By now, every newStar Warsstory is unofficially required to feature certain references andEaster Eggs. The iconic “I have a bad feeling about this” line, for example, is featured in this week’s episode ofStar Wars: Skeleton Crew, “We’re Gonna Be in So Much Trouble,” but there is actually another Easter Egg,a deep-cut reference not toStar Wars, but toGeorge Lucashimself and his career- to his first movie,THX-1138, precisely. And this one is not just inSkeleton Crewbut in pretty much every otherStar Warsstory.
The Number 1138 Is a Reference to George Lucas’ First Movie
When the Onyx Cinder finally arrives at At Attin, Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law) and the kids are transported to the subterranean vault. The pirate is posing as a Republic emissary, and there is a droid explaining the operation related to the mint on the planet. When the vault is opened, a golden glowlights up Jod’s face, andhe asks the droidhow many vaultslike that one they have, to which the droid answers: 1139. That’s a lot of money, but, more importantly, it’s a deep-cut nod toStar Warshistory off-screen.
In 1971, George Lucas took his first steps into the larger world of cinema by releasinghis first-ever movie,THX-1138.It was based on his student project from film school, telling the story of a dystopic society where humans are forced to live underground, forced to take drugs to suppress their emotions, and are controlled by machines who dictate where humankind is headed. In this society, people don’t have names, being known instead by identification letters and numbers, THX-1138 being the protagonist, played byRobert Duvall.
1138 is a significant number forStar Warsfans, asit serves as a reminder of George Lucas' other works. Given how hugeStarWars has become as a franchise, it may be easy to forget that Lucas has worked onmany other projectsand that he has been a visionary from the start withTHX-1138.
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The Number 1138 Has Become a Recurring Easter Egg in Star Wars
As important as it is to remember where everything started, nowadays, the number 1138 has also become a sort of nod that everyStar Warsstory has to make —not just as a tribute to George Lucas but also as a sort ofrecurring gag. It actually started with Lucas himself inStar Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) rescue Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) from Cell Block 1138 aboard the Death Star. He also went on to name THX the sound certification company he founded afterward.
After these initial nods, the number 1138 started popping up everywhere inStar Wars. Sometimes it’s obvious, but sometimes it’s a very well-hidden Easter Egg. For example, inStar Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi, the number is painted on Leia’s helmet when she is disguised as the bounty hunter Boushh to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt. In bothStar Wars: Episode I — The Phantom MenaceandStar Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones, there are B1 battle droids with this identification, and inStar Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, CC-1138 is the Clone Commander who leads the battalion that kills Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi (Silas Carson) during Order 66. There are countless other nods in other movies and series, and there is even a Stormtrooper designated KT-1138 atGalaxy’s Edge.
InSkeleton Crew, however, the exact number mentioned isn’t 1138, but 1139, which is still a nod to this running joke, but with a twist. Adding one to the total number is like the new series inserting itself into the existing canon, carving its place inside theuniverse createdby George Lucas. It’s a subtle but nice and respectful nod to everything that came before.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crewis streaming on Disney+. New episodes drop on Tuesdays.
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Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Four kids make a mysterious discovery on their home planet that leads them to get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy.
