Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’.Star Wars: Skeleton Crewtakes a unique path in the franchise as it follows four children, Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers),Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), and KB (Kyriana Kratter), who justwant to find their home after accidentally getting lost in space. The story’s stakes grow when they attract the attention of the galaxy’s pirates and receive help from the mysterious and possibly dangerousJod Na Nawood (Jude Law). Full of new characters, planets, and even new alien species, the series has avoided the trap of relying too much on the previous content, making it widely accessible to every level of fan.
Despite not being closely connected to other Star Wars stories,Skeleton Crewhas a lot ofEaster eggsfor fans to find. Some are obvious, like inEpisode 3, “Very Interesting, as an Astrogation Problem,“when Alderaan is mentioned. But others require a much closer watch for even dedicated fans to pick up on. One such Easter eggconnects the series to the Disney Parks ride Star Tourswhen a ship that should be familiar to park guests appears on-screen. However, this seemingly innocent connection raises questions for those familiar with Star Tours.
What Is the Disney Parks Star Tours Ride About?
Part of what makes this callback so difficult to catch is the fact thatStar Tours is far from the most widely known entry into the franchise. Though several Disney Parks now have an entire area dedicated to Star Wars known as Galaxy’s Edge, Star Tours was the franchise’s first theme park attraction when it opened in 1987. Now found in Disneyland, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disneyland Paris, and Tokyo Disney, it isn’t exactly unknown, butfar less accessible than the films or series that can be streamed anywhere. Thoughthe story has been updatedover the years, incorporating new characters from both the sequel films and the more recent TV series, the ride offers a unique experience as it takes the passengers on a surprising adventure through different parts of the galaxy.
The idea is thatthe passengers board a commercial flight on the Starspeeder 1000 to take a journey, but as the ship takes off, things go wrong. The story has several versions set at various points in the timeline, but the basic story is the same. Thanks toeither a Rebel spyor a “traitor to the First Order,” the flight gets caught up in a dangerous situation, fleeing an attack and visiting several familiar planets as they attempt to escape the danger. This allows the park guests to feel like they’ve entered the world in a brief but thrilling ride.
‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ Is Setting This Character Up To Be Devastated
Don’t you dare break this poor boy’s heart, Star Wars.
How Does ‘Skeleton Crew’ Connect to Star Tours?
Skeleton Crew’s third episode begins with Wim, Neel, Fern, KB, and Jod escaping from the pirates' prison and recovering their ship. But before they can leave,the piratesdiscover their disappearance, resulting in a frantic rush to get away. The exterior shots of the characters' ship show it surrounded by other vessels at the port,including the small orange Starspeeder 1000 from Star Tours, specifically the more recent model from Star Tours - The Adventures Continue. This is just one of many ships nearby during the escape. It is not the first time Star Tours has been referenced, withThe Mandalorianincluding the original tour guide droid, but it is an interesting Easter egg, mostly because of its implications.
While this reference may not mean anything on a larger scale and just be a fun detail for fans to notice, it begs the question ofwhy the Starspeeder 1000 would be at a known pirate port. No legitimate business is going on at this location, making it curious for an innocent commercial flight to be there. ButSkeleton Crewdoesn’t explore that story. Over the years, the Star Tours vehicle has gotten into no end of trouble, and recently, that has even involved elements fromThe MandalorianandAhsokawith Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) andAhsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson)appearing and planets correlating with their Disney+ series being added to certain versions of the ride. The Starspeeder’s presence could hint at an update that will includeSkeleton Crewcharacters as the Star Tours passengers also run from pirates, or it could be a clever reference for dedicated Star Wars fans and Disney Parks fans alike. Either way, it’s refreshing to see Star Tours get some recognition.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crewis available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S. New episodes air every Tuesday night.
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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.
