from a very lucky pilot who escaped Darth Vader’s wrath (at least temporarily..) is the captain of Leia’s vessel, the Tantive IV. He’s the one who hands her the plans, ending the movie. He’d go on to get choked out by the Dark Lord moments later, as seen in A New Hope.
Raymus actually appeared in Revenge of the Sith as well, as a member of Bail Organa’s staff. Unlike with Bail and Mon Mothma though, I’m unsure if the RotS actor – Rohan Nichol – returned for the role in Rogue One.

I’m positive there’s more references where these came from, but that’s it from me for now. Have you spotted any that I haven’t listed here? Please let me know! I aim to make this a pretty complete list.