Star Wars Bits: ‘Rogue One’ Cameos, Undiscovered Easter Eggs, And Plenty More
In this edition of Star Wars Bits:
Mads Mikkelsen, who played Death Star engineer Galen Erso in the film, sounds downright giddy when talking about his death scene. You can read his full quote over atio9, but he called it “fantastic,” “wonderful,” and “iconic.” Not sure I can back him up on that last one (it’s not like he was sliced in half by Darth Vader or something), but those other adjectives are apt.
Discover the origins of Saw Gerrera in this bonus feature clip from#RogueOne. Available now on Digital HD and coming to Blu-ray April 4.pic.twitter.com/eZXaPBX48T
— Star Wars (@starwars)August 18, 2025
The officialStar WarsTwitter account tweeted a video revealing the origins ofForest Whitaker’sinsurgent rebel Saw Gerrera. Check it out:
It’s rare to hear anyone involved with a big movie likeRogue Onecriticize any decision about making it, but that’s exactly what original screenwriter Gary Whitta did when he gaveEWhis honest opinion about a couple of cameos that made the final cut:
“I thought having Evazan and Walrus Man was a little too much. You have to reign in that instinct to go back and put things in just because you loved them when you were a kid.”
I found those cameos to be distracting, so I’m right there with him on this one. Gotta give him props for speaking out when most people would just keep their mouths shut.
In that same interview, Whitta revealed why Admiral Ackbar didn’t make an appearance inRogue One. The short answer: blame J.J. Abrams.
“I always loved Admiral Ackbar. I wanted to have him in there, but J.J. Abrams got to him first. We didn’t want to use him again after The Force Awakens. So Ackbar became Admiral Raddus. You will see those little evolutions.”
Rogue One’sproduction designer,Doug Chiang, toldIGNhow he and his team used the movie’s prologue sequence to bridge the design gap between the prequels and the original trilogy:
You can see that blending on display when you look at Krennic’s shuttle, and they did a great job subtly connecting those dots over the course of the film.
Director Gareth Edwards toldMovieWebthat there are “loads of gems” still waiting to be discovered when it comes toRogue One. The example he provided:
“I’m not sure anyone’s noticed the space camels that the stormtroopers ride in Jedha…“If you look really very carefully when Jyn and Cassian are walking through Jedha, you’ll see these giant camel things that Stormtroopers are riding on the left. Everyone looks at the imperial probe droid from Empire Strikes Back to the right instead.”
Hiding an easter egg behind adifferentEaster egg? Devious!
Alan Tudyk, who played the fan-favorite droid K-2SO inRogue One, toldUproxxthat he wanted K-2 to appear in the young Han Solo movie. He also mentioned another idea for a spin-off:
Tudyk isn’t the only one pushing for more spin-offs. ILM’sJohn Knoll– who came up with the story forRogue One– toldScreenRanthe has another idea rattling around in his head that has the potential to become a new movie one day. “I do have one more idea that I may or may not pitch. I’ve got it about 3/4 figured out and if I can solve that last portion of it, I’ll see ifKathy[Kennedyis] interested. She may throw me out of her office.” May the Force be with you, sir.
I know I promised this would be aRogue One-centric edition of Star Wars Bits, but since that film leads so directly into the events ofA New Hope(so much so thatsomeone has already created a fan edit splicing the two together), I figured it’d be OK if I cheated a little and dropped oneNew Hope-centric entry in to finish this off.
JediNewssays Penguin Publishing is going to celebrate Star Wars' 40th anniversary with a re-release of the original 1976 novelization ofA New Hope, which was ghostwritten by acclaimed writerAlan Dean Foster. Novelizations may not mean much to a younger audience, but before the days of VHS and the internet, that was often one of the only ways to soak in a favorite movie after seeing it in a theater. Seems like a safe bet this re-release will sell a lot of copies due to nostalgia alone.
