Since its announcement, Star Wars fans everywhere have been incredibly curious about the new show, Skeleton Crew. Even though it’s set in the familiar time period between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, Skeleton Crew just seemed like the most original show the franchise has tackled in years. No lightsabers, no Rebels, maybe even no Imperials. Just four kids, lost in a starship, in a galaxy far, far away. “Amblin Star Wars” was always the pitch.
Well, now that the first two episodes of the show are here it’s pretty clear the show is exactly that. A simple story set in a disconnected section of the Star Wars universe told from the perspective of characters and filmmakers who are brand new to the Star Wars universe. As a result, it may be a little thin thematically (so far at least), but it’s full of everything that makes Star Wars what it is: ancient mysteries, cool ships, amazing creatures, high adventure, and so much more. We’re fully on board which, we think, will result in a handsome reward.
After a cold open in which we watch pirates attempt to plunder a ship, only for the crew to mutiny against their “mysterious leader,” we land on At Attin, a seemingly idealistic, upper-middle-class suburban planet. It’s clean. It’s quiet. It’s decidedly un-Star Wars, at least on the surface. Here we meet Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) and his best friend Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), two kids basically like any others. They’re nervous about school, have crushes, dreams, and love pretending they’re Jedi and fighting at the bus stop.
This is one of the first examples of Skeleton Crew focusing on something we haven’t seen in Star Wars: an outsider’s perspective. Up until now, almost everyone on every show knows something about the bigger picture–the Jedi, the Rebels/Resistance, the Empire/First Order, etc. These kids do in a vague sense, but it’s not a part of their lives. They know only what they’ve been taught or read in books. And, at least in Wim’s case, he loves it. He even speaks at school about wanting to be a hero when he grows up. Beyond that though, they’re just relatable, normal kids in the Star Wars universe, who just so happen to be purposefully isolated from it.
Soon Wim and Neel will be joined by Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) and KB (Kyriana Kratter), two girls with a similar sense of adventure and a heightened taste for danger. And this is where I have to take a second to give all of these kid actors their due. Each is so incredibly charismatic in their own unique ways, you just can’t help but love them. Wim’s whimsical curiosity. Neel’s aw-shucks naivety. Fern’s confident swagger which she hides from her mom. KB’s cool, calm collectedness. Each almost instantly becomes a first-rate, loveable Star Wars character and the show has hardly even started.
As we watch Wim and Neel navigate through their day, showrunners Jon Watts and Christopher Ford make everything surrounding them so “Star Wars” it’s almost too Star Wars. Almost. The RX droid driving the bus is a nod to Star Tours. Fern’s bike needs a new power converter, just like Luke did. Wim plays with action figures, a Star Wars staple in our world. You don’t need to recognize these things but, if you do, it’s additive. Then, as he’s supposed to be preparing for a crucial test, Wim can be seen reading histories of the galaxy around him. There are Jedi, Sith, battles, ancient gatherings, the kind of stuff that’s beyond tantalizing for any Star Wars fan. I half wanted to stop the show so I could dive in and devour everything Win was reading too. And maybe one day we’ll learn more about it all.
The first two episodes unfold pretty much like that. Simple story, lots of charm, tons of Star Wars goodies sprinkled everywhere, all of which work together in an oddly joyful alchemy. It’s just nice and fun to watch it all. We’re engaged with the story, but more so with the characters and the tangential Star Wars on display. So, as the kids leave At Attin after discovering a ship buried beneath the eart, we start to ponder a bunch of questions. How did this ship get onto At Attin? What does the ship’s onboard droid, SM-33 (Nick Frost), remember about it? And how will Wim’s dad Wendle (Tunde Adebimpe) handle the fact he watched a ship pop out of the ground with his son and friends on it and fly off into the galaxy?
That last question specifically is for a later episode. The second episode picks up with the kids finally realizing that outside of the odd, forbidden barrier surrounding their planet is a whole, great big galaxy. SM-33 directs them to Port Borgo, a pirate spaceport which, again, is just teeming with awesome Star Wars stuff: Jawas, seedy bars, killer droids, etc. The most awesome, though, might be those Old Republic credits Wim’s dad gave him as lunch money. Those quickly become an unfortunate calling card to everyone in the port that these kids are hiding something. The fact that no one believes them when they say they’re from At Attin is even more curious and concerning. And, after a few fun action sequences, especially the one where SM-33 saves the day, we finally after two episodes meet Jod, played by Jude Law.
Well, actually… you may have recalled that Law’s name was in the credits of the first episode in which he didn’t appear. Or did he? Well, clearly, yes, you can tell almost the moment he talks that Law is actually the pirate captain Silvo from the beginning of episode one, who has now been put in the brig by his crew after their raid was a bust. But, with all the talk of spaceships and mysterious treasure planets, he decides to help the kids escape, and he isn’t afraid to use the Force to do it.
I’ve watched the first two episodes of Skeleton Crew twice now and while I just kind of straight enjoyed them the first time, a second watch left me infinitely more intrigued. What the heck is up with At Attin? What do all the parents do there? What are they hiding? WTF is “The Great Work?” Who is Jod/Silvo? There’s a lot more to uncover here besides just kids on a space adventure across the galaxy. That story though is given life by the incredible cast, excellent characters, and fascinating new point of view on Star Wars, both inside the show–via Wim mostly–and outside it, from Watts and Ford. Together, all those perspectives have kicked off what should be a very interesting, revealing show. One that, we think and hope, is going to add up to much much more.
The first two episodes of Skeleton Crew are now on Disney+. Watch here.
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