*** Full spoiler discussion of episode 6 of Skeleton Crew is ahead, so proceed with caution. ***
The sixth episode of Skeleton Crew is here, premiering on New Year’s Eve with a slower, but no less excellent, installment.
Directed by Star Wars regular Bryce Dallas Howard, this episode gives particular focus to KB, who up to this point in the season had received precious little attention. That changes in a big way as the kids learn and grow while working together to escape.
Having evaded Jod after his devastating betrayal in last week’s episode, the kids land outside the resort, at the bottom of the mountain. But the walk through the spa, and the fall, injured KB, damaging her cybernetics and leaving her unable to move – something that Fern explains to Wim and Neel happens from time to time. Fern helps re-set KB’s sensors, which allows her to function again, but KB stands up to Fern and disagrees with her best friend’s plan. Fern, wanting to get back to the Onyx Cinder, wants to climb the mountain. Wim, on the other hand, wants to follow the seemingly-friendly little crabs. KB goes with Wim, while Neel goes with Fern so that they split in groups of two.
The planet Lanupa, it turns out, is a big garbage heap on the surface. Which proves to be quite fortunate, because KB’s implants break down again, having been corroded by all the steam and adventures (and, therefore, no recent maintenance). She explains to Wim that he needs to help her replace some parts, herself barely able to move and extremely weak. Wim does so just in time, saving her life, and in return she thanks him – calling him Jedi. It elicits a proud smile from the kid, but I hope he comes to realize that what he has done is one of the most Jedi-like endeavors: saving a life. Wim gets a lot of things wrong, and he admits it himself in this episode: the crabs turn out to just be hungry and not helping, and Wim bemoans the fact that he always gets the bad guys wrong. He thought Jod was a Jedi and was betrayed; he thought the X-Wings were the villains only to realize this week they’re the good guys; he thought the crabs were helping (since, he reasons, the ability to speak must make you intelligent, a clever and humorous twist on Qui-Gon Jinn’s classic line) only to see them lead to trouble. Wim has not exactly proven to be the most reliable interpreter of heroes and villains, discovering that the galaxy is more complex than he imagined. But his heart is unquestioned. He’s kind, good, and looking out for his friends. In the end, that’s the most important thing about the Jedi, protecting others and defending good.
As he is helping, we also learn a lot more about KB. She had an accident, and ever since has needed these cybernetics to survive. We had been hearing pieces throughout the season about a medical condition (her parents were worried in an earlier episode, and last week she was apprehensive to enter the steam), but we now know that it stems from an unspecified accident. This isn’t the first we’ve seen of these enhancements – most notably seen in Lobot in The Empire Strikes Back – but this is the most intimate look at the toll it takes. Regular maintenance is needed to prevent a shutdown, but that’s nothing compared to the emotional toll that it takes. Ever since the accident, KB has only had one friend – Fern. Because of that, KB has been afraid to really let Fern know that there are things she can’t do because of her condition. She explains to Wim that Fern just treats her like she’s no different, which Wim initially thinks is a good thing. “But I am different”, KB counters. In this way, the episode actually gives a really beautiful and touching portrait of disability, as KB is no less of a person because of her ailments and is able to contribute in significant ways. Different isn’t bad – but it’s still different. Pretending otherwise actually hurts her rather than helps her, because it leads to Fern just treating her like she can do everything Fern can.
Fern comes to realize this around the same time, because as Neel struggles to climb, he tells her that not everyone can do all the things that Fern can. She learns this, and therefore comes up with another plan to help Neel climb better. It’s a great picture of Fern learning and growing in precisely the area that KB mentions. KB hasn’t felt like she could tell Fern these things because she’d lose her only friend, but Wim tells her that he and Neel will still be her friend regardless. This kind of kindness is unlike what KB has experienced before, and it surprises and comforts her. This episode, really, is all about friendship. Remember last week how the kids thought that the greatest sacrifice was life, only for Jod to correct them that a pirate’s greatest sacrifice was treasure? This episode highlights those contrasting ways of thought, as the kids are continuing to realize that the greatest treasure is friendship. And not in the meme-worthy “the real treasure is the friends we made along the way” type deal, either. They’ve realized that true friendship can recognize that they aren’t all identical nor equally-gifted, but they can still love and care for each other while helping one another be better.
That’s on full display as the kids rescue their ship, the Onyx Cinder, sparing it from being consumed by the trash incinerator. It’s an extremely close call, but the kids are able to escape by working together. KB gets the ship up and running, and then works to power the engine. Neel takes the controls to fly, and he’s assisted by Fern. Wim returns to the turret to try to blast the incinerator. Working together, the four are able to stave off death… but their efforts don’t lead to escape. Eventually, Fern realizes that the hull of their ship is caught and decides to press the button SM-33 told them never to press – the button that sheds the hull. Upon hitting this button, the Onyx Cinder sheds its shell, just like an exoskeleton, and flies away in a shiny new ship, a sleek upgrade for a legendary vessel. With the coordinates to At Attin in KB’s memory, they’re on their way home.
But so too, it seems, are the pirates. Jod is captured by the pirates, who bring him before Captain Brutus – who orders Jod killed by airlock. That’s a fun twist on walking the plank. To remain true to the pirate code, however, Jod is given a chance to plead his case. He launches into a persuasive appeal, saying, “I’m hungry”. He appeals to the pirates’ desire for a better life and reveals that he has learned the location of treasure beyond what they can imagine from Captain Rennod himself, which is, well, technically true. The pirates are convinced enough, but only somewhat. Brutus tells Jod that he will either lead them to At Attin, or die. It seems that there will be a reunion in store between the kids and Jod, as the pirates and the kids are both heading for the ancient treasure world, for very different reasons.
This episode was slower than some of the others, but beautifully so. It really allowed the kids to shine, showing how they’re caring for one another, growing, and coming to work together as a team. Seeing them fly the Onyx Cinder together was such a joy after all they’ve been through this season, and this episode. The episode shows the need to accept others for who they are, and what they can do, rather than just assuming everyone must be exactly the same. And the episode sets up the final two weeks, where it appears we’ll be heading to At Attin, a world of ancient, unimaginable treasure. The pirates just want to get rich, while the kids just want to get home. And in the end, what’s the true treasure? All of the treasure in the galaxy can’t buy the gift of friendship, like these kids have. This was another wonderful chapter in this series, which has been really fantastic from the start.
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