The Empire Strikes Back is one of the gold standards filmmakers aspire to when making a sequel. And though both Chris Pratt and Kevin Feige swear it was never mentioned during the making of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the films share a lot of similarities. A lot of similarities.
Source: Gizmodo – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and The Empire Strikes Back Sure Have a Lot in Common