Unlike other Star Wars films that have preceded it, there were a number of Easter eggs and callbacks that happened during The Last Jedi, although catching them all upon first view is nearly impossible. The history of this franchise is as rich as any in the history of cinema, giving Disney the opportunity to bust out all of the goodies when making this film.
When the dust finally settled, we were able to pluck out 15 incredible Easter eggs that only a true Jedi would have noticed. Some of these hidden gems were in plain sight while others required a little bit of thinking and dot connecting. How many of these Easter eggs were you able to find while watching Star Wars: The Last Jedi?
Before you proceed any further, let us warn you for spoilers!
15. The Rey/Luke Connection
There are plenty of people who hate The Last Jedi for seemingly being like no other Star Wars film before it, and we can’t say that they are wrong. But, if you were paying attention during the film, you would have noticed that there are so many parallels to be drawn between Rey and Luke Skywalker. Luke’s character may have been drastically different now that he’s weathered and grumpy, but the younger, more memorable Luke set the tone for what was to come with the franchise’s new lead.
Much like in The Empire Strike Back, Rey seeks the wisdom and help of an old Jedi Master who has made the decision to live a life of solitude. In fact, both of these Jedi Masters refuse to help the much younger leads as well. It almost makes you wonder if Rey is going to lose a hand during battle at some point.
14. Emperor Palpatine’s Theme
Star Wars fans have spent their entire lives watching and dissecting these films, leading many to believe that they should probably spend some more time hanging out away from their television. Nevertheless, the fandom runs deep in people all around the world, even to the point of knowing a character’s music. Characters who are popular enough have a specific theme play, and fans who listened closely during The Last Jedi were quick to point out an all-too-familiar song.
With Supreme Leader Snoke serving as the villain for the first two films in the modern trilogy, many wondered who this mysterious figure was. People drew up insane theories trying to figure out who he was and where he came from, including the notion that Snoke is actually Emperor Palpatine. This question was never fully answered, but if you paid attention, you would have heard Palpatine’s theme being played during certain scenes involving Snoke.
13. Snoke’s Obsidian Ring
Many things that get placed in Star Wars films are usually for show, allowing viewers to fully transport themselves to a galaxy far, far away by way of onscreen aesthetics. Few people would have had any reason to pay attention to the jewelry that Supreme Leader Snoke was wearing, but as we mentioned earlier, the Star Wars fandom knows no limits and many people choose to dissect every bit of information that they can get their hands on.
Viewers with a keen eye surely noticed that Supreme Leader Snoke was wearing a ring during the film. While many people couldn’t have cared less, the ring actually serves as a nice tribute to a former Star Wars villain. Most people don’t realize that the ring worn by Supreme Leader Snoke is made from obsidian. The specific obsidian used by Snoke was found on none other than Mustafar, a planet that was home to Darth Vader’s castle.
12. Han’s Dice
I don’t know about you, but there were enough geeks in my theater to pick up on this little nod almost immediately, and a round of applause could be heard all around. Seeing Han’s dice appear in The Last Jedi gave us all a pretty good indication of how much time was spent into combing over the older Star Wars films in order to give fans a number of things to sink their teeth into.
During the original trilogy, there was no reason to believe that these dice would have any significance later on. They only see screen time on one occasion, disappearing shortly after. Thankfully, the modern trilogy made the decision to bring the dice back in The Force Awakens, and they used the dice to strike emotion in audiences during The Last Jedi. The film certainly had its flaws, but moments like this are why people still rush to theaters to see a new Star Wars film.
11. The Luke/Obi Wan Conenection
Unlike the aforementioned connection between Rey and Luke, the original trilogy lead also shares a modern connection with the very Jedi who sought to train him. As we learned during the film, Luke was eager to train the next generation of Jedi, only to have everything go terribly wrong. He was going to strike down his protégé, changing his mind shortly after sparking his lightsaber. Young Kylo sees this and turns to the dark side. During their battle towards the end of the film, Luke tells Kylo that he has failed him. Wait, haven’t we heard this before?
On the planet Mustafar, Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan engage in easily the best lightsaber battle in the history of the franchise, and it is during this battle that something similar was said. As the battle wages on, Obi Wan lets Anakin know that he’s failed him before cutting off his limbs and leaving him to burn. Ouch!
10. Hyperspace Tracking
This one really caught me off guard while watching the film, especially considering why it was used in the original trilogy. During The Last Jedi, the last of the rebels are making their daring escape from the First Order when they decide to kick things into hyperdrive. What they didn’t plan on, however, was the First Order being able to track them during this time. In the past, it was said to be an impossible feat, and yet, here we are all these years later seeing it happen. But, how is this possible?
Those of you who watched Rogue One may have missed this very brief moment, but this notion was being tested long ago. As Jyn Erso is rifling through some files, you can see a document titled “hyperspace tracking.” Of course, few people actually noticed this while watching Rogue One, leaving many of us utterly confused while watching The Last Jedi.
9. Bacta Tank
The Force Awakens laid the ground work for the modern trilogy, and despite following a familiar formula, it dropped many new pieces on the board. Finn’s character gave viewers a glimpse into the people behind the stormtrooper mask, and he became an integral part of the film. Unfortunately, his ending in the film wasn’t a happy one, and Kylo Ren saw to it that he was demolished in combat towards the end of the film. We left Finn as he as in a coma, wondering if her would ever wake again.
In The Last Jedi, fans were excited to see Finn hilariously wake from his coma and stumble around the ship looking for answers. The type of suit that he is wearing is called a “bacta suit,” and this has been seen before. A tank bearing the same name is used in The Empire Strikes Back for a damaged and recovering Luke on Hoth.
