Star Wars: Everyone Missed This Classic Bounty Hunter's Cameo in Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is now streaming on Disney+ (along with the entire Skywalker [...]
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is now streaming on Disney+ (along with the entire Skywalker Saga), giving fans the chance to get a much deeper look at the final chapter that director J.J. Abrams and co. created for the screen. Naturally, as the Star Wars fandom examines Rise of Skywalker in greater detail, they are finding exciting new Easter eggs and connections they didn't spot the first time around - including a cameo from one of the iconic Star Wars bounty hunters from The Empire Strikes Back! It was an appearance that pretty much everyone missed, but now you can see it for a yourself, below:
A crazy Star Wars thing is that a character that briefly appeared in The Rise of Skywalker is Dengar, one of Darth Vader’s bounty hunters from The Empire Strikes Back. pic.twitter.com/dwGGBLPB9e
— Alan Johnson (@TheAlanJohnson) January 7, 2020
From Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker The Visual Dictionary:
"Rothgar Deng - Rothgar is an old and experienced Corelian bounty hunter, who is likely operating under an alias. He has been subjecting himself to cybernetic replacements in a poorly planned bid to live and work forever. As age began slowing his reflexes and gulling his senses, Rothgar turned to black-market surgical clinics to replace damaged or wizened body parts with ones that will give him an advantage in his dangerous trade. Poor decision making has led to a ghastly appearance."
It's okay if you are a hardcore Star Wars fan but still didn't put two-and-two together to recognize "Rothgar Deng" as "Dengar," during The Rise of Skywalker's introduction of Babu Frick on Planet Kijimi. Dengar was the bounty hunter that worked alongside Star Wars icons like Boba Fett and Bossk throughout the Clone Wars era, as part of young Boba's bounty hunter squad, Krayt's Claw (see: Clone Wars episodes "Bounty" and "Eminence"). Dengar went on to continue working with Boba Fett (often for Jabba the Hutt) into the era of the Galactic Empire, and was one of the bounty hunters that Darth Vader hired to track down Han Solo in Empire Strikes Back. He survived the Galactic Civil War and managed to get a full pardon by the New Republic, returning to bounty hunter work in the Sequel Trilogy era.
While not explicitly confirmed, all the signs are there to connect Dengar with "Rothgar Deng." The names are clearly similar, and since Dengar was given a fresh start by the New Republic, it would make sense that he would have new identity, given how infamous he was in the galaxy for serving by both the Separatists and Empire during those dark eras. More to the point: Rothgar Deng is described as a Corelian "experienced" bounty hunter obsessed with preserving his life forever to continue his trade, using black market cybernetics. That sounds like something Dengar would totally do!
In the end, we all know Star Wars has a penchant (obsession?) with recycling characters throughout the Skywalker Saga (Palpatine...) - so hey, what's one more, right? Best yet: there's plenty of room for Rothgar Deng / Dengar to once again show up in The Mandalorian's upcoming season, given how that show is our big insight into what happened to bounty hunters in the early days after the Empire's fall. By then, Dengar wouldn't have fully become the grotesque Robocop monster we see above - but he'd be well on his way, after the Battle of Jakku.
The entire Star Wars Skywalker Saga is now streaming on Disney+.