WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Adam Project, now available on Netflix.
In Netflix's The Adam Project, one of the most glaring Star Wars homages came as early as the trailers. with Ryan Reynolds' Adam Reed rocking a lightsaber-esque weapon. Even his younger self, played by Walker Scobell, called it out; although, when the time-traveling soldier unleashed it in the film, it was a lot more dangerous with its explosive effect, and there were a lot more tributes to George Lucas' beloved franchise, so let's dissect them.
The Forest Chase Is Similar to Endor
In Return of the Jedi, Leia and the rebels had a breathtaking chase in the Endor forest, with the Ewoks helping lay traps. It led to logs being launched at Stormtroopers on speeders, others being tripped and laser blasts sending the villains flying in a breakneck scene.
The Adam Project followed suit with a similar high-octane sequence when Big Adam, his wife Laura, and Young Adam drove into the forest outside Adam's home in 2022. She expertly maneuvered around trees with the firefight cutting down logs, and she dropped them on some of the time-soldiers pursing on hoverboards. It had the same vibe and aesthetic as the Endor chase, which ended with the heroes winning, as well.
The Jet Race Homaged Many Star Wars Flight Scenes
Big Adam and Young Adam eventually had to leave Laura to time-jump via a portal to 2018 to erase time-travel. They used his temporal jet, with Big Adam showing he was a Han Solo-like pilot, which connected to the video game simulation his dad, Louis, made for him in his adolescence.
Maya and her goon, Christos, pursued in their jet, trying to shoot them out the sky in a well-executed sequence that paid tribute to Han Solo escaping the Empire and other enemies in both the new and old trilogies, as well as Poe Dameron jumping through hyperspace with the Millennium Falcon. Most of all, it echoed The Phantom Menace's pod-racing sequence, with the Adams flying around caves and cliffs similar to young Anakin on Tatooine.
The Bridge at the End Homaged Naboo's Bridge
In The Phantom Menace's finale, the Naboo Palace bridge was famous as Darth Maul killed Qui-Gon Jinn there and then fought Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luckily, Obi-Wan sliced him in half, but the way the bridge sparked and was damaged was iconic. It built a haunting mood, nodding to Luke and Darth Vader's final fight in front Palpatine in Return of the Jedi.
There's a bridge similar to the Maul fight in the finale near the particle accelerator. It's on fire as well due to a containment breach, and to top it off, Adam turned his weapon into a double-bladed weapon, akin to what Maul had. His combat choreography even had bits and pieces of what Ray Park did as Maul.
Maya Felt Like The Emperor
Just before the bridge fight, 2050's Maya goaded her younger self to shoot Louis and the Adams, thus ensuring they wouldn't erase time-travel. She even held her hand, urging her to pull the trigger in a way that mimicked when Palpatine goaded Anakin to kill Dooku and Luke to murder Vader.
Evil Maya corrupted her younger self with the promise of an empire that'd change the world. Like Palpatine, it was a dystopian one, but she kept fooling 2018's Maya after coming back through time, lying how it was something good for their legacy. Ultimately, with her Sith-like robe, she offered power, which was a Palpatine move.
Big Adam Had a Chosen One Like Anakin
When the reactor was destroyed, the Adams were on the verge of disappearing to their Fixed Times, leaving Louis to possibly die again. Big Adam made it clear that despite ribbing Young Adam for being a nerd and being weak towards bullies, the kid was the best version of himself.
He deemed the kid a Chosen One because, without him, they wouldn't have gotten to 2018 to complete the mission. It's akin to when the likes of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan deemed Anakin the "new hope." Anakin didn't end up bringing balance to the Force, but Young Adam did bring balance to the timeline, becoming a better Chosen One.
To see the Star Wars comparisons, check out The Adam Project, now streaming on Netflix.