17. Spark of Rebellion (rebels)

Set 15 years after Revenge of the Sith and 5 years before A New Hope, Star Wars: Rebels brings viewers back to a familiar period in Star Wars history. In the pilot “Spark of a Rebellion”, viewers are introduced to the crew of the Ghost-- Rebels fighting to free the galaxy from the rule of the Empire. The unit includes a former Jedi named Kanan, Twi’lek pilot Hera, Mandalorian Sabine, Lasat warrior Zeb, and a mildly insane droid called Chopper. The ragtag group encounters a Force sensitive street urchin named Ezra Bridger when both he and the crew attempt to steal a cache of weapons from the Empire.

From an orphan discovering his talents in the force to the use of classic Ralph McQuarrie designs, Rebels is loaded with nods, eggs, and connections to the original trilogy. The show even makes sure to have a desert planet with a connection to the Force, subbing Tatooine, Jedha, or Jakku for Lothal.  We’ve also gotten a quick glimpse of the Ghost in action as part of the Rebel fleet in a recent TV spot. To see how the Phoenix Squad gets from Lothal to Yavin, you’ll need to start here.

16. The Onderon Arc (clone warS)

When Lucasfilm revealed who Forest Whitaker would be playing in Rogue One, fans of The Clone Wars rejoiced. It was announced the Academy Award winner would portray a character named Saw Gerrera, who was actually introduced in the 5th season of Clone Wars, but was originally created for the live-action Star Wars TV show that never escaped development hell. Once George Lucas realized the show was too expensive, they spread the ideas around into other projects.

On the planet of Onderon, Separatist forces are ing a false king in a bid to keep the planet in the Confederacy. Saw and his sister fight against those forces, while also trying to win the allegiance if the people. The Jedi Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker are sent to train the insurgent Rebels in tactics and weaponry, but are prohibited from engaging the enemy.

These four episodes see Saw Gerrera go from brash punk to a battle-hardened soldier who knows the true cost of a rebellion. Just as the audience is introduced to Saw, they are also introduced to the basis of the Rebel Alliance. It was during the insurgency of Onderon that Ahsoka Tano would get her first taste of fighting and spreading a guerrilla war.

15. The Forgotten Droid (rebels)

The tradition of droid companions is as essential to Star Wars as poison is to a Shakespeare tragedy. Naturally, Rogue One will have a few robotic staff of its own. Alan Tudyk's K-2SO is the first droid in the films to be shown as a turncoat from the Empire. Reprogrammed to serve the rebellion by Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), K-2SO has developed his own personality in a post-Imperial life. Though K-2SO is serving in the Rebellion, his existence isn’t exactly one of servitude. He's got more in common with the astromech Chopper from Rebels than C-3PO.

While there’s no shortage of amazing Chopper moments to choose from, the Season 3 episode "The Forgotten Droid" is a stand-out solo astromech adventure. After managing to get himself left behind on an Imperial refueling station and finding his way on board another ship, Chopper meets an inventory droid. After commiserating over past battles as a strategy droid during the Clone Wars and their shared lack of respect from others, Chopper removes AP-5’s restraining bolt and recruits him into the Rebellion. The astromech droid even sacrifices his newly acquired leg to save AP-5-- a turn for the character who had, during a previous episode, kicked another droid into the atmosphere in a fit of jealousy.

14. The Gathering (clone wars)

Central to the story of Rogue One is what powers the Death Star’s devastating laser cannon. While we know the Rebels were able to take advantage of an exhaust port to destroy it, it was never fully detailed how the space station’s laser weapon functioned. Guidance by Rogue One director Gareth Edwards gives us a pretty good idea about what is giving it that extra kick-- kyber crystals.

Audiences' first non-Legends exposure to kyber crystals was in the Clone Wars episode "The Gathering". It follows a group of Jedi younglings who are escorted to the planet Ilum by Ahsoka Tano. There, Yoda would guide the younglings in a ritual to earn kyber crystals for building their first lightsabers. The characters from the episode were originally slated for their own spin-off, but, considering the younglings' fate in Revenge of the Sith, it’s probably better that "Young Padawan Adventures" didn’t move forward.

In the Rebels episode "Path of the Jedi", Ezra must face a spiritual challenge from Master Yoda to earn his kyber crystal. Unique among lightsabers, the hilt that Ezra has built can do more than focus energies into a blade, it can also be used as a blaster. While this may be the first time you’ve seen a kyber crystal focus a laser, it seems it won’t be the last.

13. Breaking Ranks (rebels)

Just as the Nazis conscripted scientists to work in their war machine, so too did the Empire. With Death Troopers flanking him, Director Krennic (Ben Mendehlson) recruits Mads Mikkelson’s Galen Erso to work on the Death Star in an international trailer for Rogue One. In recent TV spots, Jyn’s mother is seen giving her a crystal necklace while telling her to trust in the Force. It’s been widely assumed that this is a kyber crystal and Galen Erso is being forced to weaponize them for the Empire. If this is true, it would definitely connect with what’s been happening with kyber crystals on Rebels.

In the sixth episode of the show, Ezra has to go undercover at the Imperial Academy on Lothal in attempt to gain access to a decoder. Hera and Kanan need the device to locate and destroy a kyber crystal shipment. While the episode shows Ezra making friends and influencing Rebels at the Academy, it would appear this one-off tale may have been playing a larger part in the Star Wars narrative. Now that we are getting a peek at the bigger picture, it's easy to assume those kyber crystals were probably heading to Scariff and an under-construction Death Star.

