The Star Wars reference in The Flash that you may have missed
By Anwesha Nag
The Flash did not become the box office success that Warner Bros. hoped it would, but the movie definitely did a great job of being an excellent fan service.
Otherwise a simple story of Barry Allen going back in time to save his mother and messing up the space-time continuum, The Flash shines in the moments where nostalgia comes into play. From obvious nods to Flashpoint comics to Michael Keaton’s Batman, the DC Studios production is chock-full of Easter eggs throughout its runtime.
The movie did not shy away from making references to other franchises as well. In a hilariously heartbreaking moment, Barry realizes ‘he broke the universe’ when he learns Michael J. Fox is not Marty McFly in Back to the Future in this alternate timeline.
One such blink-and-you-miss-it nod to Star Wars is also tucked between all the references.
In the final act of the movie, both the Barrys team up with Supergirl and Batman to fend off General Zod in a world where Kal-El’s Superman never made it to the Earth. With the odds stacked against them, the alternate-universe Barry begins to adapt to the powers of Flash but is not quite adept at it yet. In one scene, he builds up too much energy to the point where electric charges are visibly flying off his entire body.
The Barry from the original universe warns him and tells him to cool it down. A thinker on his feet across timelines, AU Barry has a eureka moment as he asks if he could ‘Emperor’ the enemy and immediately shoots a lightning charge at a Kryptonian soldier.
This is an obvious reference to Emperor Palpatine’s iconic Force Lightning from Star Wars. It is the Sith Lord’s preferred choice of weapon, which he memorably used to electrocute Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi. He also used it to kill Mace Windu in Revenge of the Sith after being exposed as Darth Sidious.