It's no secret that the Star Wars movies are chock full of inside jokes. From the very beginning of the saga, George Lucas loved to fill his adventures in a galaxy far, far away with cameos and references that only a select few would ever pick up on. Various filmmakers have picked up on this tradition, with J.J. Abrams continuing it well into last year's Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Now it looks like the tradition will persist for the foreseeable future, as Star Wars: Episode VIII director Rian Johnson has revealed that he will have a cameo in the upcoming standalone movie, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Cinema Blend's very own Sean O'Connell attended the recent Star Wars Celebration in London England. During a major panel to promote the upcoming Star Wars adventures, Rian Johnson revealed that both he and his assistant would show up during the events of Rogue One. He said:
We're each one of the guys in the firing chamber of the Death Star.
So it looks like Rogue One: A Star Wars story will continue the long tradition of in-jokes and cameos in Star Wars movies. All that being said, it sounds as though Rian Johnson's cameo will be an incredibly brief one. He claims that he and his assistant joined the cast as unnamed Imperial officers who work in the firing chamber of the Death Star. To corroborate his claim, he also shared a behind the scenes photo of himself and his assistant in full Imperial outfits. Check out the photo below.
Those of you with an astute eye will instantly recognize these characters. The image of the two Death Star cannon operators has become one of the most iconic images in the history of Star Wars. In particular, these two officers show up in A New Hope to fire the Death Star's enormous laser when Grand Moff Tarkin decides to destroy Alderaan in front of Leia Organa -- although we cannot confirm whether or not these are intended to be the exact same officers.
Although it's seemingly an incredibly minor detail, the fact that Rian Johnson will have a cameo in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story shows that the filmmakers behind the new movies have an acute understanding of the franchise's traditions. If you blink you might even miss it, so make sure to keep an eye out for Rian Johnson's role in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story when the long-awaited standalone movie hits theaters on December 16.
