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For a long time, the more modern Star Wars projects were wary of referencing the much-maligned prequels, with Episode I: The Phantom Menace an especially unlikely point of return given the reception to the film around the time of its release.<\/p>\n
Still, times change. Over the years people have a bit more time and nostalgia for the prequels (the first of which came out almost 23 years ago), allowing for a few more nods in Disney\u2019s new Star Wars projects and even the return of some actors and settings (Obi-Wan Kenobi, coming soon!).<\/p>\n
And now, new Disney Plus series The Book of Boba Fett<\/a> has delved right back into the choppy waters of The Phantom Menace, filling its latest episode with callbacks to that film \u2013 and one future dark lord of the Sith in particular.<\/p>\n Yes, it\u2019s hard to watch episode 5 \u2013 The Return of the Mandalorian<\/a> \u2013 without thinking about Jake Lloyd\u2019s Anakin Skywalker. During the episode, the returning Mando (Pedro Pascal) helps repair an old Naboo starfighter with Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris), later taking it out for a spin around Tatooine.<\/p> Of course, Anakin flew one of these fighters in The Phantom Menace\u2019s final battle, dropping a few infamous clangers like \u201cNow THIS is podracing\u201d and \u201cI\u2019ll try spinning, that\u2019s a good trick\u201d \u2013 and the episode drops some subtle hints to this legacy, with Din Djarin (Pascal) spinning the fighter just like Anakin did while trying it out.<\/p>\n #TheBookOfBobaFett<\/a> SPOILERS