Skeleton Crew is a really enjoyable show, and Neel is without question the breakout star from the series. The kid is absolutely adorable, and the most recent episode really gave him a chance to shine.
The kids find themselves on At Achrann, a near-identical world to their home of At Attin, only one that hs devolved into an apocalyptic war-zone. Neel befriends a kid from one of the warring tribes, named Hayna, and they share a touching conversation atop the roof. While the rest of his friends train to fight, Neel lays down his blaster because he doesn’t want to join them. Hayna doesn’t blame him and instead takes him to the roof to see a much larger gun – because, remember, all she knows is war. She knows no other lifestyle. But Neel? He comes from a peaceful world where there is no fighting, and this leads to a different perspective that he shares.
He tells Hayna that they shouldn’t have to be at war all the time, but she says that they have to fight just to survive. In response, Neel says, “But fighting is… fighting is bad. If you just keep raiding each other, do you think it’ll even ever end?” After Hayna says yes, Neel continues: “If it was me, I’d just say I was sorry. No more fighting. But that’s probably just ’cause I get too scared. ’cause I’m from a weak clan. Never mind. You shouldn’t listen to me.”
Except for that’s exactly why they should listen to Neel.
He views himself as weak because he doesn’t want to fight, but what he doesn’t realize is that it’s actually a strength. In this way, he’s actually staying very true to the heart of the Star Wars saga. Wim, Neel’s best friend, idolizes the Jedi and wants to be like them, but this drives him to long for adventure and excitement and action. But we know what Wim doesn’t: the words of Master Yoda to Luke Skywalker, when Yoda said, “Adventure. Excitement. A Jedi craves not these things.” A Jedi, instead, is one who refuses to fight as a first resort but seeks peace, no matter what. In this way, Neel is actually the one most true to those ideals. One of the counter-intuitive things that George Lucas did with the Star Wars saga was establish that strength comes through knowing when not to fight – just like Luke Skywalker throwing away his lightsaber in victory at the end of Return of the Jedi. Neel views it as a weakness that he doesn’t want to fight, but a major theme of the entire saga is that it’s actually a strength.
Because Neel also understands that there are things worth fighting for. At the end of the episode, this same person who called himself “too scared” stood up to the formidable pirate droid SM-33, drawing his attention in an effort to protect his friends. Neel knows that there are some things worth fighting for, but that an eager excitement to fight, and a way of life that knows nothing but fighting, isn’t right. The time to fight is when it’s needed to protect others. That’s why Neel rises up against SM-33, but it’s also the same reason why Neel gives his portion of the food to other kids sitting nearby. He’s looking out for what will be best for others. But he’s not looking for a fight.
He views it as a weakness, but it’s a beautiful strength. I love Neel, and love this episode giving him a chance to shine.
Star Wars Thoughts 