Seriously I'm surprised nobody else has made this observation in spite of comparisons with everything else. Nobody remembers this game ? It's almost like someone saw the Armada fighters, remembered this game, and realized they could do their own FFG treatment on it.
Seeing the Death Star as a playing piece reminds me immediately of the DS-on-pegs we're given in the Risk set. There, like here, you can also blow up planets by playing the right card. Usually DS systems were unassailable as well, though as I recall there might have been special cards you could play to trench-run it and destroy it....
In OT:Risk we're given dudes on a map... but there were special unit types on cardboard that could be deployed as force multipliers. Rebellion probably has it more straightforward with unit types, but still the idea is there.
Then there's the hidden base. Here the Rebels have it as their win condition but in OT: Risk it was the Empire that had this condition. The Imperial player set out bases on the table and the Rebel players had to find the Emperor to win. Of course, each base also had a stronger defense.
OT Risk expanded out to 5 with the addition of a third party, hutts and gangsters, as a neutral party in balanced games but playable at 3 and 5 players. They aren't present in Rebellion but I'd almost wager real money that a third scum faction was touched on when designing expansions for this game, and they may end up with a similar victory condition.
Lastly, dice combat. It's present here, present in risk, but of course being FFG they will design fancy dice to go with their upgraded system. It's still rolling dice instead of card-play.
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