8. Luke’s X-Wing
This was one of the few things in the movie that had me freaking out in my chair, and it is only seen for a brief moment. As we are sure you remember, Luke is one heck of a pilot, and his heroics while piloting his infamous X-wing are well-documented. After all, he is the one who destroyed the Death Star in A New Hope. Once the new trilogy kicked off, we learned that Luke was missing, choosing a self-imposed exile as opposed to standing his ground with the Resistance. Once he was discovered, the movie ended on a massive cliffhanger.
During The Last Jedi, many different shots are used to show various parts of the little island that Luke calls home, including a shot of his old X-wing in the water. Seeing the X-wing back underwater was reminiscent of what happened on Dagobah, and it was a nice way to show fans how long Luke kept his ship for.
7. The Crait/Hoth Connection
Over the course of the Star Wars saga, we have been introduced to a number of different planets that help the galaxy seem as big and expansive as possible. While some are memorable for a variety of reasons, others have been utterly forgettable. Some planets even mirror other ones that have been introduced in previous films. Fans who enjoy exploring every inch of Star Wars lore are no doubt familiar with the planets Crait and Hoth. But did you know that these planets share some uncanny similarities due to their use in the saga?
Each planet has a major battle that has taken place on its surface, and the battles themselves have a number of similarities. Seeing AT-ATs was a blast from the past in The Last Jedi, and these machines were used in the Battle of Hoth as well. Moreover, the enemy needs to destroy one central target in order to claim victory.
6. Blue Milk
At this point, it is almost safe to assume that everyone has wanted to try blue milk. Luke Skywalker seemed pretty fond of it during A New Hope, and if it’s good enough for Luke Skywalker, it is good enough for the majority of us. Unfortunately, that will never happen for us, mainly because banta aren’t real. Nevertheless, we can always use our imaginations. Although blue milk isn’t directly mentioned in the film, there is a moment that showed fans that Luke Skywalker still drinks milk on a regular basis, presumably so that he can grow up big and strong like his Uncle Owen.
In easily one of the weirdest moments in Star Wars history, Luke’s day-to-day life is highlighted in The Last Jedi, including him milking this gigantic creature. If you paid attention, you would have noticed the color of the milk that Luke is getting. While not completely blue, it was close enough to get fans in a frenzy.
5. Royal Cameos
Who doesn’t want to be in a Star Wars movie? It would be the opportunity of a lifetime to be able to say that you got to be part of the greatest film franchise ever made. The modern trilogy has done a solid job of including a number of famous cameos, albeit in a concealed and hidden fashion. The directors allowing these cameos are helping fulfill childhood dreams for a number of lucky celebrities. But, did you know that The Last Jedi has a couple of royal cameos?
That’s right, both Prince Harry and Prince William made cameos in The Last Jedi. Although you cannot see their faces in the film, both members of the royal family had their dreams come true. As it stands now, no one has been able to spot them in the film, which is probably for the better. We imagine that seeing legitimate royalty on the big screen would be incredibly distracting.
4. Beastie Boys
Directors always have a way of including little things in their films, and the same can be said for The Last Jedi. It can be fun including small tokens and memories in the gigantic projects that you work on, and the chance to do this in a Star Wars film is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The film’s director must be a huge fan of the Beastie Boys because once he had the opportunity to pay tribute to the group in the film; he jumped all over the chance.
Characters that appear in Star Wars often have unique names, so something named Slowen Lo would go relatively unnoticed. But, the name is taken straight from the Beastie Boys song “Slow and Low.” Coincidentally, this is not the first time that the Beastie Boys have been mentioned in Star Wars. The Force Awakens included a character named Ello Asty which was derived from their album Hello Nasty.
3. The Raddus
In the Navy, many warships are named after great Naval leaders, as well as past presidents. We have even seen names even get recycled by the Navy. Given that the forces used in Star Wars are essentially a combination of the Air Force and the Navy, it would only make sense that some of these larger ships bear the name of great men who came before them. For General Leia in The Last Jedi, her ship bears the name of a character who made an appearance in Rogue One.
Leia’s ship, The Raddus, is named after a Mon Calamari Admiral who appeared in Rogue One. Given that the movie was centered around a group of rebels getting the details of the Death Star to Leia, it only makes sense that her ship would pay homage to someone who was instrumental in kick-starting the rebellion. Talk about taking things to the next level.
2. Leia’s Message Revisited
If you didn’t get chills when this scene happened, then you either have no heart nor a sense of history. While Luke walks around the Millennium Falcon for the first time in ages, he comes across his old friend, R2-D2. As you may remember, R2-D2 had a piece of the map that led Rey to Luke. The old droid tries to convince Luke to come back with him and help fight the First Order, to which Luke immediately declines. R2-D2 then plays a very familiar message to Luke in a moment that had fans going nuts.
The message, of course, is the very message that Leia sent out to Obi Wan Kenobi during the events of A New Hope. Luke doesn’t necessarily take the bait, but you can feel that emotions that were coursing through his body as he watched the timeless message be played again. It was a stroke of genius from the director.
1. Rebel Scum
Our final entry on this list was once used as a derogatory term in the original trilogy, but it has since become a badge of honor in the modern one. Back when he was a young hotshot pilot, Han Solo was referred to as “rebel scum” during the events of Return of the Jedi. This phrase became incredibly popular in the fandom, and it has since reemerged in the modern trilogy. It was used twice during The Last Jedi. General Hux uses the remark to describe modern hotshot pilot Poe Dameron, and Finn uses it as a badge of honor during his heated battle with Captain Phasma who once again met an untimely end.
