The Galaxy's Edge reference you missed in Star Wars: The Skeleton Crew Episode 6

This article contains spoilers for “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” episode 6, “Zero Friends Again.”

“Skeleton Crew” is pretty curious as a “Star Wars” show. With the exception of “Andor” and possibly “The Acolyte” (but for very different reasons, since it's so far removed from other entries in the franchise's timeline), this has turned out to be the Star Wars show with the fewest references and cameos. At least the cameos and references aren't as overt as in The Mandalorian. Consider how Jude Law's pirate character shares a name with a rogue from the 'Star Wars' Expanded Universe (aka Star Wars Legends). It's not something that's necessarily eye-popping, but it's still significant enough for die-hard fans to pick up on. There are also cameos from lesser, less popular characters such as Ubbla Mollbro, the Canto Bight opera singer from The Last Jedi. Again, it's a lot more obscure than the two Mos Eisley cantina guys that appear in “Rogue One.”

Most importantly, the references make “Skeleton Crew” work because they're mostly meta references that don't break the immersion, but act as clever nods to the works that inspired the show, like the eponymous SM-33. Smee from “Peter Pan” or the show's Captain Flint analog is named after “The Goonies” director Richard Donner. Of course, Skeleton Crew is a Disney property, so there are plenty of Disney Easter Eggs. And not just those related to other Star Wars movies, but even theme park attractions, such as the brief scene in Episode 3 that recalls when the imprisoned pirates try to coax a dog into giving them the key to the Pirates of the Caribbean cell. a trip to an amusement park.

In the latest episode, “Zero Friends Again,” the show's young heroes are forced to figure out how to get back to their ship and home on their own when their adult companion, Jod Na Navud (Law), abandons them. This leads to them learning how to become proper crew and piloting a spaceship, which they do in a sequence straight out of Smuggler's Journey to the Edge of the Galaxy.

The latest episode of Skeleton Crew is about how the kids grow closer as friends and become a proper team while Jod is busy. hosting the equivalent of a “Star Wars” conversation. They split up and learn to listen to each other, and when they finally reach their ship, they must work together to free it from the clutches of a giant garbage truck. To do this, they divide the work involved in running the ship in exactly the same way that the roles are divided among the guests of the Galaxy's Edge park on the Smuggler's Run ( an amusement park ride that lets you pilot the Millennium Falcon). As a result, Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) and Neil (Robert Timothy Smith) split pilot duties, with one controlling the throttle and the other steering. Elsewhere, Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) mans the turret and tries to shoot down the garbage truck while KB (Kyriana Kratter) takes care of the engine.

It's a small reference, and one that could easily go over the viewer, but it works for two reasons: 1) it's a very specific reference, and 2) it allows the Skeleton Crew to effectively showcase the various strengths of their new characters. Fern is always the one to move the group forward, so she leads the helm. Neal is the one who makes sure the kids slow down when they need to and take their feelings into account, so he takes the throttle. Wim always fires his shot, even if he misses, so he runs the turret. Finally, KB is clearly the brains of the operation, so she's perfectly suited to run the engine.

With two episodes left in the first season of Skeleton Crew, it's still entirely possible that we'll get an awful CGI Luke Skywalker cameo or Grog to help set up the next chapter of the MandoVerse (as we'll describe it for now). But until that happens, Skeleton Crew has truly established itself as one of the most special Star Wars titles of the Disney era.

New episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew air on Disney+ Tuesdays at 6pm PST.