Notice! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Star Wars: Skeleton Crew features an impressive number of Easter eggs and references to the great galaxy far, far away. However, there's also a fun collection of meta references to classic pop culture pirates that help make Skeleton Crew show very original. Whether it's connections to The Goonies, Pirates of the Caribbean, or legendary pirates from real-life history, there are some great nods throughout the new Star Wars series.
As seen in Skeleton Crewa group of children named Wim, Fern, Neel and KB find themselves inadvertently lost in the Star Wars galaxy without an easy way to get back to Attin, their mysterious homeworld with connections to a lost, mystical treasure. This draws the attention of several pirates, one of which is Jude Law's Jod Na Nawood, who partners with the children to help them return home. With that in mind, Skeleton Crew various pirate Easter eggs are quite apt, so here are all the references we've found (so far).
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The onyx gray
A nod to the Black Pearl
Having found an old ship buried in the forest of their home world, the children of Skeleton Crew become the new team Onyx gray. Seeing how shiny and black onyx is, it is more than likely that the ship's name was derived from The Black Pearl, Jack Sparrow's legendary black-sailed ship seen in the Disney film Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
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Captain Silvo
Long John Silver from Treasure Island (Treasure Planet works too!)
One of Jod Na Nawood's earliest known pseudonyms is Captain Silvo. Shown wearing a helmet that resembles a classic tricorn pirate hat, the name Silvo reflects Treasure Island Long John Silverwhich makes sense with Jod presenting herself as trustworthy while hiding her true intentions, just like Silver from Robert Louis Stevenson's original book and subsequent media adaptations. While Muppet Treasure Island with Tim Curry's Silver is a personal favorite, Disney's Treasure Planet is obviously a more appropriate comparison given the similar configurations in space.
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Wim is Jim Hawkins
The main protagonist of Treasure Island/Planet
Additionally, it follows that young Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) is intended to be a parallel to Treasure Planet Jim Hawkins. This certainly fits with Wim's similar dreams of adventure and greater willingness to trust Jod/Silvo compared to his Attin counterparts.
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KB's name is likely a nod to the Goonies
A Kilobyte is a unit of “data”
Just as Wim is likely an intentional parallel to Jim Hawkins, KB (Kyriana Kratter) and her cybernetic implants likely serve as an homage to Ke Huy Quan's data. The Gooniesan Amblin Entertainment film about a group of children who find lost pirate treasure, which has been cited as an important source of inspiration for this new Star Wars show. After all, KB means “kilobyte”, a unit of “data” in real life.
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SM-33
Smee, Captain Hook's first mate
Shortly after The onyx gray inadvertently takes off and leaves Attin behind, the ship's android first mate named SM-33 (Nick Frost) is reactivated and convinced to serve the children, specifically Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), who he sees as their new captain. Naturally, SM-33 is a tribute to Smee, Captain Hook's first mate at JM Barrie's Pedro Pan. Interestingly, Jude Law recently played Captain Hook in 2023 Peter Pan and Wendy.
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Brutus and his blasters
A parallel to Blackbeard
The first mate who mutinies against Captain Silvo de Jod in Skeleton Crew episode 1, Brutus is a wolf-like Shistavanen who is shown carrying several blaster pistols in slings on his chest. This is likely a homage to Edward Teach's Blackbeard, one of the most notorious pirates in real-life history.. According to historical accounts, Blackbeard is said to have carried up to six flintlock pistols at once.
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Porto Borgo
Mirroring Tortuga
As seen in Skeleton Crew In episodes 2 and 3, the children are taken to the pirate port known as Port Borgo, a safe haven for bandits and scoundrels from across the galaxy. As such, Port Borgo looks a lot like the pirate port of Tortuga as seen at Disney Pirates of the Caribbean films.
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Port Borgo Fuel Lines
Resembling the ship's equipment
Although Port Borgo is located on a giant asteroid, all of the pirate ships are docked in space, with smaller capsules transporting them back and forth. As such, this certainly helps provide a pirate port aesthetic despite the in-space setting. Likewise, the icing on the cake are all the fuel lines that run back and forth between the ships, mirroring a real pirate port on the ocean with ropes and rigging.
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Whistling for keys in the Brig
Referencing the Pirates of the Caribbean ride
When Brutus sends all the children to prison after learning about Attin at the end of Skeleton Crew episode 2, a familiar whistle is heard. It's not just the same hiss coming from the Pirates of the Caribbean Disneyland ride, but the scene continues with the kids trying to persuade an alien mouse to retrieve nearby keysas well as the trio of pirates who try to persuade the dog holding the keys to come closer, as seen in the original ride and the first Pirates of the Caribbean film.
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Onyx Cinder's skeleton with a blade in its chest
Plus, the Pirates of the Caribbean ride
The onyx gray it also has an alien skeleton hanging on one of its walls with a sword in its chest. This is also very similar to Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which primarily features the remains of a long-dead pirate who met a similar fate.
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Crimson Jack
A reference to legends (but also Jack Sparrow?)
Skeleton Crew episode 3 reveals that Jod Na Nawood also goes by Crimson Jack. A very interesting reference to non-canonical legends, Crimson Jack was the first pirate introduced in the Marvel original. Star Wars comics released in the late 1970s after A New Hope. A rival of Han Solo who stole from the smuggler the bounty given to him by the Rebellion to pay off Jabba, Crimson Jack eventually meets his death at the hands of Solo himself.
In addition to the cool connection with Legends, It's worth asking whether the Crimson Jack moniker was chosen in part out of a desire to create a parallel to Jack Sparrow.. This could certainly be the case, considering all the other Pirates of the Caribbean references that can be found in Skeleton Crew. Either way, it's worth pointing out the parallel, regardless of Lucasfilm's intention.
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Is Crimson Jack an inherited name?
Could be like “Dread Pirate Roberts” from Princess Bride
It is also important to note that there is already a Crimson Jack on the established market Star Wars canon before Jude Law's Jod was revealed using the name. Debuting in the Marvel canon Quiet legacy series, this different-looking Crimson Jack was shown operating much closer to the events of the sequel trilogy, attempting to sell Resistance secrets to the First Order. As such, it appears that Star Wars now has two canonical Crimson Jacks. As such, it is possible Star Wars may reveal that the name is similar to Princess Bride “Dread Pirate Roberts” where the name and legacy are passed down from pirate to pirate.
New episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew releasing Tuesday nights on Disney+.
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Upcoming Star Wars movies |
Release date |
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The Mandalorian and Grogu |
May 22, 2026 |