Before J.J. Abrams directed Star Wars: The Force Awakens, he did two Star Trek movies. This you surely know. But did you realize that, in both of those Star Trek movies, there are scenes of people free-falling?
In the first film, it’s Kirk and Sulu trying to land on a platform. In the second one, it’s Kirk and Khan trying to shoot onto another ship. So when Star Wars Rebels came on Wednesday night, we couldn’t help but think this scene was a little nod to the director.
Those whale looking creatures are kind of Trekkie too. In Star Wars, they’re called Purrgil, and play a key role in the episode, called “The Call.” But you couldn’t watch the episode and not think, a little, about Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and how the humpback whales helped save the world.
One Star Trek wink in an episode can be a coincidence. Two? That seems a bit more obvious.
Oh, and even if you haven’t seen the 2002 movie, you probably also thought of the phrase “Whale Rider” during “The Call.” I mean look...
And fun fact: The star of Whale Rider, Keisha Castle-Hughes, plays the Queen of Naboo at the end of Revenge of the Sith.
See, I knew I could bring it back to Star Wars.