New Star Wars series Skeleton Crew features an Easter egg reference to one of the most infamous moments in the history of the franchise and fans are delighted.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for episode one of Skeleton Crew.
The show, which stars Jude Law, is a coming-of-age story focusing on four children who are lost in the Star Wars galaxy and are attempting to make their way back home.
One of the children in the show is Neel, who resembles Max Rebo, better known as the keyboard-playing blue elephant from the band seen in Jabba the Hutt’s palace in Return of the Jedi.
In the first episode, Neel’s younger siblings are seen watching a holographic circus performance on a table. Eagle-eyed Star Wars fanatics immediately noticed that the holograms were identical to the ones watched by Chewbacca’s son, Lumpy, in the 1978 TV special.
The Holiday Special has become an infamous piece of media in Star Wars lore. It has only officially ever been aired once on television but has subsequently been released on physical media, with George Lucas distancing himself from it.
Bizarrely, it is also the official debut of cult Star Wars character, Boba Fett, in an animated segment, which has since been repackaged as a short film called The Story of the Faithful Wookiee.
Those who have spotted the reference are thoroughly impressed that it made it into the final show.
One fan said: “Wow, I forgot Star Wars had circus dancers. Skeleton Crew deserves credit for recreating something that well when the only real source for The Holiday Special is YouTube... impressive. Most impressive.”
Another added: “Disney slowly integrating The Holiday Special (The same special that George Lucas hates with a passion) into Star Wars canon is the best thing to come out of Disney Star Wars.”
A third wrote: “I’m watching the first episode right now and I lost it when Neel’s siblings were watching the circus performers from the Star Wars Holiday Special.”
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Skeleton Crew co-creator Jon Watts called the easter egg “one of my favourite parts of the whole show.”
“And I’m glad that it’s in the first episode just so we can get it out of the way. I’ve just always been fascinated by that weird little circus hologram.”
Watts also confirmed that the shot was recreated, adding: “We initially wanted to see if we could get the original footage, but it’s so low resolution because it was a TV special.”
