The Mandalorian and Grogu Secretly References Disney's $250 Million Star Wars Disaster — and You Can Only Spot It by Editing the Trailer
Fans just uncovered a stealthy Starcruiser hotel Easter egg—here’s where to spot it before everyone else.
Star Wars marketing can be subtle, but this one is almost comically buried: the new Mandalorian and Grogu trailer hides a wink to Disney's shuttered Star Wars hotel that you only catch if you flip and mirror a frame. Someone on X did exactly that and found it on September 22, 2025, because of course they did.
The blink-and-you-miss-it Halcyon nod
On a ticker in the trailer, there is Aurebesh (the Star Wars alphabet) that translates to: "Halycon. See the galaxy." Yes, it appears as "Halycon" in the frame, but it's clearly pointing to the Halcyon passenger star cruiser — the in-universe ship tied to Disney's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience. How anyone decided to flip and mirror a trailer shot to find that is between them and their timeline, but the reference is there.
A quick refresher on Disney's most expensive experiment
- Disney's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser launched with a lot of buzz but closed after just 18 months.
- Per SFG, Disney ultimately ate around $250 million on the project — roughly $2.5 million per room when you break it down.
- The backlash snowballed after YouTube essayist Jenny Nicholson dropped a nearly four-hour video recounting a disappointing stay, which did not help the vibe.
- The whole thing is now widely regarded as one of Disney's costliest misfires, which makes the Halcyon shoutout in a major Star Wars movie trailer feel a little... spicy.
So what about the actual movie?
The Mandalorian and Grogu is the next big-screen chapter for Din Djarin and, yes, Baby Yoda — who we all agree to call Grogu now. The cast also includes Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White, with White playing Rotta the Hutt. That is exactly the kind of deep-cut casting choice that makes the galaxy far, far away feel weirder in a good way.
"The evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they have enlisted the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his young apprentice Grogu."
The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters on May 22, 2026. Hidden hotel ads and all.