Rogue One: A Star Wars Story may be a standalone story in the Star Wars universe, but it pulled some awesome cameos from the saga.
SPOILER WARNING: This post contains spoilers for Rogue One. If you have not seen the movie and want to remain spoiler-free, please do not scroll any further.
Rogue One brims with cameos from all areas of the Star Wars canon. Some of them made sense to include in the plot while others were pure fan service. But fan service doesn’t make cameos unwelcome. They make Rogue One more fun.
Here are the best Star Wars cameos in Rogue One.
Foreground: Ponda Baba. Background: Dr. Evazan. Image Credit: StarWars.com
7. Dr. Evazan and Ponda Baba – Remember these guys from the cantina in A New Hope? They make an appearance on Jedha in Rogue One, as well. This cameo was pure fan service, yet it makes sense considering Evazan has the death sentence in twelve systems. Perhaps Jedha is part of one of those systems.
Image Credit: Wookieepedia
6. C-3PO and R2-D2 – A Star Wars movie would not be complete without the two most famous droids in the saga. Their screen-time is a matter of seconds, but it is long enough to elicit a delighted laugh from the Star Wars fan.
5. Hera Syndulla – It’s just a name drop, but it’s enough for fans of the Twi’lek captain of The Ghost in Star Wars Rebels. Only in Rogue One, Hera Syndulla’s ranking is “General,” a pretty sweet promotion. Her name called over the loudspeaker on Yavin IV is a nice little shoutout to fans of the animated series.
Image Credit: Lucasfilm
4. Bail Organa – Bail was first mentioned in 1977 in A New Hope. His first appearance in a Star Wars movie was in Attack of the Clones, followed by a crucial role in Revenge of the Sith. Subsequently, his presence in Rogue One makes perfect sense. As a leader of the Rebel Alliance and the adoptive father of one of A New Hope‘s heroes, his words and actions in Rogue One preface the later Star Wars films.
Image Credit: Lucasfilm
3. Princess Leia – The princess herself appears briefly at the end of Rogue One. Once again, this cameo makes sense. Leia is the person who intercepts the Death Star plans and is in possession of them at the beginning of A New Hope. Her face is rendered in CG to make it look like young Carrie Fisher’s. The animation isn’t perfect, but Leia’s scene is brief enough to allow the viewer to gloss over its imperfections.
Image Credit: Lucasfilm
2. Wilhuff Tarkin – Tarkin is also right at home in Rogue One. He appears quite a bit, thanks to the magic of CG effects to bring Peter Cushing’s face back from the dead. Tarkin’s voice is also spot-on Cushing, and we have actor Guy Henry to thank for that. Finally, the Moff’s presence is an excellent reminder of the cold, cutting nature of the Imperial hierarchy, both for the audience and for the scheming Orson Krennic.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Darth Vader – Image Credit: Lucasfilm
credit: Jonathan Olley/© Lucasfilm LFL 2016
1. Darth Vader – The powerful Sith lord lent his equally powerful presence to Rogue One in the best way. I won’t spoil his scenes in this article (if you’re not afraid of spoilers, you can read about his best one here). But he is everything Vader fans want to see him as in a Star Wars movie: terrifying and kick-butt awesome.
Are there any cameos we left out? Tell us about them in the comments below.
Next: SPOILERS: Who Dies In Rogue One?
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story shows in theaters across the U.S. today.