Edwards will apparently pop up in another Star Wars movie too, namely Star Wars: Episode VIII, but it’s unknown what small role he will be taking on.
As cameos go, Edwards’ is perhaps not as cool as Daniel Craig’s appearance as a stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but it’s still a solid cameo.
Without Edwards’ character’s quick-thinking, the Tantive IV would never have (momentarily) escaped Darth Vader, the Death Star plans would never have been put inside RD-D2 and the entire Star Wars story would never have taken off.
Later on when his grandkids are sitting on his knee, he can tell them he not only directed a Star Wars movie, he’s also in the same one.