New Star Wars ANH extended scene ties in Sith and Rogue One
A new "Extended Death Star Meeting Scene" has surfaced at Star Wars Celebration 2017. In this scene, generally known for its first appearance of Tarkin and discussion of the power of the Death Star, we hear the word "Sith" for the first time in the original trilogy. We also hear mention of the bureaucratic meaning of the Death Star. While it's not clear whether the makers of Rogue One had access to the scene we're seeing today, it IS clear that major potential for coincidence is alive and well here in 2017.
The Clip
The clip you're about to see was shown by John Knoll at Star Wars Celebration 2017. This scene shows several inconsequential things – things we already knew – as well as a few oddities. The strangest thing you're going to hear, if you've not heard it before, is David Prowse's voice as Darth Vader – later to be replaced by James Earl Jones.
That same panel at Star Wars Celebration 2017 showed a couple of other tidbits, like the following outtake. This, like the clip above, is considered to be "RARE" because it's not often been seen in public. Both this and the clip above are not included in the Blu-Ray release (or any release of the film before now).
The Sith
Before today, the word "Sith" hadn't been used onscreen in a Star Wars movie until Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace. It had been used in the script and novelization and screenplay and all sorts of stuff for the original films, but never seemed to fit into the final films. Now it's in there – sort of.
If you're the sort of person who likes to imagine that everything that's happened in the films is real, this implies a few things. It implies that imperial leadership knew that they were being led by a pair of Sith Lords well before it was revealed to the galaxy en masse around the time of the Battle of Endor and the destruction of the second Death Star. By and large the galaxy wouldn't necessarily believe in the Jedi and the Sith and The Force for many years after Order 66 – as evidenced in The Force Awakens.
Governor Tarkin
In a single line, far earlier on in the film series than we've seen before, we find that Tarkin's bid for power. "I think the construction of this station has more to do with Governor Tarkin's bid for recognition than any prudent military strategy." – General Tagge. This fits well with what's presented in Star Wars: Rogue One. In Rogue One, Tarkin is shown to essentially dismiss Director Krennic's contribution to the Death Star – the superlaser – and claim it for his own.
Tagge is best known for his warning of the potential of the Rebels in destroying the first Death Star. As Tagge said in the final cut of A New Hope: "If the Rebels have obtained a complete technical readout of this battlestation it is possible—however unlikely—that they might find a weakness, and exploit it."
The official canon comic Darth Vader I includes a discussion between Darth Vader and Darth Sidious (Emperor Palpatine) which shows how the Sidious recognized the tenacity of Tagge's warning. "Tagge always argued against the arrogance of the Death Star as a sole weapon," said Sidious. "He alone was properly wary of the Rebels' threat."
Incidentally – or perhaps intelligently – Tagge left the Death Star to investigate the Rebellion's evacuated base of operations. Because of Leia's false lead to Dantooine, Tagge survived the destruction of the Death Star at the Battle of Yavin. After the Battle of Yavin, Tagge was elevated from a rank of Chief of the Imperial Army to Grand General by Sidious (Emperor Palpatine.)