WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Loki Episode 1, "Glorious Purpose," streaming now on Disney+.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe knows its way around a Star Wars reference. While it's not obsessive about shouting out its fellow Disney intellectual property, it isn't above referencing the galaxy far, far away. The MCU's Star Wars references have come in the form of big action set pieces and product placement. However, the one dropped in the debut episode of Loki was definitely on the subtle side.
Following Miss Minutes' Time Variance Authority explainer cartoon, the variant ahead of Loki gets in an argument with one of the TVA's Minutemen about not having a service ticket. The variant blew off grabbing one before getting in line, quipping, "What is this, a deli?" He tries to talk his way out of the situation before getting frustrated and calling the Minuteman a "buckethead." He is promptly vaporized by the Minuteman's baton.
Buckethead is a reasonable, off-the-cuff insult of the Minutemen. It's also an epithet for a group of armored authority figures in the Star Wars universe -- the Imperial Stormtroopers. While not as well known of an insult as "nerf herder," it's been widely used in Star Wars media outside of the films. The insult has been thrown around by characters from Han Solo to Poe Dameron in comics, animated series and novels. It is also the name of a 2018 fan film.
Given the TVA's mission to police time, it makes sense that they would remind variants of pop culture characters throughout history. While the variant who was pruned from reality didn't seem like he would be a stereotypical Star Wars fan, the Minuteman may have reminded him of the Stormtroopers he saw on Star Wars Rebels as a child. He may also have reached for the quickest way to call an authority figure a fascist that he could think of.
Beyond the speculation about the inner life of a doomed variant, a Stormtrooper reference hints at something darker about the TVA. Their introduction in Loki, and most of their appearances in the source material, portray them primarily as a bureaucracy. The Minutemen show that there's a darker side to their mission than even the idea of a cosmic DMV.
Like the Stormtroopers, the Minutemen do their organization's dirty work. They carry out swift, decisive violence for the TVA, as the ticketless variant found out. Beyond getting a great reaction out of Loki, his death illustrates the consequences of crossing the TVA. It's the only way to demonstrate that, given Loki had to get out of the episode in one piece.
A Stormtrooper nod broadcasts that the TVA might be as sinister as Star Wars' villainous Empire or the First Order. Whether they prove to be or not, being painted with that brush is a natural consequence for policing a beat as expansive as the entire timestream. Audiences will find out if the TVA turns out to be as bad as the bucketheads' masters as Loki's run continues.
Loki stars Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ravonna Lexus Renslayer, Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15 and Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant, Sasha Lane and Eugene Cordero in undisclosed roles. The series premieres June 9 on Disney+.