Among the massive amounts of Easter Eggs that were packed into Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, many eagle-eyed fans noticed several connections to Star Wars: Rebels, the animated series currently airing on Disney XD. Along with the show's main spacecraft, the Ghost, being glimpsed at several moments, the show's grumpy C1 droid unit, Chopper, was also spotted at the Rebel base on Yavin 4.
Rebels executive producer Dave Filoni confirmed with Entertainment Weekly that he worked in tandem with Rogue One producers to include these small things, though not at the expense of the film. "None of the things we put in really jump out at you," said Filoni. "If you don’t watch Rebels, there’s never a moment where you’re staring at the [movie] screen going, 'Why was that important?' For the people who do know, they get that added level of immersion."
One other tidbit caught by fans was the mention of "General Syndulla" over the intercom. Filoni clarified that this is absolutely a reference to Hera Syndulla, pilot of The Ghost. “I can clarify that’s absolutely Hera being paged, not her dad,” Filoni confirmed. “The movie gives that away, but I would rather have all the [references] be right. Hera will eventually become a general in the Rebel Alliance.”
With the Ghost being present at the climactic battle over Scarif, Filoni also teased that fans may just see a retelling of the film's harrowing final moments through the lense of whoever is on the Ghost at that time. "I already have some theories about the story behind it," Filoni said. "I can imagine doing that entire [Scarif] battle from their point of view, whoever is on the Ghost at that point." However, seeing that Rebels begins five years before A New Hope and has moved in relatively real time, it could be a while before we see a Rogue One storyline play out.
Do you want to see the Battle of Scarif from the angle of Star Wars: Rebels? Let us know in the comments!