This is another episode that’s a little light on inter-connectivity to other bits of the “Star Wars” lore, but there were definitely some winks to fans of the franchise on the show.
The first, most noticeable, would be the meilooruns on Syril’s table, next to his blue-milk cereal. Meiloorun fruit was introduced to the “Star Wars” universe in “Star Wars Rebels” and it was Hera Syndulla’s favorite snack. You can see meilooruns in person at Galaxy’s Edge inside the Docking Bay 7 quick service restaurant in the Disney theme parks.
There were some new details added in this episode to Cassian’s backstory as well as Skeen’s, as they exchange oblique information about the detention and correction camps they both spent time in. Krayt Head, “By the Hand,” and the Sipo Youth Center, were all references new for this show but are used to illustrate the sort of cages they built for people like Cassian and Skeen.
There’s a list of planets where thefts of Imperial property occurred according to Dedra and her assistant: Kessel, Fondor, Jakku, Base Cay, and Steerguard. Kessel is obviously where the spice mines are located (and one even wonders if the theft and escape she could be referencing Han Solo’s adventure there, as seen in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”) Fondor we’ve talked a lot about last week, but was the site of important Imperial shipyards. Steerguard and Base Cay seem new for this show, but Jakku’s mention is curious. At this point in the timeline, Jakku was a ball of sand that had been used by Palpatine in these years to build his contingency plan and, eventually, give birth to the First Order.
One of the biggest reveals in this episode is that Mon Mothma had a daughter. In the first episode we learned she had a husband, but now her daughter, Leida, is here. The visual storytelling of the relationships between the family of Mon Mothma speaks volumes, even their placement around the table feels reminiscent of the storytelling Orson Welles did in “Citizen Kane.” Since we see nothing of Mon Mothma’s family in her life leading the Alliance to Restore the Republic, it makes one wonder how much she had to give up in order to lead the rebellion against the Empire.