Warning: Spoilers are ahead for the Star Wars Rebels season four episode, “In the Name of the Rebellion.†Jump into hyperspace and away from this page if you haven’t watched the episode yet.
As the final season of Star Wars Rebels progresses, it’s getting closer and closer to the events of Rogue One and A New Hope. The sacrifice of Jyn Erso and her fellow rebels and the resulting destruction of the Death Star are about a year away, and Rebels is connecting the dots. The latest two-part episode, “In the Name of the Rebellion,†forged strong connections to Rogue One, including the fact that the film’s story writer Gary Whitta penned part one.
The most obvious tie to the Star Wars spin-off film is the presence of Saw Gerrera. He dropped by Star Wars Rebels in season three, and this follow-up shows a much rougher looking Saw. His visage now matches the man we see in Rogue One. He’s also accompanied by his pal/co-terrorist Edrio Two Tubes. We got a glimpse of Saw’s extremist ways last season, but now, he’s leaning wholeheartedly into questionable decisions. He’s determined to learn about the Empire’s secret weapon, and he’s willing to sacrifice innocent lives for what he sees as the greater good. So, of course, Ezra tried to work with him.
On their mission, they stumbled into Imperial prisoners that turned out to be scientists from Coruscant. They were working for the energy facility set up by Orson Krennic; Galen Erso worked there, too. As detailed in Rogue One: Catalyst, the facility was really a cover for the Empire to learn more about kyber crystals and how they work from unsuspecting scientists in order to use them for the Death Star. If they started asking too many questions, they got shipped off world or disposed of in “accidents.†I imagine these scientists were imprisoned because they were suspicious.
Side note: since the scientists decided to join the Rebel Alliance after Ezra and Sabine freed them, I hope some of them are the ones who analyze the Death Star’s plans and find the flaws.
Throughout the course of the mission, Jedha came up. That’s where Saw and his partisans were hanging their blasters in Rogue One. The Empire ended up occupying the Holy City to mine for kyber crystals, and oh yeah, the episode featured a massive kyber crystal that was undoubtedly on its way to a facility used for Death Star construction.
For the last couple of tie-ins, we spent some time on Yavin 4 with General Dodonna and Mon Mothma. The blow the Rebellion took on Atollon Base came up as well, and that loss is part of the reason why they don’t leap into a full fledged fight with the Empire until the Battle of Scarif.
How close do you think Star Wars Rebels will get to Rogue One by the time this season is over? Do you want to see more connections to that film and A New Hope? Tell me your thoughts in the comments.
Images: Disney XD/Lucasfilm
Amy Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Nerdist. Follow her on Twitter and keep up with her Disney food adventures on Instagram.
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