*** Full spoiler discussion of episode 7 of Skeleton Crew is ahead, so proceed with caution. ***
The penultimate episode of Skeleton Crew is here, and the series just continues to get better and better.
It has quickly become one of the strongest Star Wars live action shows ever made, and episode seven, “We’re Gonna Be In So Much Trouble” (directed by Lee Isaac Chung), very much continues that.
The episode begins on At Attin, where the kids’ parents conspire together in the woods in the middle of the night to create a rudimentary beacon that can get a signal out beyond the barrier. They’re caught by the security droids, but the parents defy them by running with the device. The droids keep stunning the carrier, but another parent is there to pick it up – until Kern’s mom is able to launch the device into the sky. These parents are obviously not skilled at crafting a device like this nor evading authorities, and they’re nervous throughout. Yet we see their heart in doing what is best for their children, and it’s heartwarming to see them coming together to work toward this goal of getting a message of comfort out to their kids.
Their kids, though, are closer than anyone knows, for they soon arrive in the orbit of At Attin… but only after the pirates do. We learn that At Attin is protected not just by an illusionary field, but by an actual storm that hides the planet within. As the episode progresses, we discover that there are actually devices that are generating this field, and these devices detect and destroy any ship that tries to infiltrate it, with lightning bursting out and destroying any vessel that ventures in. One of Brutus’s pirates learns this the hard way, as he is sent out to run reconnaissance and dies in the process. This causes patience with Jod to run thin, but just as they’re about to throw him out of the airlock, the Onyx Cinder arrives and he puts it together: the ship is actually the answer.
This legendary pirate ship is, it turns out, not just a ship but a key to the treasure. It was once a Republic ship that was used to transport credits to and from the Republic mint on At Attin, meaning that the ship was actually from the planet. At some point the infamous pirate Tak Rennod came to possess the ship, and that is how he was able to get through the planetary defense system that surrounded At Attin. So the Onyx Cinder, or ships like it, are the only ships that are actually able to make it through to the planet – meaning that the pirates need it. I really like how the ship is becoming more and more important, but also love how this series has handled the mystery of the planet. Before the season premiered I was a bit curious how it was possible that this Old Republic planet could be one that no one knew how to get to, but Skeleton Crew has more than adequately answered all of that. People have heard of the planet, but the reason they don’t know how to get there is because it’s a legendary treasure planet that’s been intentionally hidden away, with great lengths having been taken to protect the site of the last Republic mint. Those measures are so intense that even if someone were able to find the planet’s location, they couldn’t get through the barrier to make it to the planet unless they had the right ship. I really love how At Attin has been handled, and it’s been one of the cooler developments in live action Star Wars in quite a while, this ‘treasure planet’.
Anyway, having realized that the ship is the key, the pirates bring the Onyx Cinder aboard their cruiser via the tractor beam, but the kids put up a fight. Using the crane, they surprise Brutus and grab him, immobilizing him. And it is here that Jod really begins to descend very quickly into villain territory, far more ruthlessly even than his betrayal of the kids in episode 5. He walks up to Brutus and murders him in cold blood, and then rallies the pirate crew around him – once again, in service of Captain Silvo. He boards the Onyx Cinder and the kids are held captive, and the ship picks up the message that was sent by their parents. Seeing this message inspires the kids. Previously in the episode, there was a touching moment between Wim and Fern where Wim regretted pressing the button and beginning this adventure, but Fern tells him that the rest of the kids don’t regret it. They’ve grown significantly, yet they still just want to go home. Seeing their parents urging this, and promising that they’re not in trouble, inspires them.
Through this message, we also realize that adults learn more about At Attin once they graduate from school, so it’s clear that not everyone on the planet is as oblivious to what’s really going on as the kids are (and leads to a humorous moment, when the parents say to not tell anyone where they’re from and Jod just looks at them and says “oops”). But it still certainly seems like even the adults don’t fully know what’s going on, either on At Attin or in the galaxy, and I’m curious to see what we learn in the finale.
One of the things I love about this series is the way it manages to balance an exciting pirate adventure with being a show about kids, and therefore leaning into childlike behavior and jokes. I absolutely love that one of the main plot points of the episode revolves around “unclaimsies”. Inspired by the parents’ message, the kids realize (thanks to SM-33) that the pirate code says Jod can only be captain of one ship. And, since he’s the captain of the pirate vessel again, he can’t be the captain of the Onyx Cinder. Wim tries to claim it before Jod can, but he’s unsuccessful. Then, Fern calls unclaimsies – and, hilariously, that’s enough for SM-33, who knocks out Jod with a surprise punch. It all feels so natural, which is part of what makes this show work so well. It feels perfectly natural for these kids to be doing this, and it’s all executed beautifully.
SM-33 pirates the ship through the storm, evading the pursuing pirates, but once they get through and have At Attin in view, Jod surprises them – having stowed away on-board. He activates the lightsaber and chops off SM-33’s head, and then holds the kids captive while he verbally berates and mocks them. He’s being driven mad by the lust for treasure, and it shows. I’ve been pretty outspoken all season, and even before the show came out, that I thought Jod would betray the kids at some point but have a redemption arc, where in a crucial moment he decides to abandon the treasure hunt and help the kids – much like Long John Silver in Treasure Island. But I’ve got to be honest: this episode took it much further than I ever thought they would. It’s one thing to have a character betray the kids and challenge them for being the captain. It’s a much different thing to have that character kill the hero droid and verbally berate the kids, beating them down and threatening to kill their parents if they don’t stay silent. This episode took it so far that I now really wonder whether Jod will be ‘redeemed’ or not; it’s entirely possible that he’s defeated by his own lust for money, which is his downfall. I’m really not sure what to expect, but I’ll just say that this episode really established him as a villain, more than I expected. And, naturally, Jude Law absolutely crushed it. He’s been terrific.
Once they arrive on At Attin, an automated landing sequence takes them to a landing pad, while an announcement from the Supervisor blares over the city telling them that a representative from the Republic has arrived. It sounds awfully automated, and it seems like this isn’t something that has happened in a while. The droids greet Jod, believing him to be the Republic emissary, and they take him and the kids to the vault – one of 1,139 on the planet (which is a veiled reference to George Lucas’s film 1138, since there are 1,138 other vaults besides the one Jod is taken to). But this vault is filled with gold, and Jod fully descends into madness as he laughs maniacally while reveling in the credits, Scrooge McDuck style. The kids reunite with their parents, and the episode ends with Jod igniting his lightsaber as they all look on. It’s obviously designed to get us to wonder if he’s turning on the kids all the more and on their parents, but I’m guessing it’s actually probably him pretending to be a Republic emissary, a Jedi, in front of the parents – while also subtly reminding the kids of his threat.
This episode really had everything, and I’m absolutely loving this series. It’s one of my favorite live action shows from this franchise, and I really can’t wait to see how they land the ship next week.
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