Easter Eggs and references found in each episode of the TV series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew: cameos, hidden details, hints, and references.
Episode 1
The first episode is rather slow, but this is normal. We meet the main cast and our future heroes of At Attin along with a mysterious pirate, who is betrayed by his own crew.
American Graffiti
Bonjj Phalfa, the guy that teases Fern and KB about the race is a nod to Bob Falfa. Bob Falfa is the character Harrison Ford played in American Graffiti (1973), one of the movies George Lucas made before getting the green light to shoot Star Wars.
Cereal in Star Wars
This is the second time we see someone eating cereal in Star Wars. First Syril Karn (Andor – Serason 1, Episode 5) and now Wim. Even if it’s blue(ish), at least we know that they also use milk with it!
Not an Ortolan
Despite their similarities, the little blue guy is not an Ortolan. Neel and his elephantine-looking family belong to the Myykian species.
An odd pet
An Ithorian can be spotted walking a Frog Dog when Wim goes to school. Frog Dogs are sentient creatures who often become pets to have a daily source of food. But don’t let their silly appearance fool you, they can be vile beasts. In fact, one of them has protected Jabba the Hutt from multiple assassination attempts.
Episode 2
The kids leave At Attin and head to an unknown direction for what is about to become a wild adventure. They arrive at Port Borgo, which is a pirate destination and an environment the kids have never been in before.
Mr. Smee
The old droid that the kids find on the ship, SM-33, is clearly a hint to Mr. Smee, the loyal first mate of Captain Hook from Peter Pan. SM-33 will play a key role in the kids’ adventure.
Those planets sound familiar
When the kids ask SM-33 if he can take them to At Attin their newly found friend checks his logs to see if there is any info about this mysterious planet. He mentions both Attollon and Aldhani.
Attollon is an arid planet that appears multiple times in Star Wars Rebels. This is where the Phoenix Cell established its base of operations and also the home to the Force-sensitive creature known as Bendu.
Aldhani is the stage of episodes four, five, and six of Andor. An unbelievable heist that is only possible with the combined efforts of Cassian, Cinta, Vel, Nemik, Skeen, and Taramyn.
Borgo Prime
Borgo Port is probably located in the Borgo Prime system, a place first mentioned in the legends book Star Wars Young Jedi Knights: Shadow Academy.
Vane is back
Vane, one of the pirates who attacked the kids, appeared previously on Season 3 of The Mandalorian. He served Gorian Shard but ultimately fled when Bo-Katan and Din Djarin defeated the pirate lord.
Pirate ships
The black flag with the skull and the twin swords is the symbol that is commonly associated with pirates. Starships don’t have flags but it looks like the substitute for this are the black stripes painted across the hulls of the pirate ships.
I thought that this was exclusive to Gorian Shard’s cruiser but as seen in this episode that is certainly not the case.
The Ferry man
The little creature that takes the kids from their ship to the port is a Teek. This creature is native to the forest moon of Endor. This small but fast species appeared for the first in Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, a movie made for TV released in 1985.
Fuzzball
There’s a cute little creature in the market of Port Borgo. This winged cat-like animal is the same species as Fuzzball. Fuzzball made its debut in Captain EO, a short film written by George Lucas and starring Michael Jackson that debuted in 1986.
Hutt Cartel Tatoo
One of the pirates is getting a tattoo. The symbol belongs to the Hutt Cartel. If I remember correctly, its first appearance was in the SWTOR expansion Rise of the Hutt Cartel, which released in 2013.
More recently, if you have played Star Wars Outlaws you have seen this symbol behind the Jabba on the reputation menu or when opening the map to see which territory belongs to each faction.
Wolf-like pirate
The wolf-looking pirate, Brutus, is a Shistavanen. This is a very rare species that has appeared very few times across Star Wars. You can see one in the old cantina scene in A New Hope (before the digital remaster), as well as during the original Clone Wars series from 2003.
During the Clone Wars, Voolvif Monn, was a powerful Jedi Master. A bounty hunter named Severian worked for the New Order, but perished during his hunt for Sagoro Autem. – source wookieepedia
Star Wars Holiday Special
Neel’s siblings are watching a show on the holo table. This is a homage to the dancers who appeared in the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978.
