Skeleton Crew Has An Excellent Star Tours Reference, But There’s Another Disneyland Easter Egg That Raises Questions

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As a lifelong Disney enthusiast who has spent countless hours traversing the magical lands of Anaheim and Orlando, I can confidently say that Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is hitting all the right notes for me. The nostalgia-laden Easter eggs hidden within the first two episodes are not just a delightful treat for fans like myself, but they also serve as a testament to the interconnected tapestry of the Disney universe.

The following contains minor spoilers for the first two episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

As a gamer, I’ve been eagerly anticipating diving into the Disney+ universe to catch “Skeleton Crew” ever since I caught my first glimpse of it at D23 this summer. It seemed like an entertaining ride; a straightforward but engaging show that would whisk a gang of kids across galaxies on an adventure. It’s the type of “Star Wars” series concept that, looking back now, seems so obvious it’s surprising it took so long to materialize.

Hey there fellow gamers and Disney enthusiasts! As someone who’s spent countless hours exploring theme parks like Disneyland, I must say that the first two episodes of “Skeleton Crew” were a real treat. Not only is this series shaping up to be a blast, but it also slipped in some clever nods to classic Disneyland attractions.

Star Tours RX-24 Is Driving the School Bus On Skeleton Crew

If you’ve experienced Star Tours at Disneyland or Walt Disney World since its debut in 1987 until its closure years later, you might have spotted the conspicuous Easter egg when it surfaced in the premiere of Skeleton Crew. In an early scene, two primary characters are seen commuting to school by bus. Interestingly, this bus is driven by a droid that bears a striking resemblance to RX-24, the original Star Tours’ pilot.

On Star Tours, the character RX-24 (Rex) was given a voice by Paul Reubens. Fresh off his commission as a star tour guide droid, Rex is still learning the ropes and tends to make plenty of errors along the way.

Back in the day when Star Tours got a massive makeover about a decade ago, C-3PO took over where Rex was. Yet, fear not, my fellow gamers, for Rex didn’t vanish! He’s still spinning tunes at Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, with the voice of Paul Reubens echoing through the speakers. However, since Paul passed away last year, the bus driver in Skeleton Crew has a different tone, suggesting they might not be an exact replica, but they share a striking, intentional similarity.

However, the wildest easter egg connected to a Disney park came in the next episode.

Is Captain EO Part Of The Star Wars Universe?

In Episode 2 of “Skeleton Crew,” the kids venture into a pirate hideout. As they roam around, one youngster stumbles upon a market offering diverse exotic animals in cages. If you recall another Disneyland attraction from the ’80s, specifically the musical 3D film directed by Francis Ford Coppola under George Lucas’s supervision: “Captain EO,” the creature might remind you of it.

This could be Fuzzball, or another member of his alien species, who served on Captain EO’s crew in the film where Michael Jackson starred. Given my fondness for both Disney Parks and Star Wars, it certainly sparks curiosity!

As a space-faring gamer, I’ve been wondering: Does Captain EO unfold within the same cosmic realm as Star Wars? I really need to know! Since George Lucas was both writer and producer for Captain EO, it’s clear that there’s some connection there. But did he envision his musical sci-fi tale as an extension of his epic masterpiece?

For almost ten years now, I haven’t watched that film (it briefly reappeared at Disneyland and Epcot after Michael Jackson’s passing in 2010), but since it was among the attractions that were operating during my first-ever trip to Disneyland, it holds a very special significance for me.

It seems that merging Star Wars and Captain EO into a coherent narrative might require quite a bit of complex thinking, and I’m not entirely convinced it would succeed. Nevertheless, I’d be thrilled if Disney were to revive Captain EO in some way – if this is the start of that process, I’m all for it!

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2024-12-04 01:07