(Warning! This story has plenty of cameos and thus, quite a fewSPOILERS!Read with caution!) The signatureStar Warscameo is becoming a cottage industry for this latest run of franchise installments. The Force Awakens had plenty, and Rogue One carries on the tradition. We’re sure Han Solo will also have its fair share, and we definitely hope that green rabbit looking alien from the Marvel comics shows up, something we wouldn’t put past the directors of21 Jump StreetandThe Lego Movie. But while some of these cameos are quite obvious, others are harder to spot. And some show up in name only.
There are a few big cameos that we did not include on this list, because you’d have to be blind to miss them. And even then you’d recognize their voices. Mon Mothma and Darth Vader both, while having limited screen time, play key roles in what amounts to some pretty cool extended cameo sequences. Then you have the CGIGrand Moff Tarkin, who’s video game visage is almost enough to pull you right out of the movie. Finally, we have the big three. The heavy hitters. Appearing towards, or at, the end ofRogue One: A Star Wars Storyare the droid pair R2-D2 and C-3PO as well as a very CGI looking Princess Leia, which gives Carrie Fisher back her 19-year-old face. Some of these are fun, some of them feel shoehorned in. But it’s the ones you really have to hunt for that truly make us smile. And there are plenty to go around.
We’re sure some of these were missed. In fact, we’re positive that is the case. And as more and more fans go back for a third and fourth viewing, new cameos will be spotted and shared across the Internet. But for now, we’ve collected 19 of the most prominent ones. Some are definitely harder to spot than others. And some you’ll need a remote to pause when this solo adventure comes home to Blu-ray and VOD to truly get a good look at.
Perhaps most interesting is that theStar Wars cameosspan quite a few different movies, and even some of the TV shows. Saw Gerrera is perhaps the biggest connection to one of the animated series. The Forest Whittaker character first showed up as a much younger man inStar WarsClone Wars, and the years have not been kind to him here. But there are also a number of hidden references and Easter eggs for the currently airingStar Wars Rebels. Again, some of these are a little harder to spot than others.
While Rogue One takes place just hours before the events that kick off A New Hope, it’s not the only original trilogy installment that gets a nod. And the prequels all contribute to little touches here and there. Perhaps the least sourced movie is Empire Strikes Back, with some character moments more heavily reflecting Return of the Jedi. There are plenty of Revenge of the Sith sights to behold if you know where to look. We first begin with all the cool things that were brought back from the one that started it all, 1977’s Star Wars, later retitled Episode IV: A New Hope during one of the movie’s many re-releases to help connect it to Empire Strikes Back, and create a true trilogy. We also begin with a man who shows up in the earliest moments of A New Hope, only to meet his fate fairly quickly.
20Captain Antilles
Captain Antilles is an important dude. And in a different movie, he could have been the lead. He’s held down a healthy life in the ancillary canon, appearing in a number of novels. Reymus Antilles is a big part of theStar Wars myth, though he only had a few precious moments of screen time in A New Hope. He is Darth Vader’s first on-screen kill in the 1977 original, though we admit, he got off easy considering some of the cruel actions Vader takes at the end of Rogue One. Antilles is the captain of the Tantive IV, and gets strangled by Darth when he refuses to give up the plans to the Death Star, claiming his ship has intercepted no transmissions. He was previously seen at the end of Revenge of the Sith, where he takes temporary ownership of C-3PO and R2-D2. Though not a key player in Rogue One, he gets two crucial scenes. The first when Bail Organa leaves Yavin IV for Alderann. Bail commands the captain to ‘get ready’. We see Reymus again at the end of the movie, when his crew of Rebels have escaped the wrath of Darth Vader, and he’s able too give Vader’s daughter, Princess Leia, the Death Star plans.
19Walrus Man and Dr. Evazan
Interestingly enough, we’re at a point where some kids have never seen A New Hope. Blasphemous, I know. But they will have no idea or point of reference for Ponda Babba, who was originally named Walrus Man by Kenner when the Star Wars action figures launched, because he didn’t yet have a proper name, and Dr. Evazan, who never even got an action figure during the original run of the toy line. The two are spotted on the Jedi holy planet of Jedha, where they literally bump into Jyn and Cassian. The good doctor even gets to spout his trademark line. Somehow, this pair managed to escape all the death and destruction that happens on Jedha shortly before their run in with Luke and Old Ben at the Mos Eisley Cantina. This is one of the more unexpected cameos. But fun none the less.