12. Tartokovsky’s The Clone Wars

In much the same way that Luke had to imagine his father’s victories as a hero of the Clone Wars, Star Wars nerds would have to wait over 20 years to see them in action. While promoting Attack of the Clones, George Lucas acknowledged the third film would start at the wrap of the war, leaving (at that time) most of those years unexplored. In 2003, Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartokovsky would step up to show us wartime through a Star Wars lense in The Clone Wars. Thanks to Tartokovsky’s unique perspective, the series was one of the first breaks from George Lucas’ vision of the universe. Tartokovsky said his goal was for the show to be Star Wars “with a Band of Brothers-feel to it.” The pairing worked and thankfully it's one we’ll be seeing again soon.

In addition to Gareth Edwards's unique perspective as a filmmaker, Lucasfilm also brought some of that Band of Brothers-feel to Rogue One via producer and current president of production at Lucasfilm, Tony To. To was the co-executive producer on Band of Brothers and its follow up The Pacific. When Edwards first spoke about Rogue One, he mentioned they would be delving into "the nature of war." Positive reaction to the first 28 minutes of the film confirm that stylistically, this war film is going to be the bomb.

11. The Honorable Ones (rebels)

The planet Geonosis is now deeply entrenched in Star Wars lore. From the site of the first battle of the Clone Wars in Episode II to being the initial construction site of the Death Star, Geonosis has seem some sh*t. While the planet itself may not be featured in the Rogue One, its legacy will live on.

Lucasfilm has smartly been using Rebels to connect the threads of the Death Star’s story. In the second season episode “The Honorable Ones”, the crew of the Ghost journey to Geonosis only to find Imperial building platforms orbiting the now-dead planet. The secret weapons project that started here had moved on years ago, leaving the planet “sterilized” by bombardment. The 3rd season finale, “Ghosts of Geonosis”, will see the Rebel crew return to the planet, though fans will have to wait until January to find out how the episodes connect to the Death Star and Rogue One.

10. The Malevolence Trilogy (clone wars)

If Rogue One is the “Lost Film” of the original Star Wars trilogy, then The Malevolence Arc is easily the classic Star Wars film we all wanted from the prequel era and never received. Starting in the third episode of The Clone Wars, the Separatists have a new weapon and flagship in the Malevolence. Commanded by General Grievous, the ship uses a massive ION weapon on its hull to render entire fleets inert and useless.

The three episode arc has all of the trappings the prequels failed to include, like our heroes facing an overwhelming weapon of mass destruction, a small squadron of pilots disabling said weapon, and rescuing a princess from the weapon while getting separated from two droids. The storyline is essentially an out-of-sequence answer to the plots of A New Hope and subsequently The Force Awakens. Additionally, we would see the in-story introduction of the Y-Wing Bomber, though Star Wars fans recall them from the Battle of Yavin. Unfortunately for us, this was not the saga that Lucas would create for The Clone Wars' release in theaters.

9. a Call to Action (rebels)

The cadre of villainy in Star Wars is nothing short of “impressive. Most impressive.” But the calculating and cool demeanor of one Imperial in particular has us excited for his return. While Darth Vader may get all the cool points for his lightsaber, shiny helmet, and Force-choking, the true villain of A New Hope is one Grand Moff Tarkin. Governor of the outland regions and charged with hunting down the Rebellion, Tarkin would order the torture of Princess Leia, destroy Alderaan with the Death Star, and generally outsmart the Rebels at every turn-- even using Leia’s rescue to locate the Rebel base on Yavin. Had it not been for an exhaust port, Tarkin would have earned the win for Palpatine.

To see Tarkin’s rise to power, watch the Rebels episode “A Call to Action”. As the Rebellion on Lothal grows, the Empire reassigns Moff Tarkin to the planet in an effort to break its spirit and get it in line. Knowing that the Rebels are targeting a communication array, Tarkin lays a trap for the crew of the Ghost. The episode is great because it introduces one of the classic Star Wars villains to the cast of Rebels, but it also introduces the rebellion to the wider planet of Lothal. For even more Tarkin duplicity, watch the Clone Wars arc "The Wrong Jedi" to see iral Tarkin play prosecutor against a falsely accused Ahsoka Tano, leading her to leave the Jedi order.

8. Crystal Crisis on Utapau (clone wars)

Kyber crystals were always intended to be a large part of the Star Wars universe. In a draft of what would become A New Hope, Jedi actually wore the crystals around their necks to focus the energies of the Force. Wanting to remove the hokiness from the Order, the crystals were cut. They would return as the crystals that Jedi use to focus the energies in their lightsabers. And apparently, as we’ll see in Rogue One, Emperor Palpatine will use them to power the Death Star’s laser weapon. As we saw in Rebels’ “Breaking Ranks”, the empire is attempting to get kyber crystals from across the galaxy for a secret weapons project. How long has the undercover Darth Sidious been searching for these crystals? Since before he was Emperor.

After the cancellation of Clone Wars, StarWars.com released the completed story reels for the "Crystal Crisis on Utapau" arc. The completed animatics tell the story of Anakin and Obi-Wan on a mission to disrupt a weapons deal. At the center of the deal was the largest kyber crystal Kenobi had ever seen. In the animatics, we find out from Yoda there were once great weapons in the galaxy that many believed were myth. These weapons had massive destructive powers with kyber crystals at their core. The arc is a fantastic epilogue to the series, even if incomplete.