If you’ve been watching Star Wars long enough, you’ve probably noticed there’s one number that keeps popping up: 1138. It’s not the code to the Death Star trash compactor, and it’s not some secret clone designation you missed in the lore. It’s something even cooler — a nod to George Lucas’s very first feature film, THX 1138.
Ever since A New Hope, Lucas has been sneaking “1138” into his movies like a hidden signature. Sometimes it’s spoken out loud, sometimes it’s tucked away on a background monitor, and sometimes it’s disguised as a trooper’s ID.
So in today’s article, we’re breaking down 10 times the number 1138 appeared in Star Wars — and you might have missed them all.
The Origin of 1138
Before we jump into the Easter egg moments, let’s talk about the number 1138, why it keeps showing up in Star Wars, and how it even connects to 2187. In case you didn’t know, 1138 comes from the title of George Lucas’s 1971 debut feature film, THX 1138. It’s a bleak, dystopian sci-fi about a future where people live underground and are controlled by an oppressive state. The main character’s name is literally THX 1138 — a designation instead of a real name, perfectly matching the movie’s themes about individuality being stripped away.
That film itself grew out of Lucas’s inspiration from Arthur Lipsett’s short 21-87, which explored similar ideas about humanity in a machine-dominated world. As a nod to that film, Lucas slipped the number 2187 into A New Hope as Leia’s cell number — and later, J.J. Abrams reused it for Finn’s designation, FN-2187. Meanwhile, Lucas carried his own spin on that influence by turning 21-87 into THX 1138, and then hiding “1138” throughout the saga like a personal signature.
Lucas has always been sentimental about THX 1138. It was his first big swing as a filmmaker — the movie that caught Hollywood’s attention and set him on the path to making Star Wars. When A New Hope came out in 1977, he slipped “1138” into a line of dialogue as a little wink to anyone who knew his earlier work. That one hidden reference sparked a tradition, and Star Wars creators have kept it alive for decades.
1138 Easter Eggs
1. A New Hope
So, “this is where the fun begins.” Let’s kick things off with the Original Trilogy. Starting with A New Hope — if you don’t remember, there’s a quick little moment when Han and Luke disguise themselves in stolen stormtrooper armor and pretend to transfer Chewbacca to a prison cell. An Imperial officer stops them and asks, “Where are you taking this… thing?” Without missing a beat, Luke replies, “Prisoner transfer from Cell Block 1138.”
Later on, the droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are in a control room on the Death Star. If you look very closely, the numbers THX-1138 are visible on a video monitor on the wall beside them.
Later, we get another quick nod to 1138. When C-3PO and R2-D2 are in a Death Star control room, take a close look at one of the wall monitors behind them. If you freeze-frame at just the right moment, you can spot the numbers THX/1138 faintly displayed on the screen.
2. Empire Strikes Back
Jumping to The Empire Strikes Back, we get a more subtle reference. Right before the Battle of Hoth kicks off, General Rieekan gives the order for Rogues 10 and 11 to head to Station 3-8.
3. Return of the Jedi
In Return of the Jedi, the 1138 reference is so well-hidden you’d never catch it unless you zoom in on the costume. When Leia shows up at Jabba’s Palace disguised as the bounty hunter Boushh, there’s a string of small Aurebesh letters and numbers etched into the side of her helmet — and right there among them is 1138.
4. The Phantom Menace
In The Phantom Menace, there’s an 1138 hidden during the battle over Naboo — but you’ll need a sharp eye (and probably a pause button) to spot it. When Jar Jar shoves over a B1 battle droid on the Trade Federation control ship, look at the back of its com-link booster pack. Printed there, in Trade Federation script, is the number 1138. Even without a translation guide, the digits are pretty easy to make out once you know where to look.
5. Attack of the Clones
In Attack of the Clones, the first 1138 moment happens during the Battle of Geonosis. As Mace Windu makes his way back toward Obi-Wan in the middle of the fight, there’s a brief shot where a B1 battle droid is standing with its back to the camera right next to Mace. On the back of its booster pack, you can clearly see 1138 printed in Trade Federation script. Blink and you’ll miss it, but if you pause at the right moment, it’s right there in plain sight.
6. Revenge of the Sith
In Revenge of the Sith, the 1138 Easter egg comes in the form of a clone designation you never actually hear on screen. The script identifies Clone Marshal Commander Bacara, the clone who leads the charge against Ki-Adi-Mundi on Mygeeto, as CC-1138.
7. Andor
Most 1138 Easter eggs are literal, you hear the number in dialogue or see it printed somewhere. Andor takes a different route.
Andor actually sneaks in two “1138” nods. The more direct one comes in Season 1, during Cassian’s time in the Narkina 5 prison complex. The facility is made up of endless, blinding-white hallways and massive work floors where inmates are known only by their numbers. In one scene, as Cassian is being marched through with the other prisoners, you can spot one inmate wearing the designation “THX 1138” on his uniform.
Then, in Season 2, Episode 11, the show tips its hat again, but this time in a visual way. When Dedra Meero is shown in an ISB detention cell, the surveillance monitor’s blue graphics, crosshair grid, and clean minimalist layout look almost identical to the iconic detention scene in THX 1138 (1971).
8. Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Skeleton Crew flips the script a bit. In Season 1, Episode 7 (“We’re Gonna Be in So Much Trouble”), the crew finds themselves inside the At Attin Mint — a massive, high-security vault complex. As they explore, a safety droid casually notes there are “1,139 vaults” in total. On its own, it’s just background chatter. But if you count the one they’re already in, that leaves 1,138 more, a clever nod to Lucas’s first feature film, THX 1138.
Instead of simply showing or saying the number like most Star Wars projects, Skeleton Crew hides it in a throwaway line, turning it into a little math puzzle for sharp-eyed (and sharp-eared) fans to catch.