As a lifelong Star Wars enthusiast and someone who grew up watching the original trilogy on repeat, I was absolutely thrilled to see Disney+ delve into the post-Return of the Jedi era with “Skeleton Crew.” The series is a delightful blend of nostalgia and freshness, perfectly capturing that sense of wonder and adventure that made me fall in love with this galaxy far, far away.
As a gamer, I can’t help but feel like I’ve stumbled upon an interstellar treasure hunt! The new Disney+ series, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, is brimming with hidden gems, and the recent two-episode premiere introduced us to four thrill-seekers from the suburbs of At Attin. They’re not your ordinary neighbors though; they’re on a quest to discover the mythical “lost planet of eternal treasure,” as pirate legends would have it.
Setting off on a journey far from the safety of the blossoming New Republic, I, along with Wim, Neel, Fern, and KB, find ourselves on an unforgettable adventure. Joined by the Force-wielding Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law) and the quirky, somewhat rusty pirate droid SM-33 (Nick Frost), captain of the Onyx Cinder, our lives take an unexpected turn when we accidentally awaken Fern’s new captain, SM-33, after stowing away on board.
In this article, we’ll uncover several hidden gems that you may not have noticed in the initial two episodes of “Skeleton Crew,” titled “This Could Be a Real Adventure” and “Way, Way Out Past the Barrier.
Star Tours
The tram driving Wim and Neel to school resembles a robot reminiscent of RX-24, also known as “Rex,” who used to pilot StarSpeeders, transporting space travelers in the original Star Tours attraction at Disney’s theme parks, before C-3PO took over. Now, you might recognize this beloved character from the animated series Star Wars Rebels, where he appears as DJ R-3X, the resident DJ at Oga’s Cantina, found in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, a location nestled within Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu in the Outer Rim.
The Great Work
In the era of Star Wars storytelling known as The High Republic, Fern’s mother, Fara (Kerry Condon), gives a career assessment test to students. This test is designed to guide them towards contributing to At Attin’s part in Fara’s vision for the Great Work, which aims to keep the Republic peaceful and strong.
The Old Republic
In the scene, Wim’s father, Wendle (Tunde Adebimpe), provides him with money for lunch, which turns out to be Old Republic credits in pristine condition. This catches the eye of a corrupt fry cook (Anthony Atamanuik) trying to extort debt from Wim. This incident attracts unwanted attention from unsavory characters in Port Borgo (more details on that later), causing Wim to secretly stash his valuable “dataries.” The term “dataries” was first used when Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) attempted to use 20,000 of them to buy a T-14 hyperdrive generator on Tatooine in The Phantom Menace, but the merchant Watto (Andy Secombe) informed him that these credits had no value outside of the Republic.
The Star Wars Holiday Special
At Wim’s visit to Neel’s residence, his charming family – baby Tuloo and twins Jobo and Jorko – can be spotted engrossed in watching the identical circus hologram from the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special, which is displayed on the screen in Chewbacca’s Wookiee family home on their planet Kashyyyk.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Wim’s neighborhood shares similarities with “Spielburbia,” a term coined for the suburban vision depicted by Steven Spielberg in his work. More precisely, this area nestled amidst verdant hills at Att Attin resembles the suburbs portrayed in Spielberg’s 1982 movie, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Notice the likeness between E.T. and another of his films, Skeleton Crew.
The Goonies
Running into a pirate’s skeleton, set off by a sharp musical note, aboard the ship named Onyx Cinder echoes a similar scene in The Goonies, where the camera swiftly moves upon discovering the skeleton of One-Eyed Willy, the pirate captain. This quick-moving camera moment is reminiscent of the popular film The Goonies, which co-creators Jon Watts and Chris Ford have acknowledged as a significant inspiration for Skeleton Crew.
SM-33
The primary assistant aboard the Onyx Cinder is referred to as SM-33, or simply “33”, a character modeled after Mr. Smee – the trusted crew member under Captain Hook on the Jolly Roger from the story of Peter Pan.
Previously, the filmmaker responsible for “Way, Way Out Past the Barrier,” David Lowery, had also directed the movie “Peter Pan & Wendy” in 2023. In this production, the actor took on the role of the notorious pirate captain Hook.
Star Wars Rebels and Andor
Although SM-33’s data storage doesn’t show any information about At Attin, the droid mentions a few planets with similar names from the Star Wars universe: Atollon, which was the site of Chopper Base in Star Wars Rebels; and Aldhani, a world known for its sulfurous swamps where the Empire had an outpost, as depicted on Andor.
Port Borgo: Borgo Prime
The starbase that SM-33 guides the children towards is known as Port Borgo, a notorious hub of criminal activity where one might either find a comfortable bed or an early grave. This pirate haven shares its name with Borgo Prime, a place now recognized in Star Wars lore as part of Star Wars Legends. In the 1995 novel “Young Jedi Knights: Shadow Academy,” written within Star Wars Legends, Luke Skywalker visits a disreputable starport on asteroid Borgo Prime, described as teeming with individuals devoid of morality – thieves, murderers, and beings who would just as soon kill you as welcome you.
