Star Wars Rogue One: 37 Easter Eggs & References You Must See
16. The Weapons Test
A pivotal scene in Rogue One sees Krennic carrying out an impromptu weapons test on the planet Jedha, using the Death Star to obliterate a significant chunk of Saw Gerrera's resistance faction (including Gerrera himself).
This is undoubtedly a tribute to the Star Wars weapons test trope, which first occurred in A New Hope (where Moff Tarkin used the Death Star to destroy Alderaan), and again in The Force Awakens (where General Hux uses the Starkiller Base's laser to obliterate Hosnian Prime and four other planets in the Hosnian system).