With The Mandalorian & Grogu, director Jon Favreau deepened the Star Wars franchise’s Los Angeles ties — a fact that did not go unmentioned during Thursday night’s premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre.

“This is where Star Wars, 49 years ago to the month, started,” Favreau told the audience inside the theater. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope opened at the Chinese Theater on May 25, 1977. “We’re still telling Star Wars stories. The baton has been passed down to other filmmakers, but here we are. Hopefully, we’ll get some of that magic and some of the energy here.”

It was a fitting site for the premiere of the first Star Wars movie to be filmed completely in Los Angeles. During his speech ahead of the film, Favreau gave special thanks to the California Film Commission’s whopping $21,755,000 in conditional tax credits for the production, one of the biggest allocations in the program’s history.

“I want to thank the cast and crew,” he continued. “California crews: best in the world.”

Being back in the Chinese Theatre to debut The Mandalorian & Grogu also deepened Favreau’s own ties to the world that George Lucas created.

“Back 49 years ago, I got to see Star Wars when I was 10 years old, and that movie changed my life from that first shot. And my dad took me to see it. I sat by his side, he pointed things out, explained to me how cool it was that the X-wings had oil stains. He later taught me about [Akira] Kurosawa and all the influences…and opened the door for me to love not just Star Wars, but cinema,” he continued. “I sat by my dad’s side 49 years ago watching Star Wars the first time, and tonight I’m getting to sit next to my dad and watch this. So thanks for sharing with your son your love of movies and being a good dad, and this movie is about a guy who I like to think of as a good dad, too.”