Episode 3
The episode features a little bit of everyone’s favorite – the Galactic Bureaucracy as the parents try to organize a search and rescue for their kids. While there are some signs of comradery and friendships showing, there are some dark secrets that have yet to be revealed about Jod’s past and we get a glimpse of his character’s true side in Episode 3. We also start to learn about At Attin’s secrets.
Alfred Molina
Benjar Pranic, the Ishi Tib pirate who talked to Jod before he recovered SM-33 is voiced by Alfred Molina, known by the “geek” for his role as Dr. Otto Octavius in Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man: No Way Home. His first major role was none other but Satipo in Riders of the Lost Ark.
Did we win?
When looking for SM-33, Jod turns on an old B-1 Battle Droid. It asks if they won, meaning that it has probably been turned off since the Clone Wars. This doesn’t add anything to the story but it’s funny nonetheless.
Archimides
Owls are often used as symbols of wisdom. Archimides, was an ancient Greek intellectual, and one of his fields of expertise was astronomy. Archimides from The Sword in the Stone is an owl named after this renowned thinker.
So, it makes complete sense that Kh’ymm, the owl-like creature who is an expert astronomist has her name created after Archimides.
Crimson Jack
Crimson Jack (as Jod is called in the third episode) is a character who originally appeared in issue #7 of the Star Wars Marvel comics from 1978.
Most recently, Crimson Jack returned to the Star Wars canon in the Halcyon Legacy comic series from Marvel. Considering that Jod is a pirate, it’s more than fitting that he steals the name from a different pirate.
Episode 4
The team lands on At Achrann, a mysterious planet full of ruins that looks like At Attin, but isn’t.
Eopies
The horned animals that the Troinks are trying to recover from their enemies are a different variant of Eopies. Eopies have appeared in the Phantom Menace, Revenge of the Sith, and the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
Easily domesticated, eopies serve Tatooine’s settlers as transports and beasts of burden. These tough, desert-adapted quadrupeds can carry heavy loads, but are grumpy and stubborn. – source: starwars.com
Familiar looking helmets
Some of the fighters at At Achrann are wearing helmets that look exactly like those used by the Imperial Infantry and some higher-ranking officers like General Veers.
Kids fighting adults
When the kids meet Hayna, Wim asks if she is part of a group of kids fighting against adults. This could be a reference to films like Lord of the Flies or Peter Pan.
Written by British novelist William Golding and published in 1954, Lord of the Flies is a classic fiction about a plane crash on an uncharted island. This is a story of how the surviving schoolboys enjoy unsupervised freedom at first, but when they face the terror, sin and evil, their society falls apart.
Episode 5
After finding the deceivingly dangerous planet, the kids learn a lesson about being a real pirate and what this could mean for them and their own planet. The fifth episode of Skeleton Crew shows the true colors of Jod Na Nawood.
The Bounty Hunter’s guild
Pokkit tells Jod that she is no longer doing low-rent Guild jobs. The Guild is an organization in charge of regulating the Bounty Hunters and the jobs they take. This is the same group that handed Din Djarin his jobs in the first season of The Mandalorian.
Dash…Zentin?
One of Jod’s many names is Dash Zentin. This could be inspired by the non-canon character Dash Rendar, a smuggler and protagonist of the beloved game Shadows of the Empire.
Cthulhu
Cthallops is a reference to the cosmic entity Cthulhu. This creature was created by H.P. Lovecraft. It is often depicted as a massive, greenish figure with a head that resembles a giant octopus.
Professor Gorelox from Scipio?
The reason why the guards didn’t believe Jod’s lie is because Scipio is the homeworld of the Munn species. The same people who happened to be vacationing at the spa.
Munns are thin, tall, and pale. For reference, Darth Plagueis and the representative of the Banking Clan that appears in Attack of the Clones are both Munn.
Banking is forever
Speaking of Munns. The fact that we see them still representing the Banking Clan shows that no matter who is in charge; Galactic Republic, Galactic Empire, or New Republic. they have persisted through time
This is a really good example of how truly resourceful people can outlive even the most powerful governments.
