Leading up to Skeleton Crew I was excited for new Star Wars, but wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I came into the series mostly just wanting to have a fun time watching it, and on that front it more than delivered. In fact, looking back on the first season of the show, I think it’s one of the very best seasons of live-action Star Wars we’ve ever seen.
That’s high praise, but it seems fitting. Skeleton Crew came from the mind of showrunners Jon Watts and Chris Ford, who initially pitched it to Lucasfilm as a movie. It then became a series instead, and the series was brought into the same timeline as The Mandalorian. The series centers around four kids – Wim, Neel, KB, and Fern – living on the seemingly idyllic world of At Attin. They stumble upon an ancient ship of legend, the Onyx Cinder, and accidentally take off, jettisoning to somewhere else in the galaxy. They come to realize that no one knows where their home is, as the planet was the lost jewel of the old Republic that has been hidden away, since it is the location of the last Old Republic mint. Because of that, it has become a legendary pirate quest, and perhaps the most infamous pirate of them all, Tak Rennod, supposedly discovered it.
Along the way, the kids meet Jod Na Nawood – known by many other names – who promises to help them get home. A down-on-his-luck pirate captain, Jod views the quest for At Attin as the key to unspeakable riches. As the kids journey with Jod (and the ship’s droid first mate, SM-33), they eventually stumble upon Rennod’s hidden treasure – and, more importantly, the long-hidden coordinates to At Attin. Jod betrays the kids and brings his pirates to attack, but the kids work together to get a message out to the New Republic, who arrive to save the day and the planet – but only after At Attin’s shroud of secrecy has fallen.
I loved the storyline of Skeleton Crew, of a treasure hunt in the Star Wars galaxy featuring pirates and riches and a lost planet. All of it is a terrific addition to the franchise, staying familiar while introducing plenty of fresh ideas. In fact, looking back on it, I’m surprised the idea of a treasure planet hasn’t been done like this in Star Wars before (though Disney did an animated film Treasure Planet that seems to have served as an inspiration for this). It’s Treasure Island in Star Wars, and that’s perfect. I loved the mystery and hunt for At Attin, I loved the background of the planet’s old Republic origins, and I loved the pirate lore with Tak Rennod and the Onyx Cinder. The story was fun and fresh, in the best of ways.
But it was really the characters who made it work. The main cast of kids were absolutely fantastic, and throughout the season we got to see each of them grow – both as individuals and in relationship to one another. The finale was a satisfying conclusion in large part because of how the kids worked together to use what they had learned to win in a way that made a lot of sense. SM-33 joined the long list of wonderful Star Wars droids, and Jude Law was phenomenal as Jod. I loved that this series kept all of us thinking that Jod would have a redemption at some point, only to make him the full-on villain in the final two episodes. It was a subversion of expectations that worked perfectly, especially because of how Law played him.
The visuals for the series were beautifully done, and the myriad creature designs were really fun and made it feel like a real pirate and alien show. And I’d be remiss not to mention Mick Giacchino’s score, which was an absolute home run, blending the best of Star Wars with the best of pirate themes that we’re used to from other movies and franchises.
Above all, though, this series was just a whole lot of fun, giving us a classic adventure in this familiar galaxy, following a new generation of heroes who find themselves caught up in a story they didn’t expect. When we first met Wim, he was looking at his datapad of ancient stories of the Jedi and longing for adventure. It’s fitting, then, that the credits of the finale show these images, culminating with a new one: these kids on their adventure, a Skeleton Crew, on a treasure hunt that will become the stuff of legend in its own right. It’s beautiful.
This was one of my favorite things that Star Wars has done in quite a while, and I’m really hoping there is more. A second season seems like it’s a possibility but far from a certainty, especially given the uncertain future of Star Wars on Disney+ and where Lucasfilm is going to take things from here. But I’m hoping that the positive reviews of Skeleton Crew will be enough to give the showrunners another season, because I really want to see more. For now, though, let’s just celebrate it for what it was: one of the best seasons of live-action Star Wars we’ve seen.
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