Skeleton Crew Episode 5 is the perfect tribute to Steven Spielberg’s beloved franchise

This article contains Spoilers For the fifth episode of the series “The Skeleton Crew”.

Episode 5 of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lucasfilm’s newest offering on Disney+, brings together kids and Their alleged Jedi protector Jude Nawood (Jude Law) To the planet Lanupa in search of coordinates Their homeworld of Attin. The episode title, “You Have a Lot to Learn About Pirates,” is actually appropriate, as the kids and their naivety get in their way and get them into interesting trouble throughout the episode, but we get a little ahead of ourselves. Lanupa is an ancient world that has many names according to SM-33 (Nick Frost) – The Battle World or even The Demon’s Rest. It was the ancient secret underground lair of the legendary pirate Tuck Raynaud, and the ship the kids stole turned out to be Captain Raynaud’s ship, the Onyx Cinder.. On Lanoba, if they can access his secret underground lair, they should be able to obtain the coordinates to Aten, but since so much time has passed between Reynaud’s time and the present, their search is mainly archaeological in nature. A health and beauty resort and hot spring resort have been built on top of where the hideout was built, and the Skeleton Crew must find clues to get to the bottom of the resort to get what they are looking for. All the while, they’re being hunted by pirates, bounty hunters, local security, and anyone else who looks at them with squinted eyes. If it sounds like a scenario from a Steven Spielberg movie, that’s because it very much is.

The Indiana Jones series was the brainchild of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, so it’s no surprise The action/adventure series will 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 takes that sense of adventure to a higher level, adds an element of archeology, and places it firmly in the territory Everyone’s favorite rogue archaeologist. As the kids search the modern spa for signs of the ancient Tak Renaud base, they get all the Indiana Jones vibes searching the library in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” for the grave of the Grail Knight, combining modern-day uses of space while searching for its ancient ones. Using archeology and searching for artifacts in “Star Wars” is not a new way to pay homage to “Indiana Jones,” but it is certainly a welcome one.

That’s where things kick into high gear to pay homage to “Indiana Jones” — even though it serves as… A A reference of sorts to “The Goonies” Plus their subterranean journey to One-Eyed Willie’s Galleon – when they reach underground thanks to Cthallops’ help and begin exploring the booby-trapped pirate caves of Tak Rennod. It looks like something out of “Treasure Island” at first glance before you realize that they serve as tests like those guarding the Holy Grail in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” The laser beam nearly decapitates the kids, just as buzzsaws do to Indiana Jones. Other tests are reminiscent of other films as well. Instead of protrusions descending from the ceiling, it has a “Star Wars” touch where you’ll float on it instead. There’s a mystery where they had to throw money into a pool of acid to go down the stairs to the treasure room instead of a leap of faith, and it’s all pirate-themed rather than from the point of view of Christ’s disciple. It was all very clever and very “Star Wars” oriented in a really cool way. “Bad Batch” took the temple in a similar fashion in its second season It’s nice to see live shows taking these fees as well.

The honor doesn’t end there. When Judd and the crew emerge from their final, deadly test, they arrive at a room filled with massive treasure, just like Indy and Elsa do in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” There are exquisite gold trinkets everywhere, and all kinds of pirate spoils. Judd warns the kids that a lot of it will be booby-trapped. However, when they take their first steps towards it, they are greeted by a giant face sculpture that immediately brings to mind the reveal of Thugee’s party in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” But the rest of the scene is similar to “The Last Crusade”, right down to having 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 dire consequences. Neal, being the smart kid he is, discovers the right part of the treasure, but like Indiana Jones and the end of the “Last Crusade”, they too are betrayed.

So far, “Skeleton Crew” has been an abundance of references and homages to Steven Spielberg’s works, particularly his 1980s Amblin-era works aimed at kids. From “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” and “The Goonies” to the entire “Indiana Jones” saga, Steven Spielberg’s work has been the basis for “Skeleton Crew” and this episode just so happens to have Indy wearing a whip and fedora with aplomb almost the entire time. The entire episode.

New episodes of Skeleton Crew premiere Tuesdays at 6pm PT on Disney+.