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Mandalorian’s N-1 Starfighter Has A Secret George Lucas Connection

The Mandalorian gets a highly-customized N-1 Starfighter in The Book of Boba Fett, referencing George Lucas' beloved film American Graffiti.

Din Djarin gets a refurbished N-1 Starfighter in The Book of Boba Fett, and the vessel’s upgrades reference one of George Lucas’ first films: American Graffiti. After Djarin’s (Pedro Pascal’s) first ship, the Razor Crest, is destroyed in The Mandalorian season 2, he seeks a new vehicle, which Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris) is all too happy to assist him with. Djarin’s heavily modified N-1 Starfighter harkens back to the bygone cruising culture of early 60s Northern California, as depicted in America Graffiti, though it is hardly the first time that the Star Wars franchise has referenced Lucas’ 1973 film.

N-1 Starfighters made their cinematic debut in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, where the ships were used to great effect against the Trade Federation’s Droid Starfighters. The N-1 fighters continued to prove their effectiveness throughout the Star Wars canon timeline, flown by Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) into battle against the Empire in Star Wars: Shattered Empire and fighting the Final Order in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. In The Book of Boba Fett, Djarin and Motto heavily modify a scrapped N-1, making it exceptionally fast and providing a protective observation section for Grogu.

In the Disney Gallery episode for The Book of Boba Fett, Jon Favreau spoke of American Graffiti’s influence on the N-1 Starfighter’s upgrades, saying: “In the ’50s or ’60s, when George Lucas had set American Graffiti, they were driving around Deuce Coupes or three-window ’32 Fords, and they would take those and chop parts off of it and throw on speed modifications. And we wanted to keep that spirit alive, so the idea of creating an N-1 starfighter in a garage with a mechanic and building your own customized version of that. That’s part of what Star Wars is about.” Yet the N-1 Starfighter’s upgrades are not the first American Graffiti reference in the Star Wars franchise or even The Book of Boba Fett, with character names and vehicles also honoring George Lucas’ second feature film.

The Book of Boba Fett’s Mods not only modified their speeder bikes to resemble the brightly-colored scooters that were common in the early 60s cruising culture, but they even modified themselves, as all of the mods are cyborgs. The name of Harrison Ford’s character in American Graffiti, Bob Falfa, also notably inspired Boba Fett himself. Furthermore, John Milner’s customized 1932 Ford Coupe, with its eye-catching bright yellow paint scheme and exposed engine, was also the inspiration for Anakin Skywalker’s (Hayden Christensen) borrowed XJ-6 airspeeder in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Even the Star Wars franchise’s reoccurring number 327 references a line in American Graffiti.

Although George Lucas no longer directly creates Star Wars content, his influence is still felt in the franchise, and his earliest works are still referenced. Cruising culture, similarly, is a bygone social practice that American Graffiti immortalized. By having Din Djarin’s N-1 Starfighter undergo the Star Wars equivalent to modifications that were common in the early 60s cruising culture, The Book of Boba Fett honors one of George Lucas’ earliest successes and continues a Star Wars franchise trend.

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