18Wedge Antilles
The next big batch of cameos are all part of the Rebel raid on Scarif that happens during the third act of the movie. And perhaps the return ofWedge Antillesis most interesting. While this hasn’t really been explored in the current Star Wars canon, it is believed that Antilles is a name that is as common as Smith or Jones, and that Wedge and Raymus Antilles are not related. We get no further evidence of them being family here. Where this cameo is a little different, the actor that actually appeared in the flesh as Wedge is not in the movie. Instead we hear David Ankrum, who voiced Wedge in A New Hope. Dennis Lawson played Wedge in the 1977 original. But his voice was dubbed over, because he couldn’t perfect his American accent in time for the shoot. Ankrum was brought into the sound mix, because they didn’t want Wedge sounding British. While Ankrum is not credited for his work here, there are reports that he returned to record voice overs as Rogue Two, aka Wedge. Though Dennis Lawson didn’t return alongside the other classic actors in Star Wars: The Force Awakens to reprise his role as a much older Wedge, the character lives on in Rogue One. And it’s possible that he’ll pop up again at some point.
17Red and Gold Leader
This ode to the original classic is a little more obvious. And if you don’t know who Red and Gold Leader are, you only need certain members in the audience to tell you with their oohs and ahas as these two are brought back to the big screen flying their X-WIngs during the big raid on Scarif. And though they are nearly forty years older than when they first appeared in A New Hope, the actors that play Red Leader (of the X-Wing squad) and Gold Leader (of the Y-Wing squad), did return thanks to the help of some advanced CGI techniques. The same kind that helped bring Princess Leia back to her pristine youth. The voice of Drewe Henley (who died this past year) and Angus MacInnes are used to recreate these roles. What’s unclear is just how much they contributed in these scenes. If they were present. Or if these are all-CGI characters. They are a little easier on the eyes than Leia and Tarkin because they are obscured by helmets.
16Original Red 5
That brings us to Red 5. In A New Hope, Luke Skywalker has taken on the call sign of Red 5. And we see here why that position is open, answering one of the many lingering questions fans have had over the years. Namely who was Red 5 before Luke? And what happened to ‘that guy’? The unlucky SOB. The original Red 5 gets gunned down in Rogue One during the battle of Scarif. What isn’t answered is where did they find that spare X-Wing fighter for Luke when he arrived with Han, Chewbacca, Leia and the droids on Yavin IV.
15General Dodonna
This cameo is not as obscure as some of the others. But for the lay fan, they probably do not even know the nameGeneral Dodonna. He is a key piece of the Alliance’s brass. Strutting around in a white beard, this Rebel commander is the one who briefs the pilots on their Death Star raid. And he gives Han and Luke their medals at the end of A New Hope. He gets less to do here. In Rogue One, he is seen in a few of the all encompassing group shots, but he doesn’t play a significant role in this prequel. He does sticks around long enough to see the arrival of the Millennium Falcon on Yavin IV in the next movie.
RA-7 is another character that was first named by Kenner as part of their second wave of Kenner action figures. At the time he was called the Death Star Droid. Now he has a different name, given to him much later on in the series run. RA-7 is instantly recognizable, though the guy has never gotten much screen time. He has bug-like eyes and a silver body that is very reminiscent of C-3PO. He is the first droid seen in the Sandcrawler that absconds with R2-D2, and serves as background set dressing when C-3PO and R2-D2 have their big reunion in the desert after being separated for a few hours. The droid actually appears twice in Rogue One. The shiny metal humanoid is first seen walking past Jyn and Cassian on Jedha. And another version of the droid is later seen on Scarif. In the movies, this droid has never actually been seen on the Death Star, in either a New Hope or Return of the Jedi.
13Mouse Droid
Another iconic droid that pops up in Rogue One is the mouse droid, who is actually seen on the Death Star. This little guy gets a big roar from Chewbacca in the original movie, turning tail in one of that film’s cuter sequences. Here in Rogue One, he’s just part of the background chatter, and easy to miss. This time out, we see the mouse droids squeaking around the Stormtroopers on Scarif.
12Imperial Probe Droid
The Imperial Probe Droid was a thing of wonder when it first appeared on screen in Empire Strikes Back. Primarily because it was one of the first new things fans saw as that movie kicked off on the snowy planet of Hoth. But this droid is also capable of handling warmer weather. In a blink and you’ll miss it appearance, theImperial Probe Droidis seen in the background of Jedha as Cassian and Jyn walk the city streets. This is one of the few callbacks to Empire seen in the movie, aside from the giant AT-ACT’s that overpower the third act. They are a close cousin to the AT-ATs seen in the beginning of the first ever Star Wars sequel. Now, we move onto the animated Disney XD series, Star Wars Rebels.
There are quite a lot of Star Wars Rebels nods and winks in Rogue One, hinting as to where that animated series is headed. Perhaps the coolest moment comes with the real-life reveal of astro-mech droid Chopper, who up until now, has only been rendered in CG animation. His appearance is also a blink and you’ll miss it kind of moment. We don’t get to see any of his friends in the flesh, but the crew of the Ghost is most certainly present on Yavin IV.Choppercan be seen rolling past Mon Mothma when she learns of the Rogue One’s mission on Scarif. The belief is that a future episode of Star Wars Rebels will show the Ghost crew heading into the Battle of Scarif, with the raid getting told from a different point of view.
