9 Times Rogue One References the Other Star Wars Movies

While the movie has abandoned the signature yellow scroll as seen in the main Star Wars films, it does keep the tradition of starting with those famous words in blue: "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . . " before slowly panning upward to lead us into the first scene.

First uttered by Luke Skywalker in A New Hope as the Millennium Falcon approaches the Death Star, this line has been said in every Star Wars film since, by a multitude of characters including Han Solo, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princes Leia, C-3PO and, most recently, K-2SO in Rogue One.

Admiral Ackbar famously says this line in Return of the Jedi as his forces are ambushed while attacking the Death Star, and it has been memed too many times to count. In Rogue One, it's Saw Gerrera who utters those famous three words.

While many references are subtle and fun, this one is just practical. Much like Han and Luke who steal Stormtrooper uniforms to sneak onto the Death Star in A New Hope, Captain Cassian Andor and Jyn Erso do the same in Rogue One to sneak into the Imperial records building.

You know that scream whenever a Stormtrooper dies? There's a name for it. Similar to stock photos, the Wilhelm Scream is a stock sound effect that's been used in more than 200 films. Star Wars wasn't the first to include it in their film (that honor goes to the 1951 film Distant Drums), but it helped the effect gain new popularity. Listen for it in Rogue One.

If our fearless rebels walking through that strange marketplace at the beginning of Rogue One looks familiar, it's because two characters have been plucked straight out of the infamous Cantina scene in A New Hope!

Those tall, winged fighters are a distinct symbol of the Rebellion, so it makes sense that they would also appear in a movie centered on the same thing.

Short for All Terrain Armored Transport, these walking armored vehicles are infamously used by the ground forces of the Galactic Empire. They first appear in The Empire Strikes Back during the Battle of Hoth, and come in varying forms such as the two-legged AT-ST (All Terrain Scout Transport) in Return of the Jedi and the AT-OT (All Terrain Open Transport) as seen in Revenge of the Sith. In Rogue One, we see AT-ACT (All Terrain Armoured Cargo Transport) walkers wreaking havoc on the rebels during the final battle.

Perhaps the most famous line in the franchise, it is first said by General Dodonna in A New Hope, just before the rebels attack the Death Star. Since then, it's been used as term of good will by Jedi and non-Jedi alike including Qui-Gon Jin, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Han Solo. In Rogue One, Jyn Erso says it to a small group of rebels just before hey embark on their near-impossible mission to steal the Death Star plans.