7. Guardians of the Whills
When Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen’s) & Baze Malbus (Wen Jiang’s) are first introduced, they are described as former “Guardians of the Whills” from the Kyber Temple at Jedha.
The “Whills” are a reference to George Lucas’s earliest versions of the Star Wars scripts. As well as outlining the tale of “Annakin Starkiller” these versions started with a quote from the “Journal of the Whills”
The journal was intended as a framing device that was intended to tie all the films together, but Lucas abandoned the concept
8. Kyber Crystals
The kyber crystals that the Empire are mining at Jedha to focus the Death Star’s Superlaser are also used in Jedi lightsabers.
9. Cantina Scum
As Jyn and Cassian make their way through Jedha, they almost have a confrontation with, two rowdy aliens. These two have to be Ponda Baba & Cornelius Evazan, the cantina patrons from Episode IV- A New Hope who tried to pick a fight with Luke. In Episode IV Ponda Baba ended up losing an arm to Obi Wan’s lightsaber.
10. Bail Organa
During Jyn’s interrogation/briefing by the Rebel Alliance, the late arrival is Bail Organa, Princess Leia’s adoptive father and founding member of the Rebel Alliance. Organa, as portrayed by actor Jimmy Smits, has appeared in Episode II –Attack of the Clones & Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Organa also appeared in both animated series The Clone Wars & Rebels. Organa later perishes in the Death Star’s attack on Alderaan.
11. Mon Mothma, old and new
The de facto leader of the Rebel Alliance is Mon Mothma, the same one who briefs the Rebel Assault force in Return of the Jedi.
Mon Mothma was played by Caroline Blakiston in Return of the Jedi (above left) while Genevieve O’Reilly (above right) plays her in Rogue One. O’Reilly does seem to look pretty close to Blakiston, doesn’t she?
12. Our Jedi Friend
After hearing news of the Death Star’s capabilities, Mon Mothma asks Bail Organa about gathering all the friends they can get, including his friend in hiding, “the Jedi”. She is referring, of course, to Obi-Wan Kenobi. When Mon Mothma asks Organa to send a trusted messenger to Kenobi, Organa responds that he trusts no one else more than “her”, referring to his adopted daughter Princess Leia.
Leaving the conversation, Bail Organa issues orders for a Captain Antilles. Antilles is the Captain of the Tantive IV, the Blockade runner captured by Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer at the start of Episode IV – A New Hope and according to C-3PO is the previous owner of he and R2-D2 before they passed into the possession of Luke’s and his uncle.
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