Disney is no stranger to Easter Eggs, references, and fan-service inside jokes within their fandoms. From Star Wars to Marvel, fans have combed over every frame of every project produced by these studios. Don't believe me? A quick search through YouTube will turn up numerous videos identifying every Easter Egg in every nook and cranny of the film or show. This is especially true for the most recent entries in the Star Wars universe, the sequel trilogy and the Disney+ series. While there is no shortage of references to point out in The Last Jedi, here we will be focusing on a specific Easter Egg that occurs during the opening space battle, as the Resistance attempts to evacuate their base on D'Qar.

Reddit user Stalemate9 must have been watching Episode VIII: The Last Jedi extremely closely to discover this reference to a fan-favorite smuggler and captain of the Millennium Falcon; Han Solo. The Easter Egg takes the form of a message, written to the villainous First Order, much in the style of World War II pilots who would add similar messages to their ordinance and paint their planes to look like fearsome animals. The message (which can be seen below), written on the side of a bomb in the Star Wars alphabet, Aurebesh, reads "Han says hi". Clearly the Resistance has been informed of Han Solo's death at the hands of his son, Kylo Ren, during the Battle of Starkiller Base. Given Rey and Finn's instant recognition of the legend of Han Solo, as both General and smuggler, when they meet him in Force Awakens, it is little surprise that the crew of a Resistance bomber would know of Han and that he would be a hero to them. It is also unsurprising that these largely guerilla fighters would want a small amount of payback against the First Order, and downing a dreadnaught in Han's name would certainly help satisfy that thirst for vengeance.

The Resistance’s message to the First Order

As the Resistance scrambles their last shuttle off the planet, Poe Dameron moves the Resistance's MG-100 StarFortress bombing fleet into position to take out the dreadnaught, in what would turn out to be an unwise move. The large, slow-moving bombers are easy pickings for the swift and nimble TIE fighters of the First Order. The entirety of the bombing wing is annihilated save for one ship, whose bombardier has been killed by an explosion inside the ship. Rose's sister, Paige Tico, the gunner of the craft, races to drop the bombers payload as the lone ship cruises over the dreadnaught. The Easter Egg bomb in question can be seen at the 11:00 minute mark in the film as Paige drops the MG-100's payload and vaporizes the First Order ship. Unfortunately she and the last surviving bomber are caught in the blast and destroyed.

It is no secret that much of Star Wars was inspired by the Western, Samurai, and dogfighting films of George Lucas' childhood. In fact, to properly envision what the space battle over the Death Star in the original 1977 Star Wars should look like, Lucas viewed and edited multiple scenes from WWII fighter pilot films. This also translates into the opening conflict of The Last Jedi as a First Order dreadnaught moves into position to obliterate the Resistance base and wipe out their small fleet. The MG-100s flying against the dreadnaught are clearly coded as Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, a common bombing craft used during the Second World War to destroy ground-based targets and one that Allied fighters were often tasked with protecting.

This Easter Egg, nestled in a scene rife with action, intensity, and visually stunning special effects may be hard to find upon first viewing. However, once fans noticed the lettering painted on the bomb, it was only a matter of time before those fans fluent in Aurebesh worked out the message. While it may be a small addition to the movie, it still helps the Star Wars universe feel vibrant and adds depth to even the smallest of characters, such as Paige Tico.

Source: Reddit

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