The Teek Ferryman
The small ferryman transporting kids to the dock is a creature similar to Teeks, forest dwellers that are monkey-like in appearance and are known for scavenging and stealing from other animals’ homes, much like Ewoks. This unnamed ferryman shares resemblance with Teek and Yeep, two Teeks from the Legends series, who make appearances in non-canonical productions such as Star Tours and the TV movie Ewoks: The Battle for Endor.
The Acolyte and Alien Species
In Port Borgo, you’ll encounter various alien life forms such as the Theelin Melna (portrayed by Paloma Garcia-Lee), who attempted to escort Fern and KB onto a transport when she cautioned them about the town being swarming with the most vicious pirates in the region. Another resident is Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen), a Jedi padawan from the Star Wars series The Acolyte, who was of half-human and half-Theelin descent, having been trained under Jedi Master Sol during The High Republic period.
In episode 2, several alien species were seen, such as:
Vane
In Port Borgo, it’s common to cross paths with the pirate Vane, played by Marti Matulis, who was once a member of Gorian Shard’s crew in the Dalicron sector. However, their pirate group met its end when they were vanquished by Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) from the Mandalorians in “Chapter 21” of season 3 on Nevarro, as depicted in The Mandalorian. After Captain Shard’s ship, the Corsair, was sunk, Vane decided to desert.
Et tu, Brutus?
The pirate resembling a werewolf who instigates a rebellion against Captain Silvo, who bears a striking resemblance to Jude Law, takes place on a cargo ship. This pirate is Brutus (Fred Tatasciore), belonging to the Shistavanen species that debuted in the Star Wars cantina back in 1977’s “Star Wars: A New Hope” (in “Legends,” this lupine character was identified as Lak Sivrak).
Lobot
At Port Borgo, children notice Jaleel White’s pirate character, Gunter, sporting an advanced robotic device known as the AJ^6 cyborg construct. This device, which is well-known from the Star Wars universe, has previously been worn by characters like Lobot, a longtime assistant of Lando Calrissian, who debuted in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in the 1980s. It has also been used by other characters such as Tseebo, a Rodian, and Echo, the clone trooper who underwent cyborg reconstruction, both of whom are recognized from various Star Wars series including Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and The Bad Batch.
Snowball
The small rodent with glasses, who’s caused issues in SM-33’s circuits leading to memory loss, is known as Snowball. This name seems to be inspired by the 1960 British film titled “Snowball“, which featured Kenneth Griffith portraying Phil Hart, a bus conductor grappling with memory problems.
Captain EO
In the short film produced by George Lucas for Disney Parks, it’s the flying, furry creature that draws KB’s attention, and this critter is none other than Fuzzball, Michael Jackson’s Captain EO’s sidekick. The 17-minute movie also showcases Hooter, an elephant-like alien, who bears a striking resemblance to the species of Neel’s character.
8D8
The droid sporting tattoos, as seen inking a Klatooinian pirate, resembles an 8D-series smelter droid, much like 8D8 who tormented droids within Jabba’s Palace during “Return of the Jedi” and served Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) when he took control of Jabba the Hutt’s criminal empire in “The Book of Boba Fett”. As a tribute to the original 1983 film, “Skeleton Crew”‘s 8D spoils a tattoo depicting the Desilijic emblem of the Hutt clan, which once belonged to Jabba before his demise.
Pirates of the Caribbean
In Port Borgo, as Captain Brutus imprisoned the children within the brig, a whistle sound reminiscent of Walt Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland echoed. This particular whistle was used by three pirate characters in the ride, trapped behind bars, to lure a dog that possessed the key. In this scene, Fern, Wim, and KB appeared like the three pirates, attempting to coax Snowball into fetching a key that was tantalizingly out of reach.
According to series co-creator and director Watts, we find that they delved into numerous pirate television shows and films from the 1920s and 1930s while preparing for Skeleton Crew. This was done to establish an atmosphere of both fear and tranquility in the galaxy. Throughout the series’ eight episodes, viewers may notice several nods and homages to other works that have influenced it, such as The Goonies, E.T., the Amblin production E.T., the LucasArts game Monkey Island, and even the Lucasfilm’s own Indiana Jones franchise.
As a child, I adored “Monkey Island” and my affection for it hasn’t waned. So, the opportunity to delve into space pirates was truly a chance to reconnect with that love. Moreover, Amblin is special because they treated us children with respect. Their movies didn’t feel like typical kids’ flicks when I was young, and even now, looking back, they appear as mature films that just happened to feature child actors.
In the period following “Return of the Jedi” within the New Republic, the novel “Skeleton Crew” follows the journey of four children as they navigate the Star Wars galaxy in search of their home planet, which they’ve lost. Along their voyage, they come across peculiar alien beings and potentially hazardous locations.
Each Tuesday, the latest installments of “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” featuring Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kyriana Kratter, Robert Timothy Smith, Nick Frost, and Jude Law are exclusively available for streaming on Disney+.
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2024-12-04 02:11