A brave bounty hunter
Pokkit, the pale bounty hunter is played by Kelly MacDonald. She is the actress who gave voice to Merida from Brave.
Remnants from the High Republic
The lightsaber that’s inside Rennod’s vault has many gold accents, a color that was widely used in robes and lightsabers by the Jedi from the High Republic era.
Episode 6
Jod’s treason left Wim, Neel, KB, and Fern on their own. In the sixth episode of Skeleton Crew, our favorite group of kids must think of a way to return to At Attin while also dealing with their personal differences.
Film director legend
Tak Rennod is a nod to director Richard Donner. Donner was responsible for none other than The Goonies, arguably, the biggest inspiration for Skeleton Crew.
Back to Canto Bight
A strange alien can be seen when Jod emerges from the mountain. This species appeared for the first time in The Last Jedi inside the Canto Bight casino.
Mama crab
The giant crab is called Tet’niss. Made by Doug Chiang’s team and then animated in stop-motion by Tippet Studio.
Tippet Studio was founded by the legendary Phil Tibbet, the man responsible for many iconic scenes in the original trilogy.
Episode 7
This episode takes a really dark turn when Jod realizes what he could find on At Attin. Glory and riches are at the tip of his hand and nothing will stop him from taking them.
1138
The security droid tells Jod that there are 1139 vaults in total. So, 1138 more. 1138 is a popular reference to George Lucas’ first film THX-1138 from 1971.
Snub Fighters
The ships that Jod sends after the Onyx Cinder are Snub Fighters. These ships already appeared in Season 3 of The Mandalorian, under the service of the Pirate King Gorian Shard.
Leeeerooooooy Jenkins!!
I’m sure that many others also thought about the iconic Leroy Jenkins moment when the kids were trying to figure out a plan and Wim just went in without giving it too much thought. This is probably not intentional, but I still found it very funny. At least it worked for Wim.
Episode 8
The journey of Neel, Wim, Fern, KB, Jod, and SM-33 comes to an end with a few questions answered while many others remain open. Everyone is OK, At Attin is saved by the New Republic. A lot of questions were left hanging, but this is not the place to discuss them. For this, we have our breakdown article.
Prototye B-Wing fighters
The B-Wings in this episode shoot a concentrated laser fire. This weapon was a prototype that first appeared in Star Wars Rebels and it looks like the New Republic has implemented it on their standard B-Wing fighters.
E.T.
They might not be carrying an alien species in a silly disguise but the hoverbikes jumping over the cliff is a nod to the similar scene in E.T.
HAL 9000
The Supervisor’s design and purpose are very similar to HAL 9000, the AI robot and main antagonist of the 1968 classic film Space Odyssey. Also, you can’t stop yourself from thinking it has to be referencing the “It’s Over 9000!!!!” joke. Right?
Did Palpatine know?
Despite being isolated, At Attin still received the message about the Jedi’s “treason”. It’s unclear when this happened but it really makes you wonder if Palpatine knew about At Attin.
Jod’s Master
It appears that the scene where Jod’s master is killed during Order 66 was actually filmed. Actress Yasmine Al Massri shared an Instagram post where she is seen wearing a Jedi Robe and preparing for it. She talks briefly about the scene not making it into the final cut but still being grateful about it.
This was the shortest acting job I have done but the most meaningful to the child in me.. playing a Jedi for one scene in Skeleton Crew.. I gave a speech when the crew wrapped me on set saying : you just created the first Arab female Jedi.. thank you.. the scene unfortunately Didn’t make it to the finale cut bc these things happen.. but I can not not share my experience and feelings.. even Liam rehearsed that scene with me and I got to brag about it with his friends which got me coolest mom respect for a moment
Yasmine Al Massri on Instagram
Divert power to the shields
When the New Republic X-Wings arrive At Attin one of the pilots says: Setting shields double forward. In the game Star Wars Squadrons, you have the option to double-tap a button to select where to direct most of the ship’s power; shields, blasters, or engines. This is what the pilot was referring to.
