Let’s continue our listing of Star Wars Easter Eggs and reference to other popular culture from episode 2 of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, now available to stream on Disney+.
1 – The name of the droid SM-33 is an obvious reference to the character of Smee from J.M. Barry’s Peter Pan play and novel, which have been adapted into films numerous times since their original releases over a century ago, perhaps most famously by Walt Disney Animation Studios.
2 – When suggesting other possible names for the children’s home planet, SM-33 lists Atollon (which first appeared in Star Wars Rebels), Al Alcor (newly created here), and the “sulfurous bog world” Aldhani (from Star Wars: Andor).
3 – I believe the moment where Neel backs into a skeleton and its head falls down slightly is a reference to a similar beat from The Goonies. The scene with Wim and Neel exploring the pirates’ cabin is also reminiscent of the one with the kids arriving at One-Eyed Willie’s quarters in the same film.
4 – Port Borgo is likely an allusion to the real-life Port Royal in Jamaica, which served as a pirate republic in the 17th century.
5 – The Teek ferryman is of a species that first appeared in the 1985 made-for-TV movie Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, though here it’s quite a bit tinier and performed by a puppeteer instead of an actor in a suit.
6 – Among the alien species at Port Borgo are a Warthog (yes, that’s what they’re calling it), which was first seen in The Mandalorian, a Theelin from the Return of the Jedi Special Edition and Quarren from Return of the Jedi.
7 – The heavily stylized Aurebesh on the establishment that the kids decide not to enter is difficult to decipher, but I think it might say “Dance Club.”
8 – Yup, that’s a Fuzzball from the George Lucas-produced Disney Parks 3D film Captain EO in the cage. Showrunners Jon Watts and Christopher Ford have confirmed as much in recent interviews. More of them show up later in the episode as well.
9 – The tattoo-artist droid is the same model as 8D8 from Return of the Jedi, and he’s tattooing the Hutt Cartel insignia on a Klatooinian pirate. That species first appeared in the same movie.
10 – When the kids are first locked in Port Borgo’s brig, you can hear the unmistakable whistling from Disney Parks’ Pirates of the Caribbean attraction and the very famous scene where the pirates are trying to attract the attention of the dog holding the key to their cell.
BONUS: At one point SM-33 calls the kids “gremlins,” creatures which as far as I can tell (via Wookieepedia) have only ever been brought up once in a short story in the Star Wars Legends continuity. However, Gremlins is also a very popular Steven Spielberg-produced 80s comedy/horror film, so I’m going to say it half-counts!
The first two episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew are now available to stream, exclusively via Disney+.