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For many Star Wars fans, the series has defined their childhood and gone on to play an equally big part of their adult identity. You have your favorite film, scene, or character and can talk for hours about it. Your deeply held beliefs about the Jedi philosophy or that piece of trivia that you can’t wait to bring up at parties. If that sounds like you, not only are you in good company here at Popverse but you can rest assured that Star Wars: Skeleton Crew was specifically made with your nostalgia in mind.

We won’t be diving into too many spoilers here (the first two episodes just landed on Disney+, after all) but it is safe to say that Skeleton Crew is built upon references to everything that came before it in Star Wars history. From the dialogue – one character calls something “wizard” to mean “cool” which is a callback to Episode 1’s Anakin – to the light tone to the obscure Easter eggs scattered throughout the first two episodes, this is the most nostalgic Star Wars has ever been – and that is saying something. Even the image of a kid playing with Star Wars action figures is designed to remind you that you probably did the same thing when you were young and bring back that same warm feeling into your heart.

By our reckoning, there are direct references to all three of the original trilogy films in the opening episode alone. Some are pretty heavy-handed, such as the opening scene which is a beat-for-beat recreation of Vader’s takeover of Leia’s ship in A New Hope. It is impossible to miss the way that the producers structured this scene, including the way the space pirate Silvo threatens the captain of the freighter being a direct recreation of Vader’s threat to Leia’s captain. Right off the bat, Skeleton Crew wants you to know that this is going to be the most Star Wars thing you’ve ever seen.

While that allusion comes across as a bit forced, the other two feel a bit more natural. Wim’s ride through the forest on his bike is not only a scene that would make Spielberg proud but is also clearly inspired by Luke and Leia’s time on the forest moon of Endor in The Return of The Jedi. And as the starship our ragtag kids find activates, it rises from the ground like it was being lifted by a certain little green Jedi master in The Empire Strikes Back. All of these things put the viewer into the mindset that this is going to be a nostalgia trip for the ages.

Of course, a show built entirely on the nostalgia of fans has its drawbacks. This is clearly a Star Wars show made by Star Wars fans for existing Star Wars fans to enjoy, so it might not be for you. It does run the risk of feeling too reliant on the goodwill of those fans to venture into anything truly unique or groundbreaking. Already the callbacks and references to what has come before have been coming thick and fast – almost too much to keep up with, honestly. All that nostalgia doesn’t leave much room for anything new. However, if you are after a wholesome trip down Star Wars memory lane, then Skeleton Crew is going to deliver that in spades.

Get to know, understand, and love the Star Wars franchise more with our Star Wars watch order, guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies & TV shows, and all the Star Wars movies and Star Wars TV shows ranked.