This article contains spoilers for “Skeleton Crew” episode 5.
The fifth episode of “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew,” Lucasfilm’s latest offering on Disney+, brings the kids and their alleged Jedi protector Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law) to the planet Lanupa in search of the coordinates of their homeworld of At Attin. The episode title, “You Have a Lot to Learn About Pirates” is indeed apt, as the kids and their naiveté get in their way and land them in a cliffhanger’s worth of trouble through the course of the episode, but we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves. Lanupa is an old world with many names according to SM-33 (Nick Frost) —The Battle World or even The Demon’s Rest. It was the old secret subterranean hideout of the legendary pirate Tak Rennod and it turns out the ship the kids stole turns out to be Captain Rennod’s, the Onyx Cinder. On Lanupa, if they can get into his secret underground lair, they should be able to get the coordinates to At Attin, but because so much time has passed between Rennod’s time and the present, their search is essentially archeological in nature. A health and beauty spa and hot springs resort has sprouted up on top of where the lair was built and the Skeleton Crew must find clues to get beneath the resort to get what they’re after. All the while, they’re being chased by pirates, bounty hunters, local security, and anyone else looking at them with crossed eyes. If it sounds like a scenario from a Steven Spielberg movie, it’s because it pretty much is.
The shared DNA of Indiana Jones and Star Wars
The “Indiana Jones” franchise was the brainchild of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, so it’s no wonder the action/adventure series would share DNA with “Star Wars,” but “Skeleton Crew” is — arguably — the first unabashedly adventurous piece of “Star Wars” media we’ve had since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.” This episode kicks that sense of adventure up a notch and adds in the element of archeology and that places it firmly in the territory of everyone’s favorite rogue archeologist. As the kids search the modern-day spa for signs of Tak Rennod’s old base, it has all the feeling of Indiana Jones searching through the library in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” looking for the tomb of the Grail Knight, combining the modern uses of space while searching for its more ancient uses. That use of archeology and a search for artifacts in “Star Wars” isn’t a new method of homaging “Indiana Jones,” but it’s certainly welcome.
Skeleton Crew on their Last Crusade
Where things kick into high gear for “Indiana Jones” homages — though it serves as a reference of sorts to “The Goonies” as well and their subterranean trek to One-Eyed Willie’s galleon — is when they do make it underground thanks to the help of Cthallops and start to explore Tak Rennod’s boobytrapped pirate caves. They feel like something out of “Treasure Island” at first blush before you realize they’re tests like those guarding the holy grail in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” A laser beam almost cuts the head off the kids, just as the buzzsaws almost do to Indiana Jones. Other tests are reminiscent of other films, too. Instead of the spikes descending from the ceiling, they have a “Star Wars” twist where you’ll float up to them instead. There’s a puzzle where they had to throw money into a pool of acid to descend stairs into a treasure room in place of a leap of faith, all themed from a pirate’s point of view rather than a disciple of Christ. It was all very clever and skinned toward “Star Wars” in a really great way. “The Bad Batch” took on a temple in a similar way in its second season and it’s nice to see the live-action shows taking that charge as well.
Rennod’s Treasure is like the Temple of Doom
The homage doesn’t end there, though. As Jod and the crew emerge from their final, lethal test, they come to a room of immense treasure, much like Indy and Ilsa do in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” There are fantastic golden trinkets everywhere, all kinds of pirate booty. Jod warns the kids much of it will be booby-trapped. As they take their first steps into it, though, they’re greeted by a giant face sculpture that immediately brings to mind the reveal of the Thugee ceremony in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” But the rest of the scene plays out like “The Last Crusade,” right down to needing to choose the right item that will give them the information they need, knowing that if they choose the wrong item it will lead to grave consequences. Neel, being the bright kid that he is, spots the right bit of treasure, but like Indiana Jones and the end of “The Last Crusade,” they’re betrayed as well.
So far, “Skeleton Crew” has been a cornucopia of references and homages to the work of Steven Spielberg, particularly his Amblin era of ’80s work geared toward kids. From “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” and “The Goonies” to the entire “Indiana Jones” saga, Steven Spielberg’s work has been foundational to “Skeleton Crew” and this episode just happened to wear Indy’s whip and fedora with aplomb for almost the entirety of the episode.
New episodes of “Skeleton Crew” premiere on Tuesdays at 6 pm PST on Disney+.
