Skeleton Crew Episodes 1 & 2 Review: Nostalgia and New Adventures
Skeleton Crew promises a different type of Star Wars series.
Here we are at the end of the year with a Star Wars series for the holidays. Months after a brutal summer of toxicity (perhaps the worst since The Last Jedi) that came with The Acolyte, in large part because of far-right grifters but also from Lucasfilm (letting a trade publication use the term “cancelled” for the first time on a series without response was a choice).
With all that hate spent on The Acolyte, would there be any left over for a bunch of child actors, Jude Law and Jon Watts (director of comic-bros’ Spartacus, Spider-Man: No Way Home)?
Who cares?! Star Wars is a Space Opera about people finding adventure (and stumbling into a few space battles) in a galaxy far, far away. It is supposed to be fun.
And that is what Jon Watts’ Skeleton Crew hopes to remind fans. With “This Could Be A Real Adventure” and “Way, Way Out Past The Barrier,” Watts’ sets up a live-action series that challenges every fan to see the world of Star Wars through the eyes of a child.
A Tactical Start
“This Could Be A Real Adventure” starts strong, emphasizing its opening crawl with a space pirate crew boarding a New Republic ship to steal cargo. Things go according to plan until they open a cargo space and find only a single credit. Angry at the loss versus profit deficit, the crew mutinies against the pirate captain (whose face is not shown).
Like The Acolyte, Skeleton Crew establishes itself as a series with more non-human characters, at least among the pirates, including Brutus, the wolf-life Shistavanen species first appearing in A New Hope.
After that, we are in the suburbs where things are not what they seem. Where a kid named Wim plays with Star Wars toys, reads Star Wars picture books, and draws pictures of Jedi instead of paying attention in class.
Add in a nerdy best friend, Neel, a little elephant boy who wants to keep his head down while he works up the courage to talk to his crush.
The two eventually cross paths with Fern and KB, two girls with other priorities besides school (mainly racing), which leads them all to a downed spaceship.
While Wim, desperate for something else in his life, insists the ship is a Jedi Temple (until it is very clear that it is not), the other kids want to get what they need and go home.
Wim gets what he wants as the ship takes off past the planet barrier (which also prevents At Attins from seeing the stars) and into hyperspace.
On the surface, it is a serviceable start to a Star Wars story: a group of kids setting off on an unknown adventure on a mysterious ship.
The setup of most of the kids’ lives At Attin, which includes a bus ride to school, a school lesson, and a career test, might seem mundane but pays off in “Way, Way Out Past The Barrier,” which changes the perception of At Attin.
A World Too Close to Home
At Attin is the central location for episode one and its location within the Star Wars galaxy is never made clear.
In a series that stars children, it makes sense that they would have their own toys and ways of entertaining themselves.
But playing with toys similar to Star Wars toys and reading stories about the Jedi is very…meta. And this is not even including the Star Wars Holiday Special reference happening at Neel’s home.
Another thing that makes the references stick out further is that despite the opening crawl’s mention of the New Republic, the planet feels isolated. We also do not see any New Republic iconography; “New Republic” is not uttered, just a “Republic” mention.
A government system is in place, but who is running it? Does anyone ever leave the planet?
All these things add up to a sense of disorientation of what this planet is supposed to be (to the viewers and the characters).
Of course, that is intentional, but it makes for an odd first-time viewing experience of acclimating to the world-building.
Luckily, we move away from At Attin in the second episode and explore a pirate spaceport where the kids and viewers learn that At Attin is the El Dorado of Star Wars.
If the monkey-like creature’s reaction to receiving a mint Republic credit doesn’t give it away, the reactions of the pirates to the word “At Attin” confirm it.
But why is it considered a lost planet of “eternal treasure”?
It is also worth noting that At Attin was peaceful and normal, and Star Wars fans know peace is not normal in this franchise.
Growing Up
A common theme in the 80s adventure kids comedy films was the resistance to growing up.
In Skeleton Crew, Wim is the poster child for this, so obsessed with being a Jedi or finding a Jedi Temple that he risks the lives of his best friend and total strangers. However, when you are at level one on the maturity scale, the only place left to go is up.
From his father to Fern, everyone keeps telling Wim that he needs to grow up. Pushing a green button to activate a sleeping ship and then lying about pressing the button is the kind of childishness not even seen in Young Jedi Adventures (though those kids are Younglings, so they have a little more discipline).
I suspect Wim is a character who will have the most growth, but he is also a character that will likely grate one’s nerves.
Ravi Cabot-Conyers plays him well enough, but the real test is ahead. If this is the last time we have seen Tunde Adebimpe as his father for a while, I’m sorry to say I’m alright with that.
As an eccentric Tornado chaser, Adebimpe was a highlight of Twisters earlier this year. Here, he comes across as stiff, even as he watches his son take off on a mysterious ship to who knows where instead of running after it frantically. In the second episode, he is more adequately concerned about flagging search droids and alerting them of the ship that broke through the barrier.
While Wim cannot balance his school and play life, Fern excels at it. Even though she loves to race, she still is at the top of her class, to her mother’s delight (played by Academy Award nominee Kerry Condon). But Fern is immature in other ways, exploiting Wim and Neel’s gullibility while ignoring her friend KB’s advice. She also lies.
It sets up an interesting dynamic group of two Alphas and two Betas.
KB draws the short end of the stick regarding character build-up and knowing anything about her family. It would be odd if we don’t get more insight into her character as the story progresses, at least through her relationship with Fern. And why does she choose to hide behind her viser implant? Why does she have cybernetic implants to begin with?
Subversion of Expectations…For Now
Along with the Goonies and E.T., Skeleton Crew also channels Treasure Island ( Treasure Planet for Millennials) with a twist. There is a reason why things seem “off” on At Attin and why there is a barrier surrounding the atmosphere. It is a hidden treasure planet, a myth amongst pirates.
Having the children be from a planet that would interest pirates raises the stakes but also promises their safety for now.
At the end of “Way, Way Out Past The Barrier,” Jude Law enters (or reenters) as he is most definitely the pirate captain we saw at the beginning of episode one whose crew mutinied. The character, Jod Na Nawood, appears to be Force-sensitive to Wim’s delight.
Unfortunately, I do not think Jod has the best intentions. He could have used his abilities to get out of that cell earlier, so he probably sees the kids as an easy mark to get a ship.
It would be great if he were not a former Jedi but a pirate who happens to be Force-sensitive.
Force-sensitive pirates are relatively new in Star Wars canon. Some of the Nihil were Force-sensitive in The High Republic, which did not end well. I doubt that the other pirates know Jod is Force-sensitive.
Not seeing Jude Law’s face until the end of episode two is a bold move for the show and emphasizes Watts’s trust in these child actors.
So far, so good.
Skeleton Crew feels like a show that could appeal to kids but will also appeal to middle-aged men, not just with the 80s references but the focus on pirates in Star Wars.
Is it a must-see Star Wars series that people will be talking about? No. But perhaps that is where Star Wars needs to be right now as the last live-action series for a year: sufficiently fun.
Originally published at http://creditsandcanon.com on December 7, 2024.
