Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Rebels - S3E18 - "Secret Cargo"

4:01 - Hera (after Ezra's distracted by ships exiting hyperspace):  "Nevermind, stay on target!"  One of the Gold Squadron pilot also says, "Stay on target" in A New Hope [1:50:43].

4:37 - Erskin Semaj:  "Captain Syndulla, I presume?"  Perhaps just coincidentally, this has the same structure as Henry Stanley's famous greeting "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"

11:06 - Thrawn (to Governor Pryce):  "Take Admiral Konstantine to the far side of the nebula and wait there.  When our fighters flush the Rebels out into the open, you'll be in position to capture Senator Mon Mothma alive.  She could be our key to locating the true Rebel fleet."
Pryce:  "As you wish, Grand Admiral."

There are two echoes to note here:  Palpatine's instructions to Vader in Return of the Jedi begin in a similar way:  "Send the fleet to the far side of Endor; there it will stay until called for" [53:44], and the phrase "As you wish" occurs a number of times in the original trilogy:  in A New Hope, Vader says it after Tarkin asks him to release General Motti from his Force choke [38:45]; in The Empire Strikes Back, Boba Fett says it after Vader warns the bounty hunters against disintegrations [1:06:22]; in Return of the Jedi, Vader says it twice more in conversations with the Emperor [39:16 and 1:07:38], and Admiral Piett says it to Vader ("As you wish, my lord") [56:13].  In The Phantom Menace, Nute Gunray says, "As you wish" at the end of a conversation with Darth Sidious [5:04], and in Revenge of the Sith, Captain Typho says, "As you wish, my lady," to Padmé [1:41:23].

14:24 - Hera (to Gold Leader):  "Put all power in your deflector screens."  Gold Leader himself says something similar as the Y-wings begin their run on the Death Star in A New Hope:  "Switch all power to front deflector screen.  Switch all power to front deflector screen." [1:49:42]

17:58 - Zeb:  "Hera, what's the plan!?"
Hera:  "We're not gonna be able to break free.  I'm sorry, Senator; I'm going to have to shut her down."

There are two echoes, here, too.  In A New Hope, Han asks Luke almost the same thing:  "What's your plan?" [1:11:56].  Earlier, when the Millennium Falcon is caught in a tractor beam, Han has the same response:  "There's nothing I can do about it, kid; I'm full power.  I'm gonna have to shut down." [1:04:57]

18:34 - Hera (to Ezra):  "We're caught in a tractor beam.  Can you break us free?"  Han gives the same explanation in A New Hope:  "We're caught in a tractor beam; it's pullin' us in" [1:04:53].

19:52 - Erskin:  "We're coming up on the rendezvous point."  In A New Hope, Han uses the same expression when he says, "Looks like we're coming up on Alderaan" [1